A short story about Ava Shaw's journey to self-acceptance. Childfree, centres on the struggle between Ava's choices and the pressures from those dear to her. This story will resonate with both childfree by choice readers, and mothers, who struggle with the balance between nurturing themselves and nurturing others. The people in Ava's life bring conflict to her already conflicted mind, through a crisis at Ava's work - an acute psychiatric ward; the promise of an artist's dream come true; a fake pregnancy while shoe shopping; a gem of truth from a professional intuitive, and the death of a dear friend.