My wedding day was supposed to be perfect. The kind of day you dream about as a little girl. The smell of fresh lilies filled the air, the chatter of excited guests swirled around me, and my bridesmaids were making sure every little detail of my gown was just right. But then, in one shocking moment, everything I had imagined for my future came crashing down. I stood in front of the mirror, feeling like a fairy tale princess. My gown sparkled in the light, my heart swelled with happiness.

The Truth Behind the Lies I wish I could say that I was just imagining things. That my mind was playing tricks on me because of stress, or that I had overreacted. But I wasn’t crazy. I wasn’t just being paranoid. I saw what I saw, and nothing could take away the cold, hard truth. My name is Martha. I have a four-year-old daughter, Beverly. My husband, Jason, and I both work full-time, so Bev spends most of her weekdays at daycare. We never liked it, but it was the

My hands trembled as I placed the pregnancy test on the bathroom counter. Five years. Five long years of heartbreak, negative tests, and crushed hopes. But today, something felt different. My heart pounded as I stared, hardly daring to breathe. Two pink lines. My breath hitched. I blinked, as if the result might change if I looked away for even a second. But no—there it was. Proof that after all the pain, the waiting, and the tears, I was finally going to be a mother. I wanted to tell Ronald