It was a while back when my sister Emily first got serious with David. One evening she went round to meet his mum Margaret for dinner, and straight away Margaret started in on them. “Your relationship looks pretty solid now,” she said, staring hard at Emily like she was demanding an answer. “So when are you planning the wedding?”
Emily put on a forced smile and picked her words carefully so she wouldn’t upset the woman who might become her mother-in-law. “I don’t think it’s the right moment yet,” she replied. “We’ve only been sharing a place for a month. We ought to wait and see how we manage living together day to day. You never know, we could end up rowing over nothing much.”
Margaret lifted one eyebrow but didn’t drop the subject. In truth she preferred Emily to David’s last girlfriend Lisa, who had been pushy and unpleasant. It was a good job David had finished with her.
“How is young Oliver getting on?” Margaret asked, switching topics but keeping her eyes fixed on Emily. “He’s nearly grown now, but still…”
Emily felt a bit warmer at the mention of David’s lad. She remembered how nervous she had been at the start, wondering how the teenager would react to a new woman in the house. Would he see her as some kind of replacement for his own mum?
“He’s a really good kid,” Emily answered honestly, and her smile became more natural. “At first I was worried he might take against me or be suspicious. But it turned out fine. He’s open and decent, that one.”
She stopped for a moment, thinking of the afternoon Oliver came home from school, tried her pie and announced right away that the house would have proper cooking from then on.
“More than that,” Emily went on with a small laugh, “he was glad someone better at the cooking than his dad would be handling the meals. He even asks me now and then to show him a recipe.”
David had been sitting quiet until then. He looked up and gave a quick nod, a faint smile crossing his face as if he was pleased the two of them got on so well.
Margaret didn’t leave it there. “Has he started asking for a little brother yet?” she said, making it plain what she meant.
David winced and shot her a short look of annoyance. His eyes seemed to say “why bring that up again?” He knew his mum’s habit of diving straight into delicate matters without thinking how it might land with others.
“What’s wrong with asking?” Margaret went on, sounding cheerful and almost playful, as if it was the most ordinary thing in the world. “Oliver loves children and is always mucking about with his cousins. And you’re only thirty-five, you’ve still got time to bring up a couple.”
Emily felt a flush of awkwardness rise inside her. It felt wrong to be discussing something so private and difficult in front of a woman she hardly knew. She tightened her grip on her hands under the table and tried to keep her face calm.
“I’m afraid that’s not an option,” she said, keeping her voice level. “The doctors have told me firmly I shouldn’t have children.”
For a moment the room fell silent. Margaret raised her eyebrows a little as she took it in. Her expression shifted at once, the friendly look disappearing and leaving something cold and distant instead.
“Some sort of women’s trouble, is it?” she said with a show of sympathy, though there was a touch of condescension in the way she said it. “But you shouldn’t give up. Medicine doesn’t stand still. What seemed impossible before can be sorted without much fuss these days.”
Emily let out a quiet breath. She wanted to close the topic, but she knew just staying quiet wouldn’t work. She glanced at David, hoping he might back her up, but he only gave a small shrug as if to say she should explain it herself.
“In my case it wouldn’t help,” she said quietly, looking straight ahead. To be honest she couldn’t see why she had to open up like this to a woman she barely knew. But saying nothing wasn’t safe either, she might get the wrong idea. “I have serious problems with my eyesight. They diagnosed it when I was eighteen, and by now I’ve accepted that children aren’t going to happen for me.”
Margaret stayed still for a second, clearly trying to make sense of it. Her eyebrows went up and her face showed real puzzlement, as if she had run into something she couldn’t grasp.
“What has eyesight got to do with it?” she asked, tilting her head. She genuinely couldn’t see the link and even wondered if it was just a weak excuse. “I don’t follow.”
Emily drew a long breath and chose her words. She didn’t want to go deep into medical details, but there was no way round answering.
“There’s a ninety percent chance I could lose my sight,” she explained in a steady voice. “The strain of carrying a child is too much for my body, the risk is far too high. It’s not worth it, can’t you see? What use is having a child if I would never even be able to see them?”
She stopped to give Margaret time to take it in. Emily fiddled with her glasses. It mattered to her that Margaret understood this wasn’t a whim or about keeping slim. It was a real danger.
Emily could sense the disappointment building in the room. Margaret stopped trying to keep the chat going and only threw her the odd glance full of clear disapproval. It was obvious this wasn’t the sort of daughter-in-law she had pictured. In her mind she had probably imagined a healthy, strong woman who would soon give her grandchildren.
But Emily felt no guilt and no urge to defend herself. She and David had gone over the whole thing years before, weighing everything up. Talks with doctors, long evenings looking into it, honest conversations between the two of them, all of it had led to the same choice. The risk to her health was too big, and neither of them wanted to put her through that. If it came to it they could think about adoption or using a surrogate. These days it can be arranged without too much trouble.
When they finally got up to leave, the air felt a little lighter. Margaret hugged her son and gave Emily a nod, but there was no real warmth in it, just what was expected. As they put their shoes on in the hallway, Emily caught David’s eye. His look said plainly that he was sorry.
