When my wife, Natalie, and I left the doctor’s office, I thought our world had changed for the best—we were going to be parents. It was the moment we had waited for, and nothing could ruin our happiness. Or so I thought. As we stepped outside, my heart pounded at the sight of the message scrawled across my car:
“Hope She Was Worth It.” “What the hell?” I muttered. Natalie looked just as shocked. “Did someone mistake our car for someone else’s?” she asked. That night, unable to shake the message from my mind, I stepped outside to scrub the words off. That’s when I heard footsteps behind me. “Don’t bother thanking me,” said a familiar voice. “You’re welcome.” I froze. It was Adrian—my best friend. He revealed that on the night of our engagement party, Natalie had disappeared for a while. I had been too busy to notice, but our friends had exchanged knowing glances. No one had dared to tell me. Adrian had hoped Natalie would confess after seeing the message, but when she didn’t, he decided to force the truth out. The next day, I confronted Natalie. She denied everything at first, then broke down, confessing that she had once been unsure about our future. Overwhelmed by the thought of marriage, she had considered running—but she hadn’t cheated. I chose to believe her. One night of doubt wouldn’t define our future
