“How long do you think you can keep hiding the pregnancy?” Carmen’s voice is gentle but persistent. “You’re fourteen weeks now. Soon, it won’t be a choice anymore.”
She’s right, and we both know it. I’ve been wearing looser clothing and avoiding full-body mirrors, but the changes are becoming more obvious each week. The morning sickness has mostly passed, but I’m tired more often, and simple tasks leave me winded in ways even Leo is starting to notice.
“I keep thinking I need more time to figure out how to tell him.” I watch Leo attempt to convince another child to race him down the slides. “Maybe what I really need is courage to just do it.”
She nods, looking completely unsurprised by my revelation. “He’s going to find out eventually. Wouldn’t it be better coming from you than from someone else?”
The possibility Radmir might discover my pregnancy through other means hadn’t occurred to me, but it makes sense. Soon enough, his own eyes will clue him in if my stomach keeps expanding. With Leo, I woke up one day at fifteen weeks and was suddenly showing. I could pop like that with this baby or even sooner.
“I made my mind up before he knew about Leo,” I say slowly, working through my thoughts out loud. “I was going to leave, start over somewhere else, and raise both children away from his world. But now...”
“Now, he’s reading bedtime stories and treating your son like he’s precious.”
“Exactly.” I lean back against the bench, feeling the stress of decisions I’m not ready to make. “My head still says running is the smart choice. My heart is starting to wonder if staying and fighting for something real might be worth the risk.”
Carmen nods with understanding. “What does your gut say?”
I consider this, trying to separate fear from instinct. “My gut says Leo deserves to know his father, and this baby deserves to know both parents from the beginning, but my gut also says Radmir’s world comes with costs I might not be prepared to pay.”
“Those are both true things.” She stands and throws away our empty coffee cups. “You can’t protect your children from every possible harm by keeping them in a bubble. Sometimes, the best protection is making sure they have people who love them enough to fight for them.”
I watch Leo help a smaller child reach the monkey bars, his natural kindness on full display. He’s growing up to be exactly the kind of person I hoped he’d become. Would hiding from Radmir really protect those qualities, or would it teach him that love means running when things get complicated?
“Whatever you decide, I’ll support you,” Carmen continues, “But remember that the deeper this lie gets, the worse the fallout will be when the truth comes out—and it will come out, Danielle. Secrets this big always do.”
She’s right about that too. I’ve been living with these secrets for months, and instead of getting easier to carry, they’re getting heavier. Each interaction with Radmir feels loaded with things I’m not saying, and I can see him watching me sometimes with questions in his eyes that I pretend not to notice.
“I should probably tell him tonight.” The words come out before I fully realize I’ve made the decision. “Before I lose my nerve again.”
“Do you want me to watch Leo? You might want to have that conversation without little ears around.”
I consider this, then shake my head. “If I’m going to do this, I need to do it honestly. Leo’s part of this family too, and Radmir should understand any decisions about the baby affect him as well.”
We sit in comfortable silence for a few minutes, watching Leo play with easy joy. He’s completely absorbed in his games, unaware that the adults in his life are making decisions that will reshape his future in ways he can’t understand yet.
A movement in my peripheral vision catches my attention. It’s something that doesn’t quite fit with the normal patterns of the park. I turn my head slightly and catch a glimpse of someone behind the cluster of bushes near the parking lot, but when I look directly at the spot, I don’t see anyone.
The feeling of being watched settles over me like a cold blanket, making the hair on my arms stand up despite the warm afternoon sun. I scan the area more carefully, looking for anything that seems out of place or threatening.
“What’s wrong?” Carmen notices my sudden tension.
“I thought I saw someone watching us from the bushes.” I keep my voice low, not wanting to alarm Leo. “When I looked directly, nobody was there.”
She follows my gaze toward the parking lot. “It could have been another parent or someone walking a dog. People cut through that area all the time.”
“Maybe.” I don’t feel convinced though. Something about the movement felt deliberate, like someone trying to stay hidden rather than someone passing through innocently.
The sense of unease grows stronger as I continue scanning the park. The families around us seem normal enough. There are parents pushing children on swings, couples walking dogs, and a few teenagers playing frisbee. There’s nothing obviously threatening, but I can’t ignore the feeling we’re being observed by someone who doesn’t belong here.
“Leo?” I call out, trying to keep my voice casual despite the anxiety building in my chest. “It’s time to go, sweetheart.”
“Five more minutes?” He looks up from the sandbox where he’s been building elaborate castles with another child. “Please, Mama? We’re not finished with the dragon fortress.”
“We can come back tomorrow and build more castles.” I stand and gather my purse, still scanning the area for signs of whomever might have been watching. “Right now, we need to head home.”
Leo recognizes the tone in my voice that means negotiation isn’t an option. He says goodbye to his new friend and runs over to us, chattering about the architectural details of sandcastle construction.
“Everything okay?” Carmen asks quietly as we walk toward the parking lot.
