For a moment, everything was perfect. Then, Angela ran toward us, grinning, holding up a champagne glass.
“I’m pregnant!” Angela shouted. Her voice echoed through the room.
Carl and I froze. My heart pounded in my chest. “What?!” we both exclaimed.
“Yes! I’m pregnant!” Angela clapped her hands together. Her face beamed with excitement, as if she had just given us the best news in the world.
I blinked. “Why would you do this?” My voice shook. “Why now? Why would you ruin our moment?”
Angela tilted her head. “Ruin? What do you mean?” She looked genuinely confused, like she had no idea what was wrong.
“Mom,” Carl said. His jaw tightened. “This was supposed to be Julia’s and my special day. You just made it about yourself.”
Angela gasped. “I just wanted to share my happy news!” She placed a hand over her heart.
“Angela, stop,” Jesse said. His voice was firm. “This is their celebration.”
Carl turned to his father. “Why didn’t you stop her?” His tone was sharp.
Jesse raised his hands. “I tried! I really did!” His face was red. “She wouldn’t listen!”
Angela’s eyes darted between us. “What kind of family is this? I thought you’d be happy for me!” Her voice cracked.
I inhaled sharply. “We would have been. If you had told us tomorrow. Not here. Not now. Not at the exact moment we found out our baby’s gender.”
Angela’s face twisted in anger. “You’re horrible!” she screamed. She turned and stormed out of the room.
Carl stared after her. Then his eyes widened. “Was that champagne she was holding?”
My stomach twisted. “Oh my God. I didn’t even think about that. Why is she drinking if she’s pregnant?”
That day, Angela refused to return. She said we had ruined her special moment. We tried to explain but she wouldn’t listen.
I thought that after this, Angela would calm down. I hoped she would realize how far she had gone and take a step back.
I wouldn’t have to see her so often, which, honestly, sounded like a dream. She had already ruined one of the most important days of my life.
Worse, she had managed to twist everything and make Carl and me feel guilty, as if we were the ones who had hurt her.
But Angela didn’t calm down. Instead, she got even more involved. She started dragging me to baby stores, gushing over tiny onesies, rattles, and crib sets.
One of those times, at the mall, I stepped away to use the restroom for what felt like the fiftieth time—my daughter was constantly pressing on my bladder.
“I’ll be right back,” I told Angela. She barely nodded, too busy admiring a tiny pink dress.
When I returned, she was gone. I scanned the aisles, expecting to see her near the checkout or another baby display. But she wasn’t there. A strange feeling crept over me.
Then, through the glass window of a costume shop, I saw her.
Angela stood near the back, holding something against her stomach. I stepped closer, my heart pounding. A fake pregnancy belly.
I froze. My brain struggled to process what I was seeing. Why would she need that? Then, the truth hit me like a wave.
Angela wasn’t pregnant.
That was the only explanation. I gripped my phone and snapped a few photos. I could have confronted her, but no. I had a better plan.
When I got home, I told Carl everything. I showed him the photos. He frowned but didn’t say much.
“Are you sure that’s why she was buying the belly?” he finally asked.
I crossed my arms. “What else could it be for?”
Carl studied the picture again. “I’ve seen women buy those to try on maternity clothes.”
I shook my head. “That would make sense if she had never been pregnant before. But she has. She knows how a belly grows. She doesn’t need that.”
Carl sighed. “That was years ago. Maybe she forgot how it feels. Maybe she just wanted to experience it again.”
“That doesn’t explain why she was sneaking around a costume shop,” I said.
Carl hesitated. “It still doesn’t prove anything.”
I met his eyes. “Fine. If you won’t believe me now, I’ll prove it to you.”