Out on the street they both let out a breath of relief. The evening air seemed fresher after the strained talk. Emily took David’s hand and he squeezed her fingers straight back. They said nothing about what had happened, but both knew the meeting with his parents hadn’t gone well. Even so, it didn’t change the main thing, their decision to stay together whatever other people expected or thought.
Three months later.
Emily began to notice she wasn’t feeling quite right. At first she didn’t pay it much mind, put it down to being worn out at work or picking up a light bug. But when the off feeling carried on for several days she started to fret.
She felt a constant slight weakness, felt sick most mornings and smells that used to be fine suddenly got on her nerves. Emily tried to sort it herself, picked up some remedies from the chemist, drank more water and went to bed earlier. But nothing changed. She caught herself losing focus at work and coming home so tired she could hardly stand, even though she hadn’t done anything especially hard.
One evening while chatting on the phone with our mum, Emily let slip how she was feeling. Her voice sounded a bit flat, she still had that strange tiredness she couldn’t shift.
“Emily,” our mum asked after a short pause, sounding careful, “are you sure you’re not pregnant?”
Emily was surprised by the idea. She went quiet for a second to think, then answered firmly.
“Absolutely not. I’ve never missed a single pill. The doctor gave them to me after a full check, and I’ve followed it exactly.”
Our mum didn’t argue, but she sounded determined.
“Get a test anyway, just to put your mind at rest. This is too big a thing to leave hanging.”
Emily had been ready to say it couldn’t be pregnancy, but something in our mum’s tone made her pause. In the end a test was easy and quick, and a bit of extra certainty wouldn’t hurt.
“Alright, Mum. I’ll go to the chemist now. David’s at work so I’ve got the time,” Emily said and put the phone down.
She grabbed her things, threw on her jacket and left the flat. The chemist in the next building was only a few minutes walk. Emily moved a bit quicker than usual, almost as if she was trying to leave her own thoughts behind. The same questions kept turning over in her head: “What if Mum’s right? But how could it happen? Everything was under control…”
In the chemist she stood for a moment in front of the tests. There was a surprising choice, different makes and styles. Emily looked uncertainly at the woman behind the counter, then back at the shelves. In the end she took two in the middle price range, no sense saving money on something like that. She paid, put them in her pocket and headed home.
Back inside she stopped in the hallway for a minute to steady herself. Her hands shook a little as she took the tests out. She followed the instructions and waited.
The first few minutes seemed to last forever. Emily kept looking at the clock, then at the tests. Then two clear lines showed up on the first one, bright and sharp. She checked the second, the same clear lines were there.
“How is this even possible?” she said out loud, feeling a rush of confusion. “This can’t be right. I was so careful!”
Just then the doorbell rang loudly. Emily jumped. She checked the time, it was too early for anyone coming on business. Then she realised it must be Oliver. The lad often forgot his keys when he rushed back from school.
Emily quickly dropped the tests in the bin, straightened her hair and hurried to the door. When she opened it she saw Oliver on the step, a bit out of breath with his rucksack on.
“Forgot your keys again?” she smiled, letting him inside.
“Yeah,” Oliver nodded, looking a bit guilty as he took off his trainers. “I was in a rush getting ready and only noticed once I was outside…”
Emily went straight to the kitchen to get food for the hungry teenager. She didn’t know yet that one of the tests hadn’t reached the bin and was lying on the floor.
A few days after that Emily told David she needed to go to our mum’s for a week because mum wasn’t well. She hated lying to the man she loved, but right then she couldn’t tell him the full truth. And she couldn’t act any other way. She couldn’t risk her health, the choice had already been made.
David turned away from his laptop at once and looked at her with real concern.
“Do you need help?” he asked straight away. “Shall I bring some medicine? Or maybe come with you? Your mum’s on her own after all.”
Emily smiled without meaning to, warm but a bit guilty. His readiness to step in was touching, but it only made the situation harder now.
“I don’t need anything yet, thanks for the offer,” she answered as calmly as she could. “If anything comes up I’ll ring.”
She turned away and carried on packing a few things into a small bag. Jumper, jeans, a couple of tops, underwear, toothbrush. She was counting the minutes in her head. Less than an hour left until the last train to the nearby town, and she still had to reach the station. Our mum had promised to meet her there, which helped a bit. There would be someone who understood and wouldn’t ask extra questions.
“Keep in touch, right? If anything happens, call at once. I can come over anytime.”
“Of course,” Emily nodded, leaning against him for a moment. “I’ll be back soon. You won’t even have time to miss me.”
The trip to the station went by like a fog. She kept checking her phone in case David had texted or our mum had called. Her thoughts were all over the place, but she kept hold of her plan: get there, deal with it, come back. Only then, once things settled, would she talk to David. Properly, openly, no half truths.
The next day Emily went to a private clinic. She had booked ahead online, picked the doctor from reviews and arranged it all so no one would have extra questions. The appointment was quick and ordinary: check-up, tests, scan. The doctor, a woman in her middle years with a calm voice, looked over the results, checked the dates and asked again about her history.
