I couldn't move.
My husband was still standing in the kitchen, holding his phone.
I heard him sigh.
Then he spoke again.
"Once the baby is born, everything will finally be different."
I pressed my fingers against my lips.
He listened.
A few seconds passed.
Then he laughed quietly.
"She won't make trouble. She trusts me too much."
I felt something break inside me.
Trust.
That was the word he had just used.
The same trust that had made me agree to carry a child for someone else.
The same trust that had made me sign medical documents while convincing myself we were doing something good for our family.
I wanted to walk into that kitchen and demand an explanation.
But I couldn't.
I was afraid of what he might say.
I was even more afraid that he would deny everything and make me feel foolish for believing what I had heard.
Then he said Graham's name.
"Just be patient, Graham. We have waited this long."
My knees nearly gave way.
Graham.
The man whose child I was carrying.
The man my husband had introduced as a respected boss who simply wanted to become a father.
I heard another pause.
Then my husband continued.
"I know you want us to start our life together. I want that too."
I closed my eyes.
I had to hold the wall to keep myself standing.
He was talking about a life with Graham.
A life that apparently had nothing to do with me.
Then came the words that hurt more than anything else.
"After she gives birth, I'll tell her everything. There's no reason to upset her before then."
I looked down at my stomach.
The baby moved.
I gently placed my hand over the movement.
I didn't know whether I wanted to cry or scream.
My husband continued speaking.
"She thinks I'm doing this because of the regional director position. Let her believe that for now."
I couldn't listen anymore.
I slowly stepped backward.
The wooden floor creaked beneath my foot.
I froze.
My husband stopped speaking.
For one terrifying second, neither of us moved.
Then he laughed again.
"Sorry, I thought I heard something."
I turned around and walked toward the stairs.
Slowly.
Carefully.
I didn't run.
I didn't want him to hear me.
When I reached the bedroom, I closed the door without making a sound.
I climbed into bed and pulled the blanket over myself.
My heart was beating so hard that I could feel it in my throat.
A few minutes later, I heard footsteps coming upstairs.
The bedroom door opened.
My husband entered.
He looked at me.
"You're awake?"
I kept my eyes half closed.
"I woke up thirsty."
He walked toward the bathroom.
"Did you get some water?"
I shook my head.
"I changed my mind."
He came over and kissed my forehead.
"Try to sleep. You need your rest."
I wanted to push him away.
Instead, I closed my eyes.
He climbed into bed.
Within minutes, his breathing became slow and regular.
I lay beside him, staring into the darkness.
The man sleeping next to me had just admitted that our marriage was temporary.
And I was carrying a child who was part of his secret plan.
I didn't sleep again that night.
When morning came, I heard Sophie moving around in her bedroom.
She called for me.
"Mom?"
I forced myself out of bed.
"Coming, sweetheart."
I helped her get dressed.
I prepared breakfast.
I packed her school bag.
I did everything I normally did.
But I felt as though I was watching my own life from somewhere outside my body.
My husband came downstairs wearing his usual work clothes.
He kissed Sophie.
Then he kissed me.
"How did you sleep?"
"Fine."
The word came out easily.
That frightened me.
I had already learned how to lie to him.
He poured coffee into his favorite mug.
The same mug he used every morning.
Then he checked his phone.
A message appeared.
I couldn't read it from where I stood.
But I noticed his expression.
He smiled.
It was the same smile I had seen when he felt the baby kick.
Only now I knew that smile had another meaning.
He looked at me.
"Everything okay?"
I nodded.
"Of course."
He picked up his keys.
"I might be late tonight. Graham needs me to finish something."
I looked at him.
Graham again.
"Okay."
He left.
The front door closed.
I stood in the kitchen for several minutes.
Then I looked at the family photograph on the shelf.
My husband.
Me.
Sophie.
All three of us smiling.
I had once believed that picture represented the life we were building.
Now I wondered how long he had been pretending.
I walked to the table and sat down.
For the first time, I allowed myself to think clearly.
I wasn't going to confront him that morning.
Not yet.
I needed to understand what was happening.
I needed to know whether Graham was involved in something my husband had hidden from me.
And most importantly, I needed to protect myself and the baby.
I opened my phone.
I searched for the number of the clinic.
Then I saved it somewhere I could find it easily.
I wasn't ready to tell anyone what I had heard.
But I knew one thing.
I could no longer pretend that everything was normal.
Click here to continue reading: PART 6: I Started Looking at My Husband’s Messages Differently, and One Ordinary Notification Made Me Question Everything About Our Marriage
The Birthday Dinner When My Husband First Asked Me to Carry Another Woman’s Dream, I Never Imagined What It Would Cost Our Family
Part 5 of 20
