The wind howled through the cemetery, shaking the bare branches above me. I barely felt it. My body was numb, my mind empty except for one thought.
A woman grieving at a cemetery ⏐ Source: Midjourney
David was gone. My only child. My beautiful boy.
A mother isn’t supposed to bury her child.
Mark stood beside me, silent, his hand gripping mine. He had always been the steady one, the practical one. But even he had no words today. His fingers trembled.
A man grieving at a cemetery ⏐ Source: Midjourney
The service ended. People drifted away. Some patted my arm, some hugged me, but their faces were a blur. I barely noticed when Mark stepped away to talk to someone.
That’s when she came to me.
A young woman, standing a few feet away.
A young woman standing at the cemetery ⏐ Source: Pexels
She wasn’t crying. She didn’t seem like one of David’s old friends, the ones who had spoken during the service. She had long brown hair pulled into a ponytail, a plain coat, and jeans. Hands clasped over her stomach.
She was staring at me.
I blinked, trying to place her. Had we met before?
She took a small step forward. Her voice was soft, uncertain. “Helen?”
A shy woman at a cemetery ⏐ Source: Pexels
I frowned. “Yes?”
Her fingers tightened around the fabric of her coat. “I—I need to tell you something.”
I waited.
She took a shaky breath. “I was… with David.”
I felt the words like a physical thing, a shift in the air between us.
A shocked woman at a cemetery ⏐ Source: Midjourney
“With him?” I echoed. My voice barely made it past my lips.
She nodded, