“I know.”

“You accused me of cheating before you even knew how far along I was.”

“I know.”

“And you never once asked a doctor.”

He had no answer.

I looked at the ultrasound screen again.

The tiny heartbeat continued.

Steady.

Unaware of the chaos surrounding it.

That sound was the only thing in the room that mattered.

Then Dr. Salinas returned.

She handed me a printed report.

“Your pregnancy will need routine follow-up, but nothing about today’s scan suggests the emergency you were worried about.”

I held the paper tightly.

“Thank you.”

She looked at Diego.

“And there is something else you should understand.”

He raised his head.

“A vasectomy isn’t immediately effective. Follow-up semen testing is normally used to confirm whether sperm are still present after the procedure. Until a clinician confirms that the procedure has been successful, pregnancy remains possible.”

Diego’s face changed again.

He looked genuinely shaken.

“I wasn’t tested yet.”

Dr. Salinas nodded.

“Then that is something you should discuss with your doctor.”

He looked down at his hands.

Suddenly, the man who had been so certain that I had betrayed him didn’t look certain about anything.

Paula shifted uncomfortably beside him.

“Diego, we should go.”

He didn’t move.

She touched his arm.

He pulled away.

“I need to talk to Laura.”

Paula stared at him.

“About what?”

He looked at me.

“About everything.”

I shook my head.

“No.”

His expression tightened.

“Please.”

“You don’t get to decide when I’m ready to talk.”

That sentence seemed to hit him harder than anything else.

I gathered my things.

The doctor gave me one final appointment card.

“Take care of yourself, Laura.”

I nodded.

As I walked toward the door, Diego called my name.

“Laura.”

I stopped.

“I never stopped loving you.”

I closed my eyes.

For a moment, I remembered the man I had married.

The man who used to make coffee for me on Sunday mornings.