Sarah has always had faith in Ethan, holding onto his word and their common goals. But her life fell apart when she found out about his astounding deception regarding paternity leave. Sarah had to make a difficult choice with her unborn kid in mind: confront Ethan and take a big chance, or take charge of her own fate to save their future. How would she respond?
With baby toys and pastel colors all around us, Ethan and I were standing in the nursery. I could already see our little one curled up in the cradle.
“It’s unbelievable that we’re doing this at last,” I said, unable to control my excitement. “Envision those initial weeks with our child, both of us here, helping each other out.”
Although it didn’t quite reach his eyes, Ethan grinned. “Oh, it will be fantastic,” he remarked cynically.
I scowled. “Is everything in order? Did you discuss paternity leave with your boss? I enquired.
With a groan, he turned to face his hands. “Yes, I did. He didn’t offer much assistance.
“Explain what you mean.” I enquired.
“He wants me to travel to a different city for a crucial assignment. He made a suggestion that I may lose my job if I refused.
It was as if someone had taken the oxygen out of me. “Do you lose your job? However, we really need your money right now.
Ethan gave a nod. “I am aware. My termination is not something we can afford.
I inhaled deeply while attempting to maintain my composure. “So, what will we do now?”
He gave a shrug. “I see no alternative course of action. I must depart now.
I was crying within. This idea had us thrilled, but suddenly it seemed like everything was coming apart. However, I was unable to show Ethan how much this affected me. He had enough to be concerned about.
I attempted to sound upbeat as I responded, “Maybe we can find a way to make the most of the time we do have together.”
Squeezing my hand, Ethan extended his arm. “Sarah, we can figure things out. We consistently do.
I feigned a laugh. “Yes, we definitely will.”
However, I secretly felt a twinge of disappointment. This was not how I had envisioned beginning our new family life. I had imagined that Ethan and I would spend every second of our baby’s life together.
It seemed now that tension and concern would eclipse those priceless times.
Nevertheless, I knew we had to persevere. For Ethan and our infant, I had to maintain my strength.
A few days after Ethan informed me of his paternity leave, I was in the grocery store attempting to concentrate on getting necessities. But I couldn’t get the anxiety out of my system. My thoughts kept coming back to what we had discussed.
“Sarah! Is that you? A well-known voice yelled out.
I looked over and saw Amanda, the wife of Ethan’s employer, carrying a cart down the aisle. We’d been friends since college, and she was always so positive and upbeat.
“Hello Amanda,” I managed to say as I welcomed her.
“How are you doing? And the baby’s well-being? She enquired.
I said with a hint of annoyance, “I’m okay.” The infant is faring nicely. To be honest, I’m a little anxious. Ethan was not granted paternity leave.
Amanda flinched at the smile. How come? Refused? That’s not logical at all.
Perplexed, I turned to face her. “Ethan mentioned that he was asked to move to a different city for a project by his supervisor. He threatened to fire him if he didn’t comply.
Amanda shook her head, her expression sincere in confusion. “Sarah, it seems bizarre. I can say with certainty that Ethan’s paternity leave was granted without any problems.
Her remarks came as a huge brick to me. “Are you certain?” I let out a gasp.
“Definitely,” she responded forcefully. “I recall my spouse bringing it up. He felt that Ethan taking a break to spend time with you and the baby was a terrific idea.
My thoughts began to swirl. What would make Ethan fabricate this? I could sense my own anxiety and mistrust mounting. “Thank you, Amanda,” I blurted out. “I have to leave now.”
I hurried through the remainder of my shopping while having a disorganized state of mind.
I immediately put the groceries away when I came home and sat down to attempt to make sense of what I had just discovered.
Why would Ethan say something different if his leave had been approved?
My head was still spinning from Amanda’s statement when I got home. I required clarification. Ethan’s phone was on the table when I discovered him taking a shower.
I was plagued with guilt, but I had a gut feeling that something wasn’t right.
I inhaled deeply before picking up his phone and launching his family chat. As I browsed through the texts, my heart was racing. The reality struck me more strongly than I had imagined, even though I wasn’t sure what to expect.
My heart sank upon reading Ethan’s parents’ notes.
Mom of Ethan: “You don’t have to take a paternity leave, Ethan. Sarah’s mother can assist her with the child. You are very necessary here to assist with the home renovations.
Father: “Yes, Ethan. You are aware of how urgently these renovations must be completed. It’s not as though you’ll be far off.
The next response was from Ethan, and it felt like a kick to the stomach. “I comprehend. I’ll come over to help and take the paid leave. Sarah will get along with her mother.
A shiver of treachery ran through me. How was he able to do this to us, to me? Was he prepared to discard our plans for this time together in order to assist his parents with renovations? My world seemed to be collapsing.
It was difficult to comprehend how we met and were engaged looking back. Five years ago, we had met at a party hosted by a mutual acquaintance. Ethan was well-established in his career, and I had recently relocated to the city.
His kind grin and ability to put others at ease around him drew me in right away, I recall. We laughed and spoke the whole evening, and at the end I realized there was something unique about him.
We both loved to hike, so we would frequently spend the weekends exploring new routes and locations together. Because of Ethan’s contagious warmth and good humor, I couldn’t help but adore him more and more every day.
I knew I wanted to live a lifetime with him when he proposed to me on a stunning mountainside surrounded by the brilliant hues of fall.
I hurried to snap images of the messages because I needed evidence of what I had witnessed. Tears were welling up in my eyes and my hands were trembling.
That man, whom I believed I could fully trust, crushed my heart, and I felt so alone in that time.
At that moment, I couldn’t look at Ethan. It took me some time to take it all in.
I returned his phone quietly and headed to bed. While lying there, I tried to make sense of everything by staring at the ceiling.
How could he be so dishonest with me? How could he put our family’s home last and his parents’ first?
I made an effort to quiet my rushing thoughts as the night went on. I didn’t need Ethan to tell me lies. He didn’t deserve to be a parent if he was lying to get out from under the obligations of the role.
It wasn’t us that Ethan had decided on.
Ethan looked dejected when he arrived home from work the next evening.
With a trembling voice, he told the empty home, “I got fired.” When he noticed the home was strangely quiet, I could picture the look of shock and bewilderment on his face.
I’m sure he noticed my absence right away. He would have then glanced at the mail I had placed on the kitchen table, which was written in my handwriting and addressed to him.
He would have opened the letter with shaking hands and read:
“Ethan,
I discovered your parents’ messages. Regarding the paternity leave, you misled me. How can I trust you with our future when you can lie about something so significant? Now more than ever, I need honesty. I’m leaving because our child and I both deserve better.
You were dismissed because I forwarded your supervisor the photographs of your communications. Particularly when it’s time for us to be together, I can’t stay with someone who would betray me in this way. I will initiate the divorce process.
I’m going to miss you.
Sarah.
I packed that morning while Ethan was out of the house. I went down at the kitchen table after that and wrote Ethan a letter. I then headed over to my folks’ place.
Mom softly murmured, “You did the right thing, Sarah,” drawing my attention away from my own thoughts. “Now is the time to consider what’s best for both you and the baby.”
Tears were forming in my eyes as I nodded. I added, “I just never thought it would come to this.” “It’s true that I loved him.”
My father extended his hand to give me a squeeze. “Sweetheart, you have our support.” You’ll overcome this and emerge from it stronger.
My ideal future with Ethan was gone as I sat in my parents’ living room caressing my expanding tummy. However, I also understood that I needed to put myself and my child first. It was time to write a fresh chapter based on honesty and morality.
How would you have responded in the situation?