“Yes, you are pregnant,” she confirmed at last. “Early on, about five or six weeks.”
Emily nodded without speaking. Deep down there was still a small hope it was a mistake, that the tests had been wrong or the results mixed up. But now it was settled.
“But I was taking the pills! How could this happen?” Her voice shook, not just from surprise but from the emotion she was holding back. How had it come to this? She had done everything exactly as told.
The doctor tilted her head a little. She didn’t answer at once. First she stacked the papers neatly on the desk, then looked up at Emily.
“The pills might have been faulty,” she said in a steady, professional way. “Or something could have lowered how well they worked, like taking antibiotics or other medicines at the same time, missing a dose or stomach trouble. It happens, though not often.”
She paused for a moment, watching how Emily took it, then went on gently.
“From what I can see, you’re not planning to go through with the pregnancy?”
Emily closed her eyes for a second. She had asked herself the same question over and over in the last few days. The doctors’ warnings from years ago came back, the risks that were still there. She took a deep breath and answered, trying to sound sure.
“The chance of losing my sight is nine to one. Do you think I can take that risk?”
The doctor nodded with an understanding look. She had already gone through Emily’s notes and seen the risk was real. In this situation Emily’s choice was the sensible one.
“I understand,” she said softly. “This is a big decision and you have every right to make it based on your health. I’ll write out some forms for more tests now. They’ll give a clearer picture and help us choose the best way forward.”
She turned to the computer, typed quickly, then printed a few sheets. She folded them and handed them over.
“Come back tomorrow for a follow-up. By then we’ll have the results and can talk about what happens next. If you have questions or anything worries you, ring the clinic and they’ll put you through to me.”
Emily took the papers and smoothed them without thinking. Her thoughts were still turning, but they were starting to settle a bit. She thanked the doctor with a short nod and stood up slowly. In the corridor she stopped for a moment, leaned against the wall, breathed in and out deeply. Tomorrow would be another day and another step in this hard choice.
“Emily!” David said down the phone, sounding so lively that Emily tensed up at once. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Emily felt everything inside her tighten. She gripped the phone harder, trying to stop the sudden shake in her hand.
“Tell you what?” she asked, sounding cautious and keeping her voice steady. The thought flashed through her mind: “Has he found out? But how?”
“That you’re pregnant!” David said with real excitement in his voice. He sounded so pleased, as if he was already picturing their life ahead.
Emily shut her eyes for a moment to pull her thoughts together.
“What makes you say that?” she answered, trying to stay calm even though her heart was racing.
“I found the test with two lines on the floor,” David explained, and there was no doubt or worry in how he spoke, only pure happiness. “I’ve already booked you in with a really good specialist. Shall we go to the appointment together? I want to be there and support you.”
Emily sighed deeply and chose her words. She needed to bring him down without hurting him.
“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” she said gently but firmly. “It’s most likely a mistake. You know I’m on the pills. I followed everything exactly, no missed doses. This can’t be right.”
There was a pause on the line. Emily could almost feel David trying to work out what she meant.
“Well, about that…” he said at last, sounding awkward. “You see, my mum came round recently. She saw your pills and started telling me your condition isn’t such a big problem. She said plenty of people have children with far worse illnesses and it turns out fine. She gave examples of people she knows and talked about modern ways of managing pregnancy. She was so set on it that… well, I went along with her.”
David stopped, as if waiting for her to react. Emily listened in silence, feeling a mix of feelings rising. Part of her understood he just wanted to believe things could work out. But it annoyed her that someone else was stepping into their private life and trying to decide for her.
“Are you saying she got you to tamper with my pills?” she asked evenly, though inside she was furious.
“No, not at all!” David said quickly. “Nothing like that. It’s just she convinced me not to follow the instructions so strictly. That we could take a chance. I didn’t think it would lead to this. I’m sorry.”
Emily felt a cold chill down her back. Words stuck in her throat and she forced out the question.
“What exactly did you do?”
David looked down and gripped the edge of the table. He was clearly uncomfortable, but he pulled himself together and spoke.
“I… dropped your bottle by accident and the pills went everywhere. Then I thought, maybe this is a sign? So I switched them for vitamins. I wanted us to have a child. Mum convinced me everything would be alright…”
Emily stayed still, trying to take in what she had heard. It didn’t make sense that the man she loved could do something like this. She had explained so many times how important it was to take the medication every day, what even one missed dose could mean, what the consequences might be.
“You’re serious?” Her voice shook. Without thinking she clenched her fists, feeling anger rise inside. “You did this deliberately? You listened to your mum and switched my medication?”
David shifted from one foot to the other, as if looking for a way to get out of it.
“I thought it would be better for our family,” he answered quietly, not looking up.
“For our family?” Emily couldn’t hold back anymore. Her voice shook with anger, but she tried to speak clearly so he would understand how serious it was. “You didn’t even ask me! You knew about my diagnosis, knew the risks, and still went ahead without telling me!”
She paused, trying to stop her hands shaking. Her head was pounding and her thoughts were scattered, but one thing was clear: she couldn’t carry on with this conversation now.
