Caleb's POV

I stared at my phone, the screen dark, the silence in the room deafening. It had been hours since Ashley left, and every minute felt heavier than the last. I had known something was off the moment the doctor confirmed her pregnancy.

Though she smiled brightly through the appointment, I could see the fear lurking behind her eyes. It wasn’t just nervousness, it was something deeper, something that gnawed at her in ways I hadn’t fully understood until now.

The memory of her retreating to the bathroom after dinner, the sound of her retching, haunted me. And then the words she muttered, just loud enough for me to...