I woke up in the spare bedroom with sunlight coming through the curtains.
For a few seconds, I forgot where I was.
Then I saw the white dresser.
The rocking chair.
The cardboard box behind the furniture.
And everything came back.
I had slept in the room where Julian's family imagined another woman's baby would live.
I sat up and looked at the empty space beside the window.
Six years earlier, I had imagined a crib there.
I had imagined soft blankets, tiny clothes, and a nightlight.
I had even saved photographs of nursery designs on my phone.
Then the treatments failed.
One after another.
Eventually, I stopped looking at those photographs.
Now Julian's family had apparently decided that the room belonged to Sophie.
I got dressed and went downstairs.
Julian was already in the kitchen.
He looked at me when I entered.
"Morning."
"Morning."
He poured coffee into his mug.
Then he looked toward the staircase.
"Did you sleep upstairs?"
"Yes."
He nodded.
"Are you still upset?"
I opened the refrigerator.
"Would you like an honest answer?"
He sighed.
"Claire, I don't want us fighting."
I took out some milk.
"Then stop giving me reasons."
He put his mug down.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then he said:
"We need to make a decision about the baby."
I looked at him.
"What decision?"
"How we're going to handle everything."
I closed the refrigerator.
"You're going to have a child with Sophie. You need to decide how you're going to handle that."
He shook his head.
"That's not what I mean."
I waited.
He leaned against the counter.
"Mom thinks the baby should come here after the birth."
I stared at him.
"Here?"
"Yes."
"To our house?"
He nodded.
I couldn't believe how calmly he said it.
"And Sophie?"
"She'll have visits."
I looked at him for several seconds.
Then I asked:
"Did Sophie agree to that?"
He looked away.
"She understands the situation."
That wasn't an answer.
Not even close.
I placed my coffee cup on the counter.
"Julian, did Sophie agree?"
He rubbed his forehead.
"We haven't finalized everything."
I nodded.
There it was again.
A decision that had already been discussed without the people affected by it.
I walked toward the living room.
He followed me.
"Claire, please don't shut down."
I turned around.
"I'm not shutting down. I'm listening."
He looked frustrated.
Then he said something that made my heart sink.
"You're the one who wanted a child more than anything."
I stared at him.
"Yes. I did."
"Then why can't you see this as an opportunity?"
I couldn't answer immediately.
Not because I didn't know what to say.
Because I suddenly understood how little he knew about me.
I had wanted to become a mother.
I had never wanted to become a convenient solution to my husband's affair.
I went to work that morning.
I needed the routine.
I needed people who knew me as Claire, not as Julian's wife or Sophie's replacement.
My coworker Denise noticed something was wrong.
She stopped beside my desk.
"Are you okay?"
I looked up.
"Just tired."
She studied my face.
"You've said that three times this week."
I gave her a small smile.
"Have I?"
"Yes."
She placed a cup of coffee beside my keyboard.
"Whatever it is, don't carry it alone."
I thanked her.
But I didn't explain.
I wasn't ready to tell anyone at work.
I wasn't even ready to hear the story out loud.
During lunch, I called Sophie.
She answered quickly.
"Claire?"
"Did Julian tell you he wants the baby to live with me?"
There was silence.
Then she said:
"What?"
I closed my eyes.
"He told me his mother wants the baby brought to our house after the birth."
Sophie sounded upset.
"That isn't what I agreed to."
I leaned back in my chair.
"What did he tell you?"
"He said we would share responsibility. He said he would help me raise the baby."
I listened.
"Did he say anything about me?"
"He said you would eventually accept the situation."
I rubbed my forehead.
"Apparently, he believes I have already agreed."
Sophie became quiet.
Then she said:
"Claire, I want to raise my own child."
I looked down at my desk.
"I understand."
"I never agreed to give the baby away."
I believed her.
At least, I believed that part.
I asked whether she had any messages confirming what Julian had promised.
She said she did.
"Keep everything," I told her.
"I will."
After the call, I returned to work.
But my hands were shaking.
That evening, Julian came home late.
He found me sitting at the kitchen table with a book.
He placed his keys beside the fruit bowl.
"Have you eaten?"
"Yes."
He loosened his tie.
"Can we talk?"
I closed the book.
"About what?"
"The baby."
I looked at him.
"Again?"
He pulled out the chair opposite me.
"Mom thinks we should arrange things before Sophie gives birth."
I waited.
He continued.
"There will be expenses. Medical appointments. Things the baby needs."
I nodded.
"That's what parents usually prepare for."
He looked at me.
"Exactly."
Then he mentioned the joint account.
I felt my stomach tighten.
"What about it?"
"We may need to use some of our savings."
I stared at him.
"Your baby with Sophie?"
He frowned.
"Our baby is part of this family."
I leaned back.
"Julian, that child is not mine."
He looked genuinely offended.
"Why do you keep saying that?"
"Because it's true."
He rubbed his forehead.
Then he stood.
"I can't have this conversation with you when you're being like this."
I watched him walk away.
He went upstairs.
A few minutes later, I heard the shower running.
I remained at the table.
Then I opened my notebook.
I wrote down the date.
And beneath it, I wrote:
He wants to use our joint savings for the baby.
I didn't know what he planned to do next.
But I knew I needed to understand our finances before he made another decision on my behalf.
Click here to continue reading: PART 10: The Money in Our Joint Account Was Not Where I Expected It to Be, and Julian’s Explanation Made Everything Worse
My Husband Thought I Was Too Clueless to Understand His Family’s Secret Language, Until One Dinner Changed Everything
Part 9 of 20