“I just wanted children,” David tried to explain, sounding almost pleading. “I thought we could deal with everything together.”
Emily took a deep breath and tried to get hold of herself. She needed time to think it all through and sort her mind.
“I don’t have time to talk right now,” she said, calmer though the feelings were still strong inside. “Can you come the day after tomorrow? Meet me at the park at midday?”
“Of course I’ll come!” David answered at once, hope back in his voice. “I’m sure it will all work out!”
Emily didn’t argue or explain further. She just needed to end the call.
“See you then,” she said shortly and hung up.
Emily was boiling with anger. Her mind kept going over David’s words about how he had “accidentally” dropped the bottle and then deliberately put vitamins in place of the important pills. He knew every risk, the years of doctors’ warnings, how vital it was for her health not to miss a dose. But he had chosen to believe his mum, who had no medical training yet was sure everything would be fine.
The thought burned inside her. How could he treat her health and her life so lightly? Emily realised that with this sort of attitude to basic things like trust, respect and care, they had no future. And the day after tomorrow she was determined to make that clear.
On the day they had agreed, David got to the park half an hour early. He had bought a bunch of white roses, her favourites, and now he was shifting nervously at the entrance, checking his watch every few minutes. A bit of hope was still there: maybe Emily had just been upset and now they would talk it through and he could explain he had meant well. He pictured her taking the flowers, her face softening, and them deciding together what to do next.
But when Emily arrived exactly at midday, arm in arm with me, her brother, her face was cold and closed off. She didn’t even glance at the flowers David held out quickly. Instead she took a sheet of paper from her bag without a word and gave it to him.
“What is this? I don’t understand,” David said, thrown by her cold tone. He tried to catch her eye, but Emily was looking away.
“It means there won’t be a child,” she said coldly. “You knew about my diagnosis. You knew and you put my health in danger on purpose by listening to your mother. I’ll never forgive this. I’ll come for my things tomorrow. And I won’t be on my own, I’ll bring my brother to avoid any problems.”
She turned and walked off without waiting for an answer. David stepped after her at once, calling out.
“Emily, wait! Let’s talk!”
She didn’t turn, just walked faster. He ran after her, no longer holding back, but I stepped in front of him. I stood firm, feet planted, looking at David with no sympathy at all. My stance made it clear: don’t even try to follow her.
David tried to go round me, but I kept him back firmly, holding out my hand a little.
“You’re making all this up!” David shouted, his voice shaking with anger and despair. He felt everything he had hoped for falling apart, the future he thought was his slipping away. “I went to doctors specially! They said with today’s medicine the risks are tiny! You just don’t want a child, that’s why you’re coming up with excuses!”
Emily turned round slowly. Her face was pale, but her expression stayed calm, almost distant. There were no tears in her eyes, only a steady resolve she had built up over those days.
“You went to doctors without me? Talked about my health with people you don’t know?” she said quietly, but every word hit hard and clear. “Do you even know my exact diagnosis? Or did you just go in and say my fiancée might go blind?”
David flinched. He hadn’t expected that question. He had been sure his reasons would make sense to her. He clenched his fists and tried to gather himself.
“I was thinking about our future! About family!” his voice was tight but sincere. “You said yourself you were open to adoption or surrogacy. So why not give our own child a chance?”
Emily let out a long breath. Pain showed in her eyes for a moment, the same pain she had tried to hide behind her cold determination.
“Because this isn’t a game, David!” real feeling came through in her voice for the first time. “This is my life, my body, my sight. Do you even get that I could go blind? That I’d be helpless, unable to work or look after myself? Did you think about what it’s like to live in constant darkness?”
She paused to let him take it in, but he had already started to object.
“But the doctors said…”
“What doctors?” she cut in sharply, and bitterness came into her voice. “The ones you saw behind my back? Did you even ask them about the real numbers on complications? About actual cases? Do you know how many women lose their sight during pregnancy with my condition? No, you just heard what you wanted to hear!”
David went quiet. His eyes still showed hurt, but something else was coming through, a vague sense that he might have got it badly wrong.
“You betrayed my trust,” Emily went on, quieter but just as firm. “You knew how important those pills were to me. You knew I’d spent years learning to live with this diagnosis and accept it. And you wiped all that out with one action.”
At that point I stepped closer. My hands were itching to teach the man a lesson, but I held back because Emily had asked me to.
“I don’t want anything to do with you!” Emily stood straight, her voice cold and even again. “I don’t want to spend every day wondering what stunt you’ll pull next!”
David opened his mouth to say something, but the words wouldn’t come. He looked at her, searching for even a hint of doubt in her eyes, some chance to put things right. But there was only coldness and contempt.
Emily turned and walked away. David wanted to call after her but couldn’t. He stood watching her figure fade into the evening light. I walked beside her, quiet and steady, as if keeping her safe.
When we were out of sight David sank onto the nearest bench. He was still holding the bunch of white roses, never given and never taken.
He looked at the soft petals and realised for the first time that he had lost not only the child he had wanted so much. He had lost the woman he loved.
