Mark looked at me.
“That's exactly why I have to.”
He rubbed my belly gently.
“If I can't watch her grow up, maybe I can help someone else get more time with theirs.”
I started crying.
“I don't want anyone else's time. I want yours.”
He pulled me closer.
“I know.”
Then he whispered:
“But if I can't stay, I want something good to come from this.”
He Started Keeping Secrets
Mark became weaker faster than we expected.
By my eighth month of pregnancy, everyday tasks had become difficult for him.
Sometimes I helped him get dressed.
Sometimes he had to stop halfway across the house just to catch his breath.
And yet he kept trying to act like everything was normal.
He still asked about the baby.
He still wanted to know whether she was moving.
He still joked about being the world's most overprotective father.
But something else had changed.
Mark began asking his doctor for private conversations.
At first, I didn't think much of it.
Then it happened again.
And again.
One afternoon, I finally asked him what they were talking about.
He took my hand.
“There's something I need to arrange.”
“What kind of thing?”
He smiled sadly.
“Something important.”
“Why can't you tell me?”
He squeezed my fingers.
“Because I need you to trust me.”
I wanted answers.
I desperately wanted answers.
But I also knew Mark was facing something terrifying.
So I nodded.
“Okay.”
I trusted him.