By the time I reached twenty-four weeks, I had started sleeping badly.
My stomach was getting bigger.
Finding a comfortable position was becoming difficult.
Some nights, I woke up several times.
Daniel usually slept beside me, although he sometimes stayed up late finishing work.
That particular night was different.
I woke up thirsty.
The bedroom was dark.
I reached across the mattress and expected to feel Daniel's arm.
Nothing.
His side of the bed was empty.
I opened my eyes.
The clock on the bedside table showed a little after two in the morning.
I sat up slowly.
My mouth felt dry.
I thought Daniel might still be downstairs.
He had been working on something earlier that evening.
I slipped out of bed and walked toward the bedroom door.
The hallway was dark.
As I reached the stairs, I noticed a light coming from the kitchen.
Then I heard his voice.
He was speaking quietly.
At first, I couldn't make out the words.
I assumed he was on a work call.
I started down the stairs.
Then he laughed.
It was a familiar laugh.
The same laugh he used when talking to Graham at company events.
I stopped.
"She still believes this is all about my promotion."
I didn't move.
I stood on the stairs, one hand resting against the railing.
I thought I had misunderstood him.
Maybe he was talking about someone else.
Maybe I had heard only part of the conversation.
Then he spoke again.
"No. She hasn't figured anything out."
My stomach tightened.
He paused.
I heard the refrigerator humming.
Then Daniel continued.
"She's been happier lately."
I felt something cold move through my chest.
Who was he talking about?
And why was he discussing me like that?
I moved closer to the kitchen.
The wooden floor creaked slightly beneath my foot.
I froze.
Daniel didn't seem to notice.
He was still talking.
I couldn't hear the person on the other end, but I could hear him clearly.
"Everything is fine. She's doing exactly what we expected."
My hand moved to my stomach.
The baby shifted.
I stared toward the kitchen doorway.
Daniel lowered his voice.
Then he said something that made my heart begin beating so hard I could feel it in my throat.
"I want that too."
Silence.
He listened for a while.
Then he spoke again.
"But we have to wait until the baby's born."
I stopped breathing.
The baby kicked beneath my palm.
I looked down.
My pregnancy.
Our arrangement.
The medical appointments.
The conversations about Graham becoming a father.
What was I missing?
Daniel continued.
"She has no idea who she's really carrying this baby for."
My hand flew to my mouth.
I had to press my lips together to keep from making a sound.
For several seconds, I couldn't move.
I couldn't even think properly.
The kitchen light spilled across the hallway floor.
I could see Daniel's shadow moving against the cabinets.
He was smiling.
I could hear it in his voice.
Then he spoke again.
And what he said next made my knees feel weak.
I backed away from the doorway.
One step.
Then another.
My heel touched the bottom stair.
I grabbed the railing before I could lose my balance.
The baby moved again.
I placed both hands over my stomach.
I had spent months believing I was helping a man become a father.
I had believed my husband was helping me through something difficult.
I had believed the pregnancy had brought our family closer.
But the conversation I had just overheard made all those memories feel different.
The birthday cake.
The dinner invitation.
The promotion.
The bills spread across the kitchen table.
The sudden affection.
The late-night calls.
Every detail returned at once.
And I began wondering whether the decision I had made was ever truly mine.
I didn't go into the kitchen.
I couldn't.
I returned upstairs as quietly as possible.
When I reached the bedroom, I sat on the edge of the mattress.
My mouth was still covered by my hand.
I could hear Daniel moving downstairs.
A cupboard opened.
A glass touched the counter.
Then his footsteps approached the stairs.
I quickly lay down and turned away from the bedroom door.
A few moments later, he entered.
The mattress dipped.
He climbed into bed.
"Are you awake?" he whispered.
I didn't answer.
He touched my shoulder.
"Everything okay?"
I forced myself to breathe normally.
"Just thirsty."
He was quiet for a moment.
"I'll get you some water."
"No. It's okay."
I didn't want him leaving the room again.
I didn't want him making another phone call.
Most of all, I didn't want him looking at me while I tried to understand what I had heard.
He settled beside me.
Within minutes, his breathing became slow.
I stayed awake.
I watched the darkness above me.
I thought about Sophie sleeping in her bedroom.
I thought about the baby inside me.
And I thought about the man lying beside me.
The same man who had cried when we received the positive pregnancy result.
The same man who had held my hand during ultrasounds.
The same man who had told me he wanted to come home to his family.
I wanted to wake him.
I wanted to turn on the light and demand an explanation.
But something stopped me.
I needed to know exactly what he had meant.
I needed to understand who was on the other end of that phone call.
And I needed to find out why he had said I didn't know who I was carrying the baby for.
The following morning, Daniel acted completely normal.
He made breakfast.
He helped Sophie find her school shoes.
He asked whether I had slept well.
I looked at him across the kitchen table.
"Not really."
He placed a cup of tea in front of me.
"Pregnancy keeping you awake?"
I nodded.
He kissed my forehead.
"Try to rest today."
I watched him leave for work.
Then I looked at the kitchen table.
The same table where he had once sat surrounded by unpaid bills.
The same table where I had agreed to carry Graham's baby.
I remembered how easily I had been persuaded.
And for the first time, I felt something stronger than fear.
I felt suspicious.
I knew I couldn't confront him without understanding what was happening.
So I made a decision.
I would stop accepting his explanations.
I would start paying attention.
And I would find out what he and Graham had been hiding from me.
Click here to continue reading: PART 5: I Pretended Nothing Had Changed, But Every Time My Husband Touched My Stomach, I Remembered the Words He Spoke That Night
My Husband Said His Boss Needed a Baby, But I Never Expected Him to Bring Up My Body During His Birthday Celebration
Part 4 of 20