One thought kept hitting him: “What if she was right?” But it was already too late.It was a while back when my sister Emily first got serious with David. One evening she went round to meet his mum Margaret for dinner, and straight away Margaret started in on them. “Your relationship looks pretty solid now,” she said, staring hard at Emily like she was demanding an answer. “So when are you planning the wedding?”
Emily put on a forced smile and picked her words carefully so she wouldn’t upset the woman who might become her mother-in-law. “I don’t think it’s the right moment yet,” she replied. “We’ve only been sharing a place for a month. We ought to wait and see how we manage living together day to day. You never know, we could end up rowing over nothing much.”
Margaret lifted one eyebrow but didn’t drop the subject. In truth she preferred Emily to David’s last girlfriend Lisa, who had been pushy and unpleasant. It was a good job David had finished with her.
“How is young Oliver getting on?” Margaret asked, switching topics but keeping her eyes fixed on Emily. “He’s nearly grown now, but still…”
Emily felt a bit warmer at the mention of David’s lad. She remembered how nervous she had been at the start, wondering how the teenager would react to a new woman in the house. Would he see her as some kind of replacement for his own mum?
“He’s a really good kid,” Emily answered honestly, and her smile became more natural. “At first I was worried he might take against me or be suspicious. But it turned out fine. He’s open and decent, that one.”
She stopped for a moment, thinking of the afternoon Oliver came home from school, tried her pie and announced right away that the house would have proper cooking from then on.
“More than that,” Emily went on with a small laugh, “he was glad someone better at the cooking than his dad would be handling the meals. He even asks me now and then to show him a recipe.”
David had been sitting quiet until then. He looked up and gave a quick nod, a faint smile crossing his face as if he was pleased the two of them got on so well.
Margaret didn’t leave it there. “Has he started asking for a little brother yet?” she said, making it plain what she meant.
David winced and shot her a short look of annoyance. His eyes seemed to say “why bring that up again?” He knew his mum’s habit of diving straight into delicate matters without thinking how it might land with others.
“What’s wrong with asking?” Margaret went on, sounding cheerful and almost playful, as if it was the most ordinary thing in the world. “Oliver loves children and is always mucking about with his cousins. And you’re only thirty-five, you’ve still got time to bring up a couple.”
Emily felt a flush of awkwardness rise inside her. It felt wrong to be discussing something so private and difficult in front of a woman she hardly knew. She tightened her grip on her hands under the table and tried to keep her face calm.
“I’m afraid that’s not an option,” she said, keeping her voice level. “The doctors have told me firmly I shouldn’t have children.”
For a moment the room fell silent. Margaret raised her eyebrows a little as she took it in. Her expression shifted at once, the friendly look disappearing and leaving something cold and distant instead.
“Some sort of women’s trouble, is it?” she said with a show of sympathy, though there was a touch of condescension in the way she said it. “But you shouldn’t give up. Medicine doesn’t stand still. What seemed impossible before can be sorted without much fuss these days.”
Emily let out a quiet breath. She wanted to close the topic, but she knew just staying quiet wouldn’t work. She glanced at David, hoping he might back her up, but he only gave a small shrug as if to say she should explain it herself.
“In my case it wouldn’t help,” she said quietly, looking straight ahead. To be honest she couldn’t see why she had to open up like this to a woman she barely knew. But saying nothing wasn’t safe either, she might get the wrong idea. “I have serious problems with my eyesight. They diagnosed it when I was eighteen, and by now I’ve accepted that children aren’t going to happen for me.”
Margaret stayed still for a second, clearly trying to make sense of it. Her eyebrows went up and her face showed real puzzlement, as if she had run into something she couldn’t grasp.
“What has eyesight got to do with it?” she asked, tilting her head. She genuinely couldn’t see the link and even wondered if it was just a weak excuse. “I don’t follow.”
Emily drew a long breath and chose her words. She didn’t want to go deep into medical details, but there was no way round answering.
“There’s a ninety percent chance I could lose my sight,” she explained in a steady voice. “The strain of carrying a child is too much for my body, the risk is far too high. It’s not worth it, can’t you see? What use is having a child if I would never even be able to see them?”
She stopped to give Margaret time to take it in. Emily fiddled with her glasses. It mattered to her that Margaret understood this wasn’t a whim or about keeping slim. It was a real danger.
Emily could sense the disappointment building in the room. Margaret stopped trying to keep the chat going and only threw her the odd glance full of clear disapproval. It was obvious this wasn’t the sort of daughter-in-law she had pictured. In her mind she had probably imagined a healthy, strong woman who would soon give her grandchildren.
But Emily felt no guilt and no urge to defend herself. She and David had gone over the whole thing years before, weighing everything up. Talks with doctors, long evenings looking into it, honest conversations between the two of them, all of it had led to the same choice. The risk to her health was too big, and neither of them wanted to put her through that. If it came to it they could think about adoption or using a surrogate. These days it can be arranged without too much trouble.
When they finally got up to leave, the air felt a little lighter. Margaret hugged her son and gave Emily a nod, but there was no real warmth in it, just what was expected. As they put their shoes on in the hallway, Emily caught David’s eye. His look said plainly that he was sorry.
