POV: Darren

The morning show lighting was perfect. Soft, flattering, making me look like the concerned husband I was pretending to be.

"So Darren," the host leaned forward with practiced sympathy, "the whole world is talking about your wife's pregnancy announcement. How are you holding up?"

I let my face crumble just slightly. Vulnerable. Hurt but hopeful. Exactly what America wanted to see.

"It's been difficult," I said, my voice catching perfectly. "Nova and I have been going through a challenging time in our marriage. But when I heard about the baby..." I paused, looking down like I was composing myself. "I'm choosing to see it as a blessing. A...