Sophia was stunned. "How do you know?"
She hadn't told anyone yet.
"Of course, my son-in-law told me! Wait at home; I'll come and bring you some nutritional supplements"
"Mom, I don't need nutritional supplements yet, I just found out I'm pregnant."
"They're not just for you; they're for my grandchild. Stay home and don't go anywhere. Your father and I are coming over right now."
With that, Mrs. Lancaster hung up before Sophia could say anything.
Sophia stared at her phone in a daze, wondering why Evan, who seemed so indifferent, would be the first to tell her parents. What was he up to?
The phone rang again.
It was an unfamiliar number.
She answered, and Mr. Hunter's voice came through. "Sophia, Evan told me you have no appetite. What do you want to eat? I'll have your mom make it and bring it over."
Sophia: "..."
"Your mom says you should stay in bed. The first three months are critical. Also, don’t lift anything heavy. Leave that to Evan..."
Mr. Hunter kept talking, occasionally interrupted by Mrs. Hunter's voice. Sophia couldn't process any of it.
She was more confused than ever.
Half an hour later, Mr. and Mrs. Lancaster arrived with a box of nutritional supplements. They sat her on the couch, giving her a stream of advice about pregnancy.
Sophia responded absentmindedly.
An hour later, Mr. and Mrs. Hunter also arrived.
Mrs. Hunter brought freshly made grilled chicken breast with mixed vegetables and vegetable and tofu soup, offering them to Sophia with a smile.
Sophia, feeling overwhelmed, accepted a cup of the soup, and had Mrs. Hunter put the rest in the fridge.
With the parents chatting away, Sophia yawned, and they quickly sent her off to sleep.
Not wanting to listen to their conversation, she returned to her room.
Though she hadn't planned to sleep, as soon as her head hit the pillow, she felt heavy-eyed and quickly drifted off.
When she woke up, it was completely dark outside.
She got up, opened the door, and saw Evan sitting on the couch, reading.
Approaching him, she noticed several books on the table about pregnancy and prenatal care like pregnancy precautions and dietary suggestions for expectant mothers.
Sophia was surprised but kept her expression neutral. "I thought you were supposed to start your break today. Did you go out to buy these books this afternoon?"
Evan looked up, pulling her onto the couch beside him. "Yes, my break starts today. I have a month off."
"A month?" Sophia was shocked. "I thought it was just half a month."
"I took some of my annual leave."
"..."
"Are you hungry? Should I make you something to eat?"
Sophia shook her head. "I don't feel like eating anything. I feel like I've been sick."
Evan stroked her hair, looking at her flat stomach with concern. "How about a nap?"
Sophia shook her head again but then looked at him, asking, "Did you call our parents?"
"Yes."
"But you don't seem to like our child."
Evan was taken aback. "Why would you think that?"
"If you liked it, why didn't you show any happiness when you found out you were going to be a father?"
Evan couldn't help but laugh.
Sophia thought he wouldn’t answer, but then he spoke. "I'm not good at expressing myself. I thought of a thousand things to say but felt they were meaningless. It's better to take practical actions."
At that moment, Sophia understood. She glanced at the books on the table. "So you bought all these books?"
"Yes."
Sophia didn't know what to say.
She had worried and overthought everything today, only to realize Evan was silently doing things for her that she hadn't even considered.
Feeling a bit guilty, she said, "I'm sorry for thinking that way about you."
Evan hugged her, placing his hand gently on her stomach. "No need to apologize. I should have communicated better. From now on, I'll discuss everything with you first."
Sophia smiled softly. "Okay."
...
Winter arrived, and Sophia's belly grew larger.
On the day of her 4D ultrasound, Evan rearranged his schedule to accompany her.
Sophia felt more anxious than ever for this check-up.
Sensing her unease, Evan reassured her, "Do you want me to come in with you?"
Sophia knew that partners weren't allowed during the ultrasound, so she shook her head. "No, it's okay. I'm just nervous about seeing the baby's face."
Evan smiled. "You can ask the doctor not to show the face if you prefer."
Sophia glared at him. "No way, this is our baby’s first photo."
"..."
When it was her turn, Evan waited outside.
The ultrasound technician, noticing Evan, asked Sophia, "Are you Dr. Hunter's wife?"
Sophia smiled. "Yes, I am."
"Wow, your belly is already so big. I heard he only got married a few months ago."
"Well, we got our license a year ago."
The technician nodded in understanding. "I see."
Sophia: "..."
Twenty minutes later, Sophia came out holding the ultrasound pictures, handing them to Evan.
"Look, this is our baby."
Evan took the pictures, but his eyes were on her, noticing the sparkle in her eyes. He glanced at the somewhat blurry face on the printout. "Looks like you."
"Of course. My child should look like me." Sophia glanced at the picture again, a bit disappointed. "I can't tell if it's a boy or a girl."
Evan held her as they walked. "Boy or girl, we'll love our child no matter what."
Even though Sophia shared that sentiment, guessing the baby's gender became a daily pastime for her in the following months.
She'd often whisper her guesses to Evan, who would listen quietly, occasionally chiming in, making their days warm and happy.
Time flew, and soon the baby was full-term.
Sophia felt fine, except for some tiredness and difficulty sleeping.
Their parents, however, visited frequently, bringing baby clothes and toys each time.
After several attempts to discourage them, Sophia gave up.
Evan also grew more anxious.
At 38 weeks, he took paternity leave.
Perhaps sensing everyone’s anticipation, their baby was born three days into Evan’s leave.
After over ten hours of labor, Sophia gave birth within two hours of entering the delivery room. Exhausted, she fell asleep.
She woke up in the recovery room, looking at the tiny, wrinkled baby in her arms. "Evan, why is your son so ugly?"
Everyone around her: "..."
Evan glanced at the baby, agreeing, "He looks like me, not very attractive."
Everyone: "..."
In the days that followed, Evan declined offers from their parents to help, opting to stay at the hospital to care for Sophia and the baby himself.
Watching him expertly prepare formula and change diapers, Sophia felt inadequate.
"Evan, at this rate, I won't have anything to do."
Evan patted her head. "You’ll always be his mom."
Sophia felt comforted. "Evan, you're so good to me. If you ever stop being good to me, I won't be able to handle it."
"I won't. I'll always be this good to you."
Sophia thought, anyone can make promises, but not everyone can keep them.
Many years later, as an eighty-something Sophia lay in her hospital bed, Evan was still by her side.
She realized then that he had spent his entire life fulfilling his promise to her.