Out on the street they both let out a breath of relief. The evening air seemed fresher after the strained talk. Emily took David’s hand and he squeezed her fingers straight back. They said nothing about what had happened, but both knew the meeting with his parents hadn’t gone well. Even so, it didn’t change the main thing, their decision to stay together whatever other people expected or thought.
Three months later.
Emily began to notice she wasn’t feeling quite right. At first she didn’t pay it much mind, put it down to being worn out at work or picking up a light bug. But when the off feeling carried on for several days she started to fret.
She felt a constant slight weakness, felt sick most mornings and smells that used to be fine suddenly got on her nerves. Emily tried to sort it herself, picked up some remedies from the chemist, drank more water and went to bed earlier. But nothing changed. She caught herself losing focus at work and coming home so tired she could hardly stand, even though she hadn’t done anything especially hard.
One evening while chatting on the phone with our mum, Emily let slip how she was feeling. Her voice sounded a bit flat, she still had that strange tiredness she couldn’t shift.
“Emily,” our mum asked after a short pause, sounding careful, “are you sure you’re not pregnant?”
Emily was surprised by the idea. She went quiet for a second to think, then answered firmly.
“Absolutely not. I’ve never missed a single pill. The doctor gave them to me after a full check, and I’ve followed it exactly.”
Our mum didn’t argue, but she sounded determined.
“Get a test anyway, just to put your mind at rest. This is too big a thing to leave hanging.”
Emily had been ready to say it couldn’t be pregnancy, but something in our mum’s tone made her pause. In the end a test was easy and quick, and a bit of extra certainty wouldn’t hurt.
“Alright, Mum. I’ll go to the chemist now. David’s at work so I’ve got the time,” Emily said and put the phone down.
She grabbed her things, threw on her jacket and left the flat. The chemist in the next building was only a few minutes walk. Emily moved a bit quicker than usual, almost as if she was trying to leave her own thoughts behind. The same questions kept turning over in her head: “What if Mum’s right? But how could it happen? Everything was under control…”
In the chemist she stood for a moment in front of the tests. There was a surprising choice, different makes and styles. Emily looked uncertainly at the woman behind the counter, then back at the shelves. In the end she took two in the middle price range, no sense saving money on something like that. She paid, put them in her pocket and headed home.
Back inside she stopped in the hallway for a minute to steady herself. Her hands shook a little as she took the tests out. She followed the instructions and waited.
The first few minutes seemed to last forever. Emily kept looking at the clock, then at the tests. Then two clear lines showed up on the first one, bright and sharp. She checked the second, the same clear lines were there.
“How is this even possible?” she said out loud, feeling a rush of confusion. “This can’t be right. I was so careful!”
Just then the doorbell rang loudly. Emily jumped. She checked the time, it was too early for anyone coming on business. Then she realised it must be Oliver. The lad often forgot his keys when he rushed back from school.
Emily quickly dropped the tests in the bin, straightened her hair and hurried to the door. When she opened it she saw Oliver on the step, a bit out of breath with his rucksack on.
“Forgot your keys again?” she smiled, letting him inside.
“Yeah,” Oliver nodded, looking a bit guilty as he took off his trainers. “I was in a rush getting ready and only noticed once I was outside…”
Emily went straight to the kitchen to get food for the hungry teenager. She didn’t know yet that one of the tests hadn’t reached the bin and was lying on the floor.
A few days after that Emily told David she needed to go to our mum’s for a week because mum wasn’t well. She hated lying to the man she loved, but right then she couldn’t tell him the full truth. And she couldn’t act any other way. She couldn’t risk her health, the choice had already been made.
David turned away from his laptop at once and looked at her with real concern.
“Do you need help?” he asked straight away. “Shall I bring some medicine? Or maybe come with you? Your mum’s on her own after all.”
Emily smiled without meaning to, warm but a bit guilty. His readiness to step in was touching, but it only made the situation harder now.
“I don’t need anything yet, thanks for the offer,” she answered as calmly as she could. “If anything comes up I’ll ring.”
She turned away and carried on packing a few things into a small bag. Jumper, jeans, a couple of tops, underwear, toothbrush. She was counting the minutes in her head. Less than an hour left until the last train to the nearby town, and she still had to reach the station. Our mum had promised to meet her there, which helped a bit. There would be someone who understood and wouldn’t ask extra questions.
“Keep in touch, right? If anything happens, call at once. I can come over anytime.”
“Of course,” Emily nodded, leaning against him for a moment. “I’ll be back soon. You won’t even have time to miss me.”
The trip to the station went by like a fog. She kept checking her phone in case David had texted or our mum had called. Her thoughts were all over the place, but she kept hold of her plan: get there, deal with it, come back. Only then, once things settled, would she talk to David. Properly, openly, no half truths.
The next day Emily went to a private clinic. She had booked ahead online, picked the doctor from reviews and arranged it all so no one would have extra questions. The appointment was quick and ordinary: check-up, tests, scan. The doctor, a woman in her middle years with a calm voice, looked over the results, checked the dates and asked again about her history.
