His face darkened instinctively.
“What do you mean, no?”
“I mean no.”
He stared at me as if the word did not belong in my mouth.
For eight years, I had softened my voice for him.
Explained.
Apologized.
Tried to keep peace.
Not now.
Not with two heartbeats still echoing in my ears.
“You walked in here to humiliate me,” I said. “You don’t get to hold the first picture of my babies.”
His jaw tightened.
“Our babies.”
I laughed.
The sound surprised all of us.
Even me.
“Our?”
Paula went very still.
Diego swallowed.
“Laura, listen—”
“No. You listen.”
My voice shook, but it did not break.
“You called me a traitor. You left me for your coworker. You let your mother call me a disgrace. You posted online that I was a lie. You brought Paula to a meeting where you tried to strip me of my house, my dignity, and my child’s rights.”
I looked down at my belly.
“Children’s rights.”
Diego closed his eyes.
“Laura, I was angry.”
“You were cruel.”
He opened them.
“That’s not fair.”
I almost smiled.
“Fair? Diego, fair is what you ask for before you burn the house down, not after you realize you’re still inside it.”
Paula’s face flushed.
“Don’t speak to him like that.”
I turned to her.
“And you don’t speak to me at all.”
Her mouth opened.
I raised one hand.
“No. You came into my ultrasound appointment behind my husband, proud to watch me be humiliated. You stood there waiting for a doctor to measure my shame. The only reason you’re quiet now is because the truth pointed at you instead.”
Dr. Salinas stepped between us slightly.
“This appointment is over. Mr. Diego, Ms. Paula, you need to leave.”
Diego did not move.
“Laura, we need to talk.”
I looked at the doctor.
“Can you call someone from reception?”
She nodded immediately.
Within a minute, a nurse appeared at the door.
Diego looked shocked.
As if he could not believe I would remove him from a room he had invaded.
“I’m your husband,” he said.
I held the ultrasound photos tighter.
“For now.”
His face changed.
The same way it had when he saw the pregnancy test.
Except this time, he was the one standing accused.
Paula grabbed his arm.
“Diego, let’s go.”
He pulled away from her without thinking.
She noticed.
So did I.
So did the doctor.
That small movement was the first crack in the fantasy they had built together.
Diego looked at me one last time.
His voice dropped.
“I’ll call you.”
“No,” I said. “You’ll call my lawyer.”
The nurse escorted them out.
When the door closed, I finally broke.
Not prettily.
Not quietly.
I folded over my belly and sobbed.
Dr. Salinas sat beside me and placed a hand on my shoulder.
“You are safe here,” she said.
Safe.
I had not realized how long it had been since I felt that word.
I left the clinic with two ultrasound photos in my purse and a new fire in my chest.
Outside, Diego was waiting near the parking lot.
Paula stood several feet away from him, arms crossed, face hard.
They were arguing.
I could hear Paula’s voice.
“You told me she cheated.”
Diego answered sharply, “I thought she did.”
“You thought? You destroyed your marriage over something you thought?”
He saw me and stopped talking.
I walked past both of them.
Diego stepped toward me.
“Laura.”
I did not stop.
He followed.
“Laura, wait. Please.”
Please.
He had found that word quickly.
Too quickly.
I turned around.
“What?”
His face looked different now.
Not sorry exactly.
Shaken.
“I need time to process this.”
I stared at him.
“That’s funny. You didn’t need time to condemn me.”
Paula came closer.
Diego ignored her.
“I made a mistake.”
“No, Diego. You made a choice. Many choices.”
His lips pressed together.
“I didn’t know the timeline.”
“You didn’t ask.”
“I was hurt.”
“You were cheating.”
Paula gasped.
Diego’s eyes flashed.
“That’s not—”
“What? True? You moved in with her the same night I told you I was pregnant. Did she already have a toothbrush at her apartment for you?”
His silence answered.
Paula looked away.
I nodded slowly.
“That’s what I thought.”
Diego lowered his voice.
“Let’s talk at home.”
I laughed.
“You don’t live there anymore.”
“I can come back.”
“No.”
