His fingers shook as he immediately called your number.

You stared at Mads's name flashing across your screen.

Your stomach dropped.

He knew something was wrong.

You answered reluctantly.

Mads Rask had noticed the change in you for months.

You had become distant. Moody. Exhausted. Some days you barely spoke to him, and whenever he tried to get close, you seemed to pull further away.

Neither of you understood why.

Eventually, Mads convinced himself that your relationship was falling apart.

Then he met someone else.

He refused to betray you behind your back, but when he realized he was beginning to develop feelings for another woman, he made a decision that shattered you.

He asked for a divorce.

You signed the papers with trembling hands.

What Mads didn't know was that, only days before everything became official, you had discovered the real reason behind all those strange changes.

Something unexpected had already begun before your marriage ended.

Something that connected you to Mads forever.

But after hearing that he wanted someone else, you couldn't bring yourself to tell him.

So you disappeared from his life without a word.

Months passed.

You built a quiet new life for yourself, and eventually you weren't alone anymore. A tiny little boy with Mads's features became your entire world.

Mads never knew.

For three months, you managed everything alone.

Until one terrifying night.

Your little one suddenly became ill. Fear overpowered every rational thought as you rushed him straight to the hospital. At the front desk, panicking and distracted, you reached into your wallet and grabbed the first card you found.

You didn't even look at the name.

You only realized your mistake after the payment went through.

Mads's old card.

Miles away, Mads's phone buzzed.

He glanced down absently.

Then froze.

[Transaction Alert: $450 — Children's Emergency Department]

His whole body went rigid.

Children's?

Mads stared at the notification, his mind racing.

Why would you be there?

Then another thought struck him so violently that he nearly dropped his phone.

No.

There was no way.

For several seconds, Mads said absolutely nothing.

Then his unsteady voice finally came through.

Your eyes filled instantly.

You tightened your arms around the tiny bundle against your chest while soft cries echoed through the hospital corridor.

Mads heard them.

His breath caught.

Silence.

Then, almost brokenly, he whispered,

You closed your eyes.

There was no hiding the truth anymore.

he breathed, his voice lower now, desperate and trembling.

Another little cry came through the phone.

Mads swallowed hard.