“Yes, you are pregnant,” she confirmed at last. “Early on, about five or six weeks.”
Emily nodded without speaking. Deep down there was still a small hope it was a mistake, that the tests had been wrong or the results mixed up. But now it was settled.
“But I was taking the pills! How could this happen?” Her voice shook, not just from surprise but from the emotion she was holding back. How had it come to this? She had done everything exactly as told.
The doctor tilted her head a little. She didn’t answer at once. First she stacked the papers neatly on the desk, then looked up at Emily.
“The pills might have been faulty,” she said in a steady, professional way. “Or something could have lowered how well they worked, like taking antibiotics or other medicines at the same time, missing a dose or stomach trouble. It happens, though not often.”
She paused for a moment, watching how Emily took it, then went on gently.
“From what I can see, you’re not planning to go through with the pregnancy?”
Emily closed her eyes for a second. She had asked herself the same question over and over in the last few days. The doctors’ warnings from years ago came back, the risks that were still there. She took a deep breath and answered, trying to sound sure.
“The chance of losing my sight is nine to one. Do you think I can take that risk?”
The doctor nodded with an understanding look. She had already gone through Emily’s notes and seen the risk was real. In this situation Emily’s choice was the sensible one.
“I understand,” she said softly. “This is a big decision and you have every right to make it based on your health. I’ll write out some forms for more tests now. They’ll give a clearer picture and help us choose the best way forward.”
She turned to the computer, typed quickly, then printed a few sheets. She folded them and handed them over.
“Come back tomorrow for a follow-up. By then we’ll have the results and can talk about what happens next. If you have questions or anything worries you, ring the clinic and they’ll put you through to me.”
Emily took the papers and smoothed them without thinking. Her thoughts were still turning, but they were starting to settle a bit. She thanked the doctor with a short nod and stood up slowly. In the corridor she stopped for a moment, leaned against the wall, breathed in and out deeply. Tomorrow would be another day and another step in this hard choice.
“Emily!” David said down the phone, sounding so lively that Emily tensed up at once. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Emily felt everything inside her tighten. She gripped the phone harder, trying to stop the sudden shake in her hand.
“Tell you what?” she asked, sounding cautious and keeping her voice steady. The thought flashed through her mind: “Has he found out? But how?”
“That you’re pregnant!” David said with real excitement in his voice. He sounded so pleased, as if he was already picturing their life ahead.
Emily shut her eyes for a moment to pull her thoughts together.
“What makes you say that?” she answered, trying to stay calm even though her heart was racing.
“I found the test with two lines on the floor,” David explained, and there was no doubt or worry in how he spoke, only pure happiness. “I’ve already booked you in with a really good specialist. Shall we go to the appointment together? I want to be there and support you.”
Emily sighed deeply and chose her words. She needed to bring him down without hurting him.
“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” she said gently but firmly. “It’s most likely a mistake. You know I’m on the pills. I followed everything exactly, no missed doses. This can’t be right.”
There was a pause on the line. Emily could almost feel David trying to work out what she meant.
“Well, about that…” he said at last, sounding awkward. “You see, my mum came round recently. She saw your pills and started telling me your condition isn’t such a big problem. She said plenty of people have children with far worse illnesses and it turns out fine. She gave examples of people she knows and talked about modern ways of managing pregnancy. She was so set on it that… well, I went along with her.”
David stopped, as if waiting for her to react. Emily listened in silence, feeling a mix of feelings rising. Part of her understood he just wanted to believe things could work out. But it annoyed her that someone else was stepping into their private life and trying to decide for her.
“Are you saying she got you to tamper with my pills?” she asked evenly, though inside she was furious.
“No, not at all!” David said quickly. “Nothing like that. It’s just she convinced me not to follow the instructions so strictly. That we could take a chance. I didn’t think it would lead to this. I’m sorry.”
Emily felt a cold chill down her back. Words stuck in her throat and she forced out the question.
“What exactly did you do?”
David looked down and gripped the edge of the table. He was clearly uncomfortable, but he pulled himself together and spoke.
“I… dropped your bottle by accident and the pills went everywhere. Then I thought, maybe this is a sign? So I switched them for vitamins. I wanted us to have a child. Mum convinced me everything would be alright…”
Emily stayed still, trying to take in what she had heard. It didn’t make sense that the man she loved could do something like this. She had explained so many times how important it was to take the medication every day, what even one missed dose could mean, what the consequences might be.
“You’re serious?” Her voice shook. Without thinking she clenched her fists, feeling anger rise inside. “You did this deliberately? You listened to your mum and switched my medication?”
David shifted from one foot to the other, as if looking for a way to get out of it.
“I thought it would be better for our family,” he answered quietly, not looking up.
“For our family?” Emily couldn’t hold back anymore. Her voice shook with anger, but she tried to speak clearly so he would understand how serious it was. “You didn’t even ask me! You knew about my diagnosis, knew the risks, and still went ahead without telling me!”
She paused, trying to stop her hands shaking. Her head was pounding and her thoughts were scattered, but one thing was clear: she couldn’t carry on with this conversation now.
