Ethan was ready to become a father. It was supposed to be the happiest moment of his life. But then a nurse threw him out of the delivery room, and his world crumbled. Had Julia, his beloved wife, betrayed him? What about the baby?
What about the life they had built together? Ethan was left with impossible choices, and just when he thought things couldn’t get worse, a shocking revelation changed everything.
Four years. That was how long Ethan had loved Julia. That was how long she had been his entire world. And for the past nine months, that love had only grown.
Ever since they saw the little blue plus sign on the pregnancy test, Ethan had been in awe of Julia. The way she cradled her growing belly when she thought no one was watching. How she hummed lullabies to their unborn child. The way she teared up over dog food commercials and then laughed it off, blaming hormones.
She even laughed when Ethan read parenting books with the focus of a man studying for the bar exam, highlighters in hand.
“This is supposed to be our greatest moment,” he had told Julia one night as she sat on the couch, holding her stomach.
“We’re going to be those parents who love our kid more than life itself,” she replied with a soft smile.
“I don’t know if we’ll be the best parents,” Ethan admitted, chuckling. “But we’ll try our hardest.”
Julia took his hand and placed it on her belly. “Ethan, there’s no better father I’d want for this little guy.”
Ethan had been by Julia’s side the entire hospital stay, only leaving briefly to shower or grab what she needed. They had been at the hospital for a week because Julia’s blood pressure kept dropping to dangerous levels. Staying there was the safest option.
The nurses had started teasing him about never leaving, especially Maggie.
“Aren’t you sick of Ethan yet?” she joked with Julia. “Let me know if you want me to lock him out.”
Julia had laughed, her warm, beautiful laugh filling the room.
“Never!” she said. “Who else will bring me my chocolate-covered strawberries? I can’t believe that’s one of this little guy’s final cravings.”
“Your husband will probably buy you a whole chocolate fountain,” Maggie chuckled.
Maggie felt like an older sister—kind, funny, and always helpful.
But then everything changed.
Ethan must have passed out from exhaustion. He didn’t even remember falling asleep. But when he woke up, Julia’s hospital bed was empty.
Frantic voices echoed from the hallway.
“It’s time! The baby has to come out now! I need someone to monitor her BP. Move!”
Ethan’s heart pounded. He jumped up and ran toward the delivery room. But before he could reach Julia, Maggie blocked his path.
“Get out of here, Ethan!”
He froze. “What? Why? Maggie, it’s me! I’m her husband! I’ve been part of the birthing plan since the beginning. You know this!”
Maggie’s expression hardened. “Only the baby’s real father can stay.”
Her words hit Ethan like a sledgehammer.
“What did you just say?”
“You need to leave,” she said firmly.
Maggie physically shoved him backward. The same Maggie who had laughed with him, reassured him, and treated him like family was now kicking him out of his own child’s birth.
“What does that mean?!” Ethan roared, his voice raw with desperation. But before he could get an answer, the doors slammed shut in his face.
He paced the hallway, his hands shaking. His mind raced. This had to be a mistake.
Julia had never given him a reason to doubt her.
Never.
Or had she? Had he ignored something? No. This was Julia. The woman who stopped to pet every stray animal. The woman who tossed breadcrumbs to birds. She would never cheat on him.
Would she?
Then the doors opened.
Maggie stepped out, her face unreadable. Blood stained her scrubs. Ethan’s breath caught in his throat.
“How is she?” he asked hoarsely. “And the baby?”
Maggie hesitated. She wouldn’t meet his eyes.
Then, she shattered his world.
“I’m sorry, Ethan,” she whispered. “There were complications. Your wife didn’t make it.”
Everything inside Ethan collapsed. His legs buckled. His heart felt like it had been ripped out of his chest.
“No,” he croaked. “No, no, no!”
Maggie reached for him, but he staggered away.
“No!” he screamed, his voice cracking with grief.
Maggie swallowed hard. “Your baby survived.”
Ethan barely heard her. His mind was a storm of agony.
Then, a dark thought curled in his gut. He turned to Maggie, his voice raw. “Tell me why you said that in the delivery room.”
She hesitated. Then, she admitted, “Last night, I overheard Julia talking to a friend. She said you’re not the baby’s biological father.”
Ethan’s world shattered again.
“That’s not true,” he rasped. “It can’t be true.”
But deep down, something in him already knew.
He called Ryan. His best friend.
“Is it true?” Ethan demanded as soon as Ryan answered.
Silence.
Then, Ryan’s voice came through, cold and indifferent. “I won’t raise that kid, Ethan.”
Ethan nearly dropped the phone. “What?”
“I don’t care,” Ryan said casually. “I never wanted this. You deal with it.”
A bitter laugh escaped Ethan. “How long?”
Ryan sighed, like this conversation was inconveniencing him. “Two years.”
Ethan clenched his fists. His best friend. Two years. His wife. Gone.
A nurse appeared. She smiled, oblivious. “Do you want to meet your son?”
Ethan hesitated but followed her.
And then he saw him. His son. Small. Innocent. His tiny fingers curled around Ethan’s.
And Ethan didn’t feel anger. Just loss.
He called his father.
“Dad, I need you.”
When his father arrived, Ethan broke down. His father held him tightly. “Son, I am so sorry.”
“I don’t know if I can do this,” Ethan whispered.
His father cupped his face. “Ethan, do you believe I love you?”
“Yes.”
“Then listen. You’re not my biological son. Your mother and I adopted you. Blood doesn’t make a father. Love does.”
Something inside Ethan cracked.
He hugged his father fiercely. “I’ll raise him. I promise.”
Then, a week later, the phone rang.
“This is Dr. Patel. We have the paternity results. Ethan, you are the father.”
Ethan nearly dropped his coffee. “What?!”
“It was a mistake. I’m sorry.”
Tears burned his eyes. He looked at his son—his son.
For the first time in days, Ethan truly smiled.
Noah was his. And he would always be his first priority.
