The positive test felt surreal in your hand, the two lines glaring up at you like a silent scream. You were pregnant. The realization was a storm of emotions—fear, disbelief, and, somewhere buried deep, a flicker of hope. How could you bring this new life into the world amidst the coldness that surrounded you?

Summoning what courage you had left, you decided to tell Johnathan. Maybe, just maybe, there was a small chance he’d surprise you. As you approached his office, you rehearsed the words in your head, trying to ignore the pang of anxiety that twisted in your stomach. But nothing could’ve prepared you for what you walked in on.

There, in his office, sat Johnathan with Aurora perched on his lap, her arms draped around him, their lips close. She was laughing, brushing her fingers against his cheek, a smile you hadn’t seen on his face in a long time. It took a moment for them to notice you, but when they did, Aurora quickly scrambled off his lap, her face flushed as she buttoned her shirt back up. Johnathan’s expression shifted from shock to something colder, harder, as if he’d been caught in a trivial inconvenience rather than an act of betrayal.

The words you’d rehearsed vanished, leaving only a hollow ache in your chest as you gripped the doorframe to steady yourself. The positive test felt like a cruel joke in your pocket, a secret now too painful to share.