THE HUSBAND I THOUGHT I KNEW

TWO LINES

Amara found out by accident.

It was afternoon. Zara was inside the house with the house girl, watching cartoons, still not allowed to go outside because of Sophie's threat. The lawyer had filed emergency custody papers that morning, and now they were waiting for court date.

Amara went to bathroom because she felt dizzy. She had felt dizzy for three days. She thought it was stress. Stress from Sophie, stress from police, stress from not sleeping.

She opened medicine cabinet to find paracetamol and saw the box at the back. Pregnancy test kit. She had bought pack of three, six months ago, and used two. One was left, expired next month. She had forgotten it was there.

Her period was late. She had not noticed. With everything happening with Zara, she forgot to track.

Seven days late.

Hand shaking, she took the stick.

She did not tell Declan. She did not want to be disappointed again. In three years, she had taken 22 tests. 22 times one line. 22 times crying alone in bathroom.

She sat on toilet lid, waiting. Three minutes felt like three hours.

She closed eyes and prayed. Not big prayer. Small prayer.

"God, if you are there, please."

She opened eyes and looked down.

Two lines.

Two clear pink lines.

Not faint. Clear. Dark.

She stared. Then stared again. She wiped eyes, thinking she was seeing double.

Two lines.

She gasped. Hand flew to mouth to stop scream. Then tears came, hot, fast, uncontrollable.

"Declan! Declan!" she shouted, voice cracking.

Declan ran from living room, thinking something happened to Zara.

"What? What? Is Zara okay?"

He burst into bathroom and found his wife sitting on floor, holding pregnancy stick, crying and laughing at same time.

He froze.

"Amara? What... what is that?"

She held it up to him.

"Two lines. Declan. Two lines."

He did not understand at first. Then his eyes went to stick, then to her face, then back to stick.

"Are you... are you...?"

"I'm pregnant. I'm pregnant, Declan."

For second, nobody moved. Then Declan fell to his knees, harder than he had ever fallen before, and grabbed her, stick and all, and held her so tight.

"You're pregnant? My wife is pregnant? Amara, you are pregnant?"

He was crying. Big man, CEO, crying on bathroom floor, holding his wife.

"I am, I am," she sobbed. "After three years. After we thought I was barren. After Sophie called me barren yesterday. God... God gave me..."

Zara's small voice came from door.

"Mommy? Why are you crying? Daddy, why is Mommy crying on floor?"

Both turned. Zara stood there, teddy in hand, eyes wide.

Amara quickly wiped face and opened arms.

"Come, my love. Come."

Zara came and sat between them on cold bathroom tiles. Three of them, on floor, in small bathroom.

"Zara, do you know what this means?" Amara said, showing her stick, even though child would not understand.

Zara looked at stick, confused.

"It means you are going to have a baby brother or baby sister," Declan said, voice thick. "You are going to be big sister."

Zara's eyes widened.

"Baby? Like in my class? Tola has baby brother and he cries all night and poops green?"

Amara laughed through tears.

"Yes, like that. He will cry and poop green. And