Carol eventually becomes pregnant after five years of heartache, but she doesn’t tell anyone until she is certain. When she sees her husband, Ronald, lovingly holding a pregnant woman during her sonogram, her happiness turns to ice. Who is she? Carol goes after them. and discovers something unexpected.

I placed the pregnancy test on the bathroom counter with trembling hands. This morning was different from the constant cycle of disappointment that had characterized the previous five years. Breathing heavily, I watched as two pink lines emerged.

I wanted to inform Ronald right away. Through the treatments, the tears, and the midnight meltdowns when my period came around again, he had been my pillar of support.

But I needed to be certain after so many heartbreaks and false starts. We may both be broken by one more letdown.

I informed him that I had a dental cleaning and scheduled an ultrasound. My mouth ached from telling him the lie, but I told myself it would be worthwhile when I could provide him tangible, honest news.

The technician’s wand moved smoothly over my abdomen at the hospital.

“There,” she indicated. “See that flutter?”

I saw it after squinting at the screen. A little, quick pulse. a beating heart.

“Oh my God,” I exhaled deeply.

Pure and exquisite joy blossomed in my chest. I was finally going to become a mother after trying for five years!

With my palm resting on my still-flat stomach, I floated out of the examination chamber. I was already thinking about how I would tell Ronald. Perhaps I could wrap up the ultrasound image as a present, or—

As I turned the corner, the thought fell apart. Ronald was standing down the corridor, close to the obstetrics waiting room. My name is Ronald. He wasn’t alone, though.

A young woman who was quite pregnant was in his arms. I recognized the look on his face as his hands were protectively placed over her large belly. He offered me the same kind glance when I was angry or scared.

This was more than a friendly embrace between two people. It was personal. Known.

Before they could spot me, I hid behind a vending machine, my heart thumping so loudly that I could hardly hear anything else. Who was she? Ronald had promised to be in his workplace, so why was he here instead?

Ronald laughed when the woman mumbled something I couldn’t hear. It wasn’t the courteous chuckle he used with clients; it was his genuine laugh as well. My stomach rumbled.

They made their way to the exit. I did something I never would have thought to do because I had to know what was happening.

I took out my phone, followed them down the corridor, and placed an Uber order. I was going to see where they were heading.

I felt sick to my stomach when Ronald helped the woman into his car in the parking lot. I slipped into the backseat of my Uber when it arrived, clutching my purse with shaking hands.

I urged the driver, “Follow that blue sedan,” as if I had entered a surreal movie. “Please.”

We started after the driver gave his nod.

As Ronald pulled into the driveway of a little, strange house, my stomach turned. The woman smiled up at him, her features captured in the morning light, and my nausea grew.

“Stop here,” I said to the driver, reaching for my handbag with shaking fingers. “I can walk from this point.”

As I got out, I saw Ronald assist the woman in getting out of the car, his hand resting on her lower back as they made their way to the front door. My chest ached at the familiarity and intimacy of the gesture.

I marched up the driveway after taking a long breath that did nothing to slow my pounding heart. Before I lost my nerve, I knocked on the door when I got there.

When the door opened, Ronald was standing there, his face losing color more quickly than I had ever seen it.

“Carol?” His voice broke. “What are you doing here?”

Saying, “I think that’s my line,” I pushed by him and entered the home.

With one hand protectively clutching her tummy, the expectant mother stood in the living room. She was young, perhaps in her early twenties, with bright eyes that expanded at the sight of me and clear skin.

Her effortless beauty made my fortie years seem like they would last forever.

I said, “I just came from my ultrasound appointment,” in a shaky voice. “You know, because I’m pregnant, too.”

Like a fish out of water, Ronald’s mouth opened and closed. However, the young lady? She took a totally unexpected action.

She chuckled. “You’re Carol!?”

She walked across the room and embraced me before I could comprehend what was happening. My intellect was unable to calculate this reaction, and I stood there as rigid as a board.

“What on earth are you doing?” I stepped back and demanded. Suddenly, the space felt too warm and cramped.

In a gesture so familiar it broke my heart, Ronald rubbed a palm across his face. “Please, Carol. Let me clarify.”

The young woman’s eyes glistened with anticipation as she inquired, “You’re pregnant?” She gave me the impression of an enthusiastic puppy as she bounced a little on her toes.

I nodded, still utterly disoriented by this strange circumstance.

She said, “That’s amazing!” “That means our kids will grow up together like real siblings!”

My throat tightened each breath. “What?”

“Not siblings, but still family.” When Ronald talked, his voice was full with emotion. “She’s my daughter, Carol.”

I gave the young woman another glance, this time with genuine interest. Ronald’s eyes, the same warm brown ones. When she smiled, her left cheek had the same tiny dimple. Why hadn’t I noticed it earlier?

She gently said, “I’m Anna,” and reached for my hand. Her fingertips were a little calloused and heated.

“I never told you because I didn’t know until recently,” Ronald said as he drew nearer the group.

His eyes were filled with terror and relief, yet his shoulders were stiff. “Before I met you, I dated Anna’s mother. She kept her pregnancy a secret from me.”

“Mom passed away a few months ago,” Anna remarked in a soft voice. breast cancer. She took a deep breath. “While searching through my mother’s belongings, I discovered my birth certificate’s name. There was no one else for me.”

“So all those times you said you were working late…” Recalling the missed meals and the preoccupied phone conversations, I began.

Ronald concluded by saying, “I was trying to build a relationship with my daughter,” “And I’m going to be a grandfather soon. as well as a father.” It sounded more like a sob than a chuckle.

With my legs feeling weak, I slid onto the closest chair. Beneath me, the cushion let out a gentle exhalation, and I realized without noticing that the cloth was splattered with paint. “I thought… I was so sure…”

“That he was having an affair?” Anna, who was seated beside me, inquired. Now it was somehow reassuring to have her around. “No, God. He’s always talking about you. Carol that, Carol this. Considering how long I’ve been pestering him to meet you, it’s actually a little annoying.”

I was surprised even as a laugh escaped my chest. It was little at first, but it got bigger till I was crying.

Ronald later stated, “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner,” as we were sipping chamomile tea at Anna’s kitchen table. She had maintained that it was healthier than coffee for both of our babies. “I was trying to think of a way to introduce the two of you. My goal was to do it correctly.”

Warming my hands on the mug, I said, “It probably wasn’t the right way either to follow you in an Uber.”

“Are you kidding?” Anna smiled. “There has never been a better story. Wait till I tell my child that his grandmother recently discovered she would soon become a grandmother herself, while believing his grandfather was cheating.”

“Grandmother?” The word felt strange on my tongue as I repeated it. “I hadn’t even thought about that part yet.” I felt both strangely delighted and elderly at the same time.

Ronald remarked, “Better get used to it,” as he reached across the table for my hand.

The light from Anna’s kitchen window fell on his wedding band. “You will become a grandmother and a stepmother in two months. Additionally, you will become a mother in seven months.”

As I squeezed his hand, I considered the various ways this day might have turned out. Rather than discovering treachery, I had found family. I had obtained a stepdaughter in place of my spouse.

Now the wrath and anxiety of the morning seemed like a faraway dream, replaced by something unexpected and warm.

“So,” Anna interrupted my thoughts, “would you like to go shopping with me for baby stuff? We have to acquire the babies at least one matching pair of onesies! Downtown, I discovered this adorable tiny store with the cutest items.”

I suddenly came to the conclusion that family does, in fact, find a way. Sometimes all it takes to locate it is a mistaken assumption and a great deal of bravery.