As Emma sat at her desk one quiet afternoon, she received an unexpected delivery. Opening the box, she found a cake with an unsettling message and the pregnancy test she had carelessly left behind. Now, she had a choice: go home and tell her husband the truth, or let him leave without explanation.
While typing an email, the office delivery guy showed up at Emma’s door. He was beaming, holding a bright pink bakery box.
“Good afternoon, Emma!” he said excitedly. “This is for you!”
“Thanks, Nico,” she responded, confused. She hadn’t ordered anything, and there was no office celebration. Maybe her husband, Jake, had sent her a treat from his bakery.
The office buzzed around her, but all Emma could focus on was the mystery of the cake. She opened the box and froze. Written in bold black icing were the words:
I am divorcing you.
Her blood ran cold, but the shock didn’t stop there. Nestled on the cake was her positive pregnancy test.
Emma’s heart sank. Jake had found the test she had carelessly thrown in the trash that morning. She meant to take it with her to hide from him, but in her rush, she forgot. And now, he thought the worst.
Her mind raced. Jake had always believed he was infertile, a fact they had come to terms with over the years. But now, with a positive test in front of him, he clearly assumed Emma had been unfaithful. His response, this cruel cake, was a result of that belief.
The truth was far more complex. She hadn’t cheated. The baby was Jake’s. But she hadn’t told him yet because she wanted confirmation from her doctor. After years of failed attempts, she didn’t want to get his hopes up before being certain.
Memories of their struggles to conceive flooded her mind. Three years ago, after 18 months of trying, they had almost given up.
“I think we should stop trying for a while,” Emma had said, exhausted by their efforts.
Jake had taken it hard. “You mean because of me? It’s my sperm, my problem. So, yeah, let’s stop trying.”
They had been through so much together. But now, Jake was ready to walk away, thinking she had betrayed him.
Emma grabbed the box, gathered her things, and rushed home. She barely noticed the concerned looks from her coworkers as she left. The only thing that mattered was setting things right with Jake.
When she got home, she found him pacing, anger radiating from him. As soon as she stepped through the door, he shouted, “Tell me the test wasn’t yours!”
Emma placed the cake on the counter and faced him. “It is mine.”
Jake’s fury only deepened. “How could you do this? I thought you loved me, but you’re having someone else’s baby?”
“Jake, listen to me!” Emma interrupted. “This baby is yours. You’re going to be a father.”
He froze, disbelief clouding his face. “No. That’s impossible. The doctors said I was infertile.”
Emma took a deep breath. “I went to see Dr. Harper this morning. I didn’t want to show you the test before I had confirmation because false positives happen. She explained everything to me.”
Jake was silent, his anger giving way to confusion. Emma stepped closer, ready to explain everything. “You’re not completely infertile. You have oligospermia, which means your sperm count is low, but it doesn’t mean you can’t have children. Dr. Harper thinks the stress of trying to conceive made things worse.”
Jake sat down, struggling to process her words. The anger drained from his face, replaced by disbelief and sorrow.
“Oh my God, Emma,” he said, tears forming in his eyes. “I thought you cheated on me. I thought I wasn’t enough for you because I couldn’t give you what you always wanted.”
The man she had loved for years was crumbling before her eyes. She knew she should feel joy at finally being pregnant after all their struggles. But instead, she felt hurt that Jake had jumped to the worst conclusion without even asking her.
Yet, she understood his reaction. The years of insecurity and pain had taken a toll on both of them.
Jake looked up at her, remorseful. “I’m so sorry. I was ready to leave because I was afraid. But I’ll make it up to you, I promise. I’ll be the best father and the best husband.”
Emma hadn’t imagined this moment like this. She had always pictured Jake’s joy when they finally got the news they had longed for. But this wasn’t joy. It was a mess. Still, despite everything, they had been given the one thing they thought they would never have: a baby.
“We’ll figure it out,” Emma whispered, her voice breaking. For the first time in a long while, she saw hope in Jake’s eyes. When he reached for her, she didn’t pull away. They stood there, wrapped in each other’s arms, the weight of their future resting on their shoulders.