The Tokyo morning began with rain soft, deliberate, and steady, as if the clouds themselves couldn’t bear to rush. Violet stood by the window of her apartment, one hand holding a mug of chamomile tea, the other resting unconsciously over her stomach.

She hadn’t told Bryan yet.

Every day since that quiet morning in the clinic, she’d rehearsed it in the shower, during surgeries, while brushing her teeth. “Bryan, I’m pregnant.” Simple words. But every time she imagined his reaction the joy, the shock, the protectiveness something inside her hesitated.

Not because she didn’t trust him. But because this time, she wanted to feel ready.

To share it as a...