---- was born. She'd heard how her parents' marriage was met with fierce opposition, leading to a permanent family split. It was the classic tale of a poor schoolteacher marrying a rich girl-and a dramatic fallout. Clara remembered seeing her dad in the ICU: frail, pointing weakly at a mother and son across the room, telling her mom, "Sue, let's get a divorce. I don't have much time. Being an only child, I promised my mom to leave a son behind. Clara's a girl, so the house should go to my son Luke." Sue trembled. "When did you start cheating?" Owen whispered, "Eight years ago." "Eight years? You really broke me. Remember your vows when I defied my parents to be with you?" Owen's voice cracked, "Of course. You're rich, I've served humbly for over twenty years. That's enough. Sign the divorce papers. You've got ---- your fancy villa; you don't need my support." Clara hugged her mom tightly. Sue's hands shook as she signed, then left with Clara. They moved quickly to Sue's villa across Silverton. From that day, Clara never saw her dad or returned to the old home-her childhood haven filled with joy. That happiness vanished. Her mom spiraled into despair, talking endlessly about broken hearts, guilt, and a fear of Greystone. Every talk ended with pleas for Clara to swear off love, distrust men, and never marry. "Mom, I won't believe in love," Clara thought. After all the heartbreak, how could she? One afternoon, Clara came home to find her mom bleeding from a wrist slit with a fruit knife. Luckily, she survived, but her mom kept trying ---- to hurt herself in the hospital. Doctors eventually had to restrain her with handcuffs to keep her safe. Clara's heart broke, remembering how graceful and beautiful her mom once was. One day, a three-year-old wandered into her mom's hospital room, and suddenly her mom's condition improved. She smiled and called the child "baby." Doctors recommended more visits from kids to help her recover, but after a few tries, the kids got scared and wouldn't return. That's when Clara got the idea-maybe she should have a child of her own. No marriage needed. Her graduation thesis was on IVF. At the time, Sierra interned with Dr. Callahan, Aaron's attending physician. With Sierra's help, Clara collected sperm during Aaron's brief anesthesia after a gastroscopy. ---- The surgery went well, Clara got pregnant easily-but her mom didn't live to meet Leo's birth.