Our aspirations began to unravel when we decided to start a family. At first, Jason exhibited a facade of patience, but as months turned into a year with no positive pregnancy tests, his demeanor began to shift. Every doctor’s appointment, every course of hormone treatment, every meticulously tracked cycle became an increasingly heavy burden, a test I repeatedly failed in his eyes. I vividly recall the sterile chill of medical examination rooms, feeling less like a beloved wife and more like a mere subject in a scientific experiment, stripped of my individuality.