Julia let out a small, bitter laugh. “One? You think this is about one cigarette?” Her voice trembled but carried the weight of months of silent frustration. “We are trying to have a child. I’ve changed everything about my life for this. And you can’t even put down a lighter?”
He tried to reach for her arm, but she stepped back, fury rising with every word. “Do you even want this? The baby? A family? Me? Because right now, it feels like you’re just playing along—saying what I want to hear so I’ll shut up and stop hoping.”