In the end, I opened one last video.
On the screen, Daniel stood by the sea. The wind tousled his hair, and his voice was low and gentle as he called her name.
“My Karina.”
She asked softly, “Do you love me?”
It was a question he hadn’t asked me that way in many years.
On the screen, my husband of seven years—the father of the child growing inside me—answered without hesitation:
“I will always love you, Carla.”
I replayed the video again and again, watching as daylight slowly drained from the room.
Tears slid down my face in silence, yet no sound escaped me.
When night fully fell, I turned off my phone.
Then I reopened the bank statements.
I backed up every record, one by one, carefully labeled and clearly marked.
Only after I finished did I lower my gaze to my belly.
The baby moved gently again.
And in that moment, I finally understood something—
This story would no longer be allowed to end on their terms.
When Daniel came home, the house was completely dark.
He paused at the door, then turned on the light, his voice carrying a note of deliberate concern.
“Olivia, why didn’t you turn on the lights? It’s so dark—what if you trip?”
The moment the lights came on, he was already in front of me. He dropped to one knee and took my hand in his.
I instinctively raised my other hand to shield my face, but the tears still slipped through my fingers.
“Why are you crying like this?” he asked softly, as if soothing a child. “Who made my wife and our baby so uncomfortable?”
As he spoke, he leaned down and pressed a light kiss against my belly.
In that instant, I smelled it again.
That familiar scent—
Sweet, faint, unmistakable jasmine.
I forced myself to steady my breathing and looked up at him.
“Where were you just now?”
“At the office,” he answered quickly, without even pausing. “There was a sudden issue with a project. I had to work late.”
His tone was natural—too natural. As if it had been rehearsed countless times.
I nodded, then smiled instead.
“Is that so?”
He visibly relaxed.
“But Daniel,” I said softly, my fingers tightening around his hand, “weren’t you in the eastern part of the city today? Carla suddenly wanted dumplings from that famous place. You drove all the way from the west side—it takes over an hour. She even went live.”
The air fell silent for a single second.
Before he could react, I added with another smile, my voice gentle, almost naïve,
“Now that I think about it, I suddenly want those dumplings too.”
I placed my hand back on my belly, as if reminding him of the role he was supposed to be playing.
As if sensing my emotions, the baby suddenly kicked hard. I frowned and drew in a shallow breath.
“Could you help me get some?”
Daniel withdrew his hand from mine.
He stood up, a trace of poorly concealed irritation flashing across his brow.
“That kind of food isn’t very nutritious,” he said. “You’re so far along now—you need to be careful about what you eat.”
After a brief pause, he added,
“For our son. Try to endure it, okay?”
Without waiting for my response, he turned and walked toward the bathroom. His voice returned to that familiar, gentle tone that allowed no argument.
“I’ll take a shower first. I’m exhausted. Why don’t you call your mother and ask her to make you something light?”
The sound of the bathroom door closing echoed sharply through the house.
I leaned back against the sofa, slowly stroking my belly, and whispered,
“Don’t be afraid, my love.”
“Mommy will find a way.”
