Chapter 1: The Test On The Table
The most painful betrayal of my life was sitting on my mother’s coffee table in the form of a tiny plastic stick.
I wasn’t supposed to find it.
I wasn’t supposed to know.
And I definitely wasn’t supposed to hear the voice that came from upstairs five minutes later.
That afternoon started like any other Sunday.
I had driven across town with a bag of my mother’s favorite pastries, planning to surprise her after a stressful week at work. My mother, Diane, had always been my safest place. Even after my father left when I was twelve, she was the person who packed my lunches, stayed up when I was sick, and told me that no matter what happened in life, family was the one thing I could always trust.
At least, that was what I believed.
I unlocked the front door with the spare key she had given me years ago.
“Mom?”” I called out.
“I brought your favorite cinnamon rolls.””
No answer.
The house was strangely quiet.
I walked into the living room, expecting to find her watching television or reading on the couch.
Instead, I froze.
Right in the center of the coffee table was a pregnancy test.
Two bright lines.
Positive.
For several seconds, my brain refused to understand what my eyes were seeing.
My mother was fifty-two years old.
I slowly placed the pastry bag down.
“Mom?””
My voice sounded different.
Almost like it belonged to someone else.
A moment later, she appeared from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a towel. The second she saw my face, her expression changed.
She knew.
She knew exactly what I had found.
“Emily…” she whispered.
I pointed toward the table.
“Is that yours?””
Her lips parted, but no words came out.
The silence answered before she did.
“Mom,” I said again, louder this time.
“Are you pregnant?””
Her eyes filled with nervous tears.
“Yes.””
The room suddenly felt too small.
I stared at her, waiting for her to laugh.
Waiting for her to tell me it was some kind of misunderstanding.
But she didn’t.
“You’re serious?”” I asked.
She nodded.
“I was going to tell you.””
“When?””
She looked away.
“I just needed time.””
I walked closer, my heart pounding.
“Time for what? Time to prepare me for the fact that my mother is having a baby?””
“Emily, please.””
“No, Mom. Please don’t do that. You know how shocking this is.””
She sat down slowly on the couch.
“I know.””
I looked at the pregnancy test again.
Then back at her.
“Who is the father?””
Her face changed instantly.
Not sadness.
Not embarrassment.
Fear.
And that scared me more than anything.
“Mom?””
“Emily, sit down.””
My stomach tightened.
“Why are you avoiding the question?””
“Because there are things you need to understand first.””
“What things?””
She reached toward me, but I stepped back.
“Just tell me who it is.””
Her hands trembled.
“I promise I was going to explain everything.””
“Explain what?””
She looked toward the staircase.
For one strange second, I thought I saw panic flash across her face.
Then came a sound.
A floorboard creaking upstairs.
I turned.
“Mom?””
She didn’t answer.
The air changed.
Someone was in the house.
Someone I didn’t know was there.
Then a man’s voice floated down from the second floor.
“Babe?””
My entire body went cold.
Because I knew that voice.
I knew it better than anyone.
My heart stopped before my mind could catch up.
Slowly, I looked at my mother.
She was crying.
And that was when I realized the truth was much worse than anything I could have imagined.
A shadow appeared at the top of the stairs.
Then he stepped down.
My boyfriend.
Jason.
Shirtless.
Confused.
And completely frozen when he saw me standing in the living room.
“Emily…”
I couldn’t breathe.
My mother covered her mouth.
Jason grabbed the railing.
“Wait, I can explain.””
But I couldn’t hear anything after that.
May you like
Because the man I planned to marry was standing in my mother’s house.
And my mother was carrying his child.
