While sitting at her desk one afternoon, Emma received an unexpected delivery. Inside the box was a shocking message on a cake, accompanied by the pregnancy test she had forgotten to hide. Now, she had a choice: rush home to explain the truth to her husband or risk letting him walk away.
I was in the middle of sending an email, half-thinking about dinner, when Nico, the office delivery guy, appeared at my door with a bright pink bakery box. He had a knowing grin on his face, one that suggested he was in on a secret.
“Good afternoon, Emma! This is for you!” he said, beaming.
“Thanks, Nico,” I replied, puzzled. I hadn’t ordered anything, and there were no upcoming birthdays or office celebrations. My curiosity grew—could this be a surprise from my husband, Jake, who worked as a head baker at a local fancy bakery?
As the usual office sounds hummed in the background—phones ringing, keyboards clacking, and distant laughter from the break room—I untied the ribbon and lifted the lid. My breath caught.
There, written in black frosting across the cake, were four words that made my heart sink: I am divorcing you.
I stared at the cake in shock, barely able to breathe. And then, I noticed something even worse. Next to the cruel message was the pregnancy test I had taken that morning—the one I’d meant to hide but forgot.
Jake had found the test. He had seen the result, and now, he thought I’d been unfaithful.
Over the years, Jake and I had been through so much trying to have a baby. After countless attempts and heartbreaks, the doctors had diagnosed him as infertile. Now, with this positive pregnancy test in his hands, he believed the worst—that I had betrayed him.
I clutched the edge of my desk, fighting back a wave of panic. The truth was far more complicated than what Jake had assumed.
Yes, I was pregnant, but I hadn’t told him yet because I wanted to confirm it with the doctor first. After everything we had been through, I couldn’t bear the thought of raising his hopes only to have them crushed again.
Years earlier, after eighteen exhausting months of trying to conceive, we had reached a breaking point.
“I think we should stop trying, at least for a while,” I had told him as we sat on our bed.
“Just like that? Stop trying?” Jake’s voice was tight with emotion. “The doctors already said it’s my fault, that my body is the problem. So, yeah, let’s just stop.”
That conversation had strained our relationship, but we had worked hard to move past it. Now, with this cake, it felt like we were right back to that painful moment.
I closed the box, grabbed my things, and rushed out of the office, ignoring the concerned glances from my coworkers. I had to get home and explain everything.
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