The following morning, I went to my ultrasound appointment alone.
I almost canceled.
For a moment, I sat in my car outside the clinic, staring at the entrance.
I was exhausted.
Scared.
Humiliated.
But then I placed my hand on my stomach.
There was an innocent life inside me.
A baby who knew nothing about divorce papers, rumors, betrayal, or accusations.
So I got out of the car.
I walked inside.
I wore a loose blue dress.
I brushed my hair.
I even put on lipstick, although my lips trembled as I applied it.
I wasn’t doing it for Diego.
I was doing it for myself.
And for my baby.
Dr. Salinas greeted me with a warm smile.
“Good morning, Laura.”
“Good morning.”
She looked at the empty chair beside me.
“Did someone come with you?”
I shook my head.
“My husband says the baby isn’t his.”
Her expression softened.
She didn’t ask questions.
She didn’t judge me.
She simply nodded.
“Okay. Let’s take a look at your little one.”
I lay down on the examination table.
The room was quiet.
The doctor applied the cold gel to my stomach.
I shivered.
Then she placed the ultrasound transducer against my skin.
The screen came alive.
At first, I couldn’t understand what I was seeing.
Dark shapes.
Gray shadows.
Movement.
Then suddenly—
There.
A tiny flicker.
My heart stopped.