She’s five years younger than me, and up until recently we hadn’t talked seriously about having children. Isabella always said she didn’t feel ready yet, and I respected that.
She was still young, still figuring things out. But not long ago, she surprised me. One evening she came to me smiling and said she finally felt ready to try for a baby.
Hearing that filled me with happiness. It felt like the next chapter of our lives was finally beginning.
That same week I had just returned from a two-week work trip in Dallas. Our home is in Austin, and the entire flight back I kept thinking about how much I missed her.
When I arrived that night, Isabella was already waiting for me in the bedroom.
Candles were lit, the atmosphere warm and intimate. After so many days apart, we fell into each other’s arms as if we had been starving for that closeness.
Maybe it was the intensity of the moment, but the framed wedding photo hanging above our bed suddenly shifted. One corner came loose from the wall and tilted sideways. The frame didn’t fall completely because it was still hooked on a nail, so I barely noticed it at first.
Then something slipped out from behind it.