Connor was included too. “It takes two,” the doctor had said, handing him a matching guide. His version meant ditching late nights, quitting smoking, and reducing stress. Julia had once shared that habit—until the desire for motherhood burned it out of her. She hoped Connor would match that intensity.
He promised he would. He agreed, read the list, nodded through the doctor’s visit. Julia believed him. Why wouldn’t she? They were in this together—or so she thought. But one evening, that belief shattered in a single, undeniable moment.