“I just wanted children,” David tried to explain, sounding almost pleading. “I thought we could deal with everything together.”
Emily took a deep breath and tried to get hold of herself. She needed time to think it all through and sort her mind.
“I don’t have time to talk right now,” she said, calmer though the feelings were still strong inside. “Can you come the day after tomorrow? Meet me at the park at midday?”
“Of course I’ll come!” David answered at once, hope back in his voice. “I’m sure it will all work out!”
Emily didn’t argue or explain further. She just needed to end the call.
“See you then,” she said shortly and hung up.
Emily was boiling with anger. Her mind kept going over David’s words about how he had “accidentally” dropped the bottle and then deliberately put vitamins in place of the important pills. He knew every risk, the years of doctors’ warnings, how vital it was for her health not to miss a dose. But he had chosen to believe his mum, who had no medical training yet was sure everything would be fine.
The thought burned inside her. How could he treat her health and her life so lightly? Emily realised that with this sort of attitude to basic things like trust, respect and care, they had no future. And the day after tomorrow she was determined to make that clear.
On the day they had agreed, David got to the park half an hour early. He had bought a bunch of white roses, her favourites, and now he was shifting nervously at the entrance, checking his watch every few minutes. A bit of hope was still there: maybe Emily had just been upset and now they would talk it through and he could explain he had meant well. He pictured her taking the flowers, her face softening, and them deciding together what to do next.
But when Emily arrived exactly at midday, arm in arm with me, her brother, her face was cold and closed off. She didn’t even glance at the flowers David held out quickly. Instead she took a sheet of paper from her bag without a word and gave it to him.
“What is this? I don’t understand,” David said, thrown by her cold tone. He tried to catch her eye, but Emily was looking away.
“It means there won’t be a child,” she said coldly. “You knew about my diagnosis. You knew and you put my health in danger on purpose by listening to your mother. I’ll never forgive this. I’ll come for my things tomorrow. And I won’t be on my own, I’ll bring my brother to avoid any problems.”
She turned and walked off without waiting for an answer. David stepped after her at once, calling out.
“Emily, wait! Let’s talk!”
She didn’t turn, just walked faster. He ran after her, no longer holding back, but I stepped in front of him. I stood firm, feet planted, looking at David with no sympathy at all. My stance made it clear: don’t even try to follow her.
David tried to go round me, but I kept him back firmly, holding out my hand a little.
“You’re making all this up!” David shouted, his voice shaking with anger and despair. He felt everything he had hoped for falling apart, the future he thought was his slipping away. “I went to doctors specially! They said with today’s medicine the risks are tiny! You just don’t want a child, that’s why you’re coming up with excuses!”
Emily turned round slowly. Her face was pale, but her expression stayed calm, almost distant. There were no tears in her eyes, only a steady resolve she had built up over those days.
“You went to doctors without me? Talked about my health with people you don’t know?” she said quietly, but every word hit hard and clear. “Do you even know my exact diagnosis? Or did you just go in and say my fiancée might go blind?”
David flinched. He hadn’t expected that question. He had been sure his reasons would make sense to her. He clenched his fists and tried to gather himself.
“I was thinking about our future! About family!” his voice was tight but sincere. “You said yourself you were open to adoption or surrogacy. So why not give our own child a chance?”
Emily let out a long breath. Pain showed in her eyes for a moment, the same pain she had tried to hide behind her cold determination.
“Because this isn’t a game, David!” real feeling came through in her voice for the first time. “This is my life, my body, my sight. Do you even get that I could go blind? That I’d be helpless, unable to work or look after myself? Did you think about what it’s like to live in constant darkness?”
She paused to let him take it in, but he had already started to object.
“But the doctors said…”
“What doctors?” she cut in sharply, and bitterness came into her voice. “The ones you saw behind my back? Did you even ask them about the real numbers on complications? About actual cases? Do you know how many women lose their sight during pregnancy with my condition? No, you just heard what you wanted to hear!”
David went quiet. His eyes still showed hurt, but something else was coming through, a vague sense that he might have got it badly wrong.
“You betrayed my trust,” Emily went on, quieter but just as firm. “You knew how important those pills were to me. You knew I’d spent years learning to live with this diagnosis and accept it. And you wiped all that out with one action.”
At that point I stepped closer. My hands were itching to teach the man a lesson, but I held back because Emily had asked me to.
“I don’t want anything to do with you!” Emily stood straight, her voice cold and even again. “I don’t want to spend every day wondering what stunt you’ll pull next!”
David opened his mouth to say something, but the words wouldn’t come. He looked at her, searching for even a hint of doubt in her eyes, some chance to put things right. But there was only coldness and contempt.
Emily turned and walked away. David wanted to call after her but couldn’t. He stood watching her figure fade into the evening light. I walked beside her, quiet and steady, as if keeping her safe.
When we were out of sight David sank onto the nearest bench. He was still holding the bunch of white roses, never given and never taken.
He looked at the soft petals and realised for the first time that he had lost not only the child he had wanted so much. He had lost the woman he loved.
One thought kept hitting him: “What if she was right?” But it was already too late.
