When Love Goes Silent

I clutched my pregnancy test results in my hand, standing outside the door of Ethan's office.

I wanted to surprise my husband with this news.

Instead, I overheard a conversation about how to "permanently remove" me from his and our daughter's lives.

...

The hallway was quiet. I approached the half-open oak door, hand raised to knock—

"Honestly? I'm losing my mind."

I froze.

That was Ethan's voice. I recognized that tone—the one he used with his college roommate Dave, that unfiltered honesty men share when they think no one's listening.

"What now?" Dave asked.

"It's her." Ethan said. "Cathy. She monitors everything Lily eats now, checks her lunchbox every day, emails the school teachers about the menu. Last week she actually drove to the dance school and cornered Mia in the parking lot."

"Parking lot confrontation? That sounds intense."

"Can you imagine?" Ethan's voice rose. "She cornered Mia, demanding to know why she spends 'alone time' with Lily after every class."

"Mia's just doing her job as a dance teacher. What does she want? Guarding territory like some rabid dog?"

My nails dug into my palms.

"She even accused Mia of trying to seduce me."

"Didn't you used to like that about her?" Dave laughed coldly. "You used to say her jealousy proved she loved you. Said she took such good care of Lily—"

"That was then." Ethan cut him off. "Back then I thought she was dedicated. Now she's just... suffocating. You know what Lily told me yesterday? She wishes Mia was her mom. Mia takes her for ice cream, compliments her dancing, doesn't show up in front of her friends wearing sweaters with pills all over them."

Dave paused for a moment. "So what are you going to do?"

"I have a plan." There was something in Ethan's voice I hadn't heard in a long time—a lightness. "I'll tell her I'm taking Lily to that dance camp in Montana. Lily will go along with it. She's helped me cover before."

"And in reality?"

"I'll take Mia to Europe." Ethan lowered his voice. "She's always wanted to go to Tuscany. Says the light there is perfect for photos. We'll rent a villa for three months."

My knees went weak. I grabbed the doorframe.

"Cathy won't get suspicious?"

"Lily will cover for me. We've done this before, works every time." Ethan laughed. "I've already talked to her about it. It's our little secret. I'll sneak her the snacks her mom won't let her have. An eight-year-old—give her a few treats and she'll do anything."

"You think Cathy will buy the camp story?"

"Of course she will." Ethan said. "She trusts Lily. And right now—" he paused, "she's been feeling off lately. Dizzy all the time, put on some weight. Three months from now, when we're back, it'll all be over."

"What'll be over?"

Ethan didn't answer right away.

"I don't know." He finally said. "Maybe her suffocating love."

I should have walked in.

Should have thrown the pregnancy test in his face and told him that the "weight gain" was because I was carrying his second child.

But I didn't.

I let go of the doorframe. Turned around. The hallway stretched on forever, like I'd never reach the end.

The sunlight outside was blinding. I stood threr, the medical report now a damp crumpled ball in my hand.

I drove to the dance school, needing to know what Lily thought.

Twenty minutes until class ended. I parked across the street, sat in the driver's seat, watching the other mothers arrive. They wore leggings and perfect makeup, phones in hand, greeting each other, laughing, chatting.

I looked down at myself.

A sweatshirt I'd worn four days straight. Hair thrown up with a hair tie, loose strands everywhere. No makeup, dark circles even concealer couldn't cover.

Since this pregnancy started, I'd been nauseous and exhausted constantly. I had no energy left for any of that.

I never connected these symptoms to pregnancy though—Ethan and I had been sleeping in separate rooms for too long. Except for that one night after his office party, when he came home drunk out of his mind.

The bell rang.

Children poured out. I spotted Lily walking ahead with two girls. She wore her pink dance skirt, hair in a high ponytail.

"Lily!" I rolled down my window, leaned out halfway, waved.

The girls beside her looked over first.

"Lily, is that your mom?"

"No way." One of them scoffed. "Lily said her mom wears couture every day, a hundred times more elegant than Miss Mia."

Lily turned, saw me. In that instant, her expression changed. The smile vanished.