Emily had dreamed of this moment for years. After so much waiting and hoping, she finally held her three beautiful daughters in her arms. Sophie, Lily, and Grace—three tiny miracles, sleeping peacefully in their bassinets. She could hardly believe they were real.
She gently stroked Lily’s tiny fingers, her heart swelling with love. But when she looked up, she noticed something strange. Jack, her husband, stood by the door, frozen. His face was pale, and his hands trembled. He wouldn’t even look at her.
“Jack?” Emily called softly, patting the chair beside her hospital bed. “Come here. Sit with me. Look at them. They’re finally here. We did it.”
Jack hesitated. “Yeah… they’re beautiful,” he mumbled. His voice was hollow, his eyes darting around the room but never settling on the babies. He stepped forward but kept his distance.
Emily’s stomach twisted with unease. “Jack, what’s wrong?” she asked, her voice shaking. “You’re scaring me.”
Jack inhaled deeply, then exhaled. “Emily, I don’t think… I don’t think we can keep them.”
Her world tilted. “What?” she choked out. “Jack, what are you saying? These are our daughters!”
Jack winced, rubbing his face. “My mom… she saw a fortune teller.” His voice was barely above a whisper.
Emily blinked in confusion. “A fortune teller? Jack, you can’t be serious.”
Jack ran a hand through his hair, eyes darting to the door like he was planning his escape. “She said… the babies… they’re cursed. That they’ll bring nothing but bad luck. That they’ll ruin my life… and even cause my death.”
Emily’s breath caught in her throat. She stared at him, searching for any sign that this was a joke, that he was testing her reaction. “Jack, that’s insane. They’re just babies.”
“My mom believes it,” he insisted, his face tight with fear. “She’s never been wrong before. She’s sure about this.”
Emily felt her hands curl into fists. “So because of some ridiculous superstition, you want to abandon your own children?”
Jack swallowed hard. “If you want to take them home, fine… but I won’t be there. I can’t. I’m sorry, Emily.”
Tears burned in her eyes as she stared at the man she thought she knew. “If you walk out that door, Jack, don’t ever come back. I won’t let you do this to them.”
Jack hesitated for only a second. Then, without another word, he turned and left.
Emily sat frozen, listening to his fading footsteps. A nurse walked in, saw her tear-streaked face, and gently placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
She looked down at her daughters, her heart pounding. “Don’t worry, my loves,” she whispered, stroking their soft heads. “I’m here. I’ll always be here.”
The days that followed were the hardest of Emily’s life. Taking care of triplets alone was exhausting. Nights were sleepless, and days were a blur of feeding, changing, and rocking tiny, crying babies. Some mornings, she woke up with tears on her cheeks, the pain of Jack’s betrayal cutting deep. But every time she held one of her daughters, she knew she had made the right choice.
One afternoon, Jack’s sister, Beth, came by to help. Unlike the rest of his family, she hadn’t abandoned Emily. As she folded baby clothes, she looked uneasy, as if something was weighing on her.
“Emily… there’s something you need to know,” Beth said, her voice hesitant. “I overheard Mom talking to Aunt Carol.”
Emily looked up. “What is it?”
Beth took a deep breath. “There was no fortune teller. Mom made it up.”
Emily froze. “What do you mean?”
Beth’s eyes filled with sympathy. “She was scared. She thought if Jack had triplets, he’d forget about her. So she lied—to keep him close.”
Emily felt rage boil in her chest. “That woman tore my family apart over her own selfish fears.”
Beth placed a hand on her arm. “I don’t think she meant for him to actually leave, Emily. But… I thought you should know.”
That night, Emily barely slept. Should she tell Jack? Would he even believe her? By morning, she had her answer. She had to try.
With trembling fingers, she dialed his number.
“Jack, it’s me. We need to talk.”
He sighed. “Emily… I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Just listen!” she pleaded. “There was no fortune teller. Your mother lied. Beth heard her admit it. She tricked you.”
There was silence. Then Jack scoffed. “Emily, my mother wouldn’t lie about something this serious.”
“She did, Jack!” Emily snapped. “And because of her, you abandoned your own daughters!”
Jack exhaled slowly. “Look, Em… I just can’t do this.”
The line went dead.
Emily stared at the phone, feeling her heart break all over again.
Time passed, and Emily adjusted to life as a single mother. Every giggle, every little hand grasping hers made the pain of Jack’s absence fade. Friends and family stepped in to help, and she realized she wasn’t alone. Her daughters were her everything.
Then, one evening, there was a knock on the door.
She opened it to find Jack’s mother standing there, looking pale and remorseful.
“Emily… I didn’t mean for this to happen,” she said, voice shaking.
Emily crossed her arms. “You lied to him. You destroyed our family.”
Tears filled the older woman’s eyes. “I thought he’d forget about me if he had you and the babies. I never wanted him to leave. I was wrong. I’m so, so sorry.”
Emily inhaled deeply. “Your fear cost my daughters their father.”
Jack’s mother lowered her head. “I know. And I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.”
Emily didn’t reply. She glanced toward the nursery, where her babies slept. “I have nothing else to say to you.”
The door closed, and for the first time in a long time, Emily felt a sense of peace.
A year later, Jack returned. He stood at her door, looking like a ghost of the man she once loved. “Emily,” he whispered. “I know I made a terrible mistake. I want to come back. I want to be a family again.”
Emily met his eyes, steady and unwavering. “We are a family, Jack. You left. You weren’t there when we needed you. And we don’t need you now.”
She shut the door.
And with that, the weight lifted. Because she and her daughters were going to be just fine.
