HELENAMy jaw should have snapped shut by now.But it didn’t.“A–Are you certain?” I whispered, voice cracking as my fingers trembled around the pregnancy test. Three years. Three years of sterile rooms, hormone shots, and silent nights crying in the shower while Brent grew more distant. Three years of hoping a baby might pull us back together.The doctor nodded, her eyes warm. “Positive, Ms. Vale. Congratulations.”A raw, disbelieving laugh tore from my throat, quickly dissolving into hot tears that streamed down my cheeks. I pressed my free hand to my stomach—still flat, still miraculous. There’s a life in here and it was ours. Joy crashed over me, bright and desperate, so fierce it hurt. Brent would lose his mind. He’d scoop me up and spin me around like he used to, back when his eyes still lit up at the sight of me.But the joy curdled almost instantly. He hadn’t looked at me that way in months. No kisses before practice. No random “I miss you” calls. No reaching for me in b
Last Updated : 2026-06-30 Read more