Marcus’s world falls apart the moment he meets his newborn child. He is prepared to go since he believes his wife Elena has deceived him. Before he can, though, she divulges a secret that makes him doubt everything. Will love be sufficient to keep them together? The day my wife told me we were getting a baby, I was overjoyed. We were eager to have our first kid and had been trying for some time. But one day, Elena dropped a surprise during our conversation about the birth plan. Her voice was forceful yet gentle as she stated, “I do not want you in the delivery room.”

It was as though I had taken a punch to the gut. “What? “Why not?” Elena refused to look at me. “I simply must complete this task by myself. Please be mindful of this.” Really, I did not comprehend. But above all, I trusted Elena and I loved her. I would honor her if this was what she needed. Nevertheless, that day a tiny kernel of uneasiness germinated in my stomach. That seed began to sprout as Elena’s due date drew near. I could not get rid of the feeling that something significant was about to happen the night before she was supposed to be induced.

We left for the hospital early the following morning. As they wheeled Elena away, I planted a kiss on her forehead at the maternity ward entrance. Time passed in hours. I drank too much awful coffee, roamed the waiting area, and looked at my phone every two minutes.

At last, a physician appeared. Upon glancing at his visage, my heart fell. There was a problem.”Mr. Johnson?” he asked in a solemn tone. “It is best that you accompany me.”

My mind was racing with a thousand terrible ideas as I followed the doctor down the corridor. Was Elena doing alright? The infant? When we arrived at the delivery room, the physician opened the door with a push. Desperate to see Elena, I ran in. There she was, looking tired but not dead. For a moment I felt a wave of relief, and then I saw the bundle in her arms. The baby, our baby, had wisps of blonde hair, skin as pale as fresh snow, and eyes that opened to a dazzling blue.

This is what the devil is?” With a strange, distant voice, I heard myself say. I was not listening, though. I felt a scarlet mist of betrayal and rage settle over me. “What exactly should I explain? which you betrayed me? that this child is not mine? “No! Please, Marcus—” I interrupted her, raising my voice. “Elena, do not tell me lies! I am not a moron. That is not our child at all! “While nurses hurriedly attempted to defuse the situation, I was uncontrollably agitated.

My chest felt as though my heart was being torn out. How could she subject me to this? To us? “Marcus!” Elena’s piercing voice calmed my fury. “Observe the infant. Take a close look.” I paused at something in her tone. Elena shifted the infant gently and pointed to its right ankle, so I cast a quick check down