I had intended to surprise Alexander with the news of my pregnancy on his birthday. I was two months along, and this has been a long-awaited moment. Unfortunately, Alexander had shown little interest in intimacy and had always expressed aversion to the idea of children, considering them a burden. He even urged me to use birth control.
Given our similar backgrounds in a dangerous, illegal environment, I could empathize with his belief that children could be a source of vulnerability.
Then, just the other day, I saw him researching baby things, creating spreadsheets for expectant moms and newborns. Foolishly, I believed that he was finally accepting our future and warming up to the idea of having a child together.
Now I realized he wasn’t preparing for me at all— he was doing it for Colleen.
That evening, Alexander came home earlier than usual. He called for me from the hallway, but I stayed silent in the bedroom. After a while, I heard the shower, then felt him slip into bed beside me.