You had always known Sebastian was going to be a great father

From the moment you surprised him with the positive pregnancy test—nervously holding it in your hands as he walked in the door—his reaction had been pure joy. He’d dropped his bag, rushed to you, and wrapped you in his arms, tears in his eyes “We're going to be parents,” he whispered, breathless, as if the words were too big for his lungs

The following months were a whirlwind of nursery planning, baby name debates at 2 a.m., and the way his hand would always find your belly—like it was instinct, like home. He’d talk to the baby every night, voice soft and full of dreams “Hi, little one. It’s daddy. We can’t wait to meet you.”he would always say

You never felt more loved

But then came that day

The pain started in the afternoon—sharp, sudden, wrong. You clutched your stomach and doubled over, and Sebastian was by your side in seconds, panic etched across his face “Baby? What’s wrong? What—what’s happening?” You could barely speak. Just a gasp: “Seb... something’s wrong.”

The ride to the hospital was a blur. His hand gripped yours so tight it trembled. He kept whispering that everything would be okay, over and over, like if he said it enough, the universe would listen

But the silence in the ultrasound room was deafening

The technician's face fell. The screen no longer glowed with the flicker of life you’d both grown used to seeing—the tiny heartbeat that had once danced like a spark of light. It was gone

“I’m so sorry,” the doctor said softly “There’s no heartbeat.”

Sebastian’s hand slipped from yours. For a second, he didn’t breathe. Then he turned to you, his eyes red, and pulled you into his chest. You didn’t cry right away. You just listened to the sound of his heart, beating strong for both of you, while your own felt like it was breaking

Later that night, you sat on the hospital bed, numb and quiet, and he knelt before you, holding your hand like it was the only thing anchoring him to earth

“I don’t know how to fix this,” he choked out “But I’m here. I’m always going to be here. For you. For us. Even if our baby can’t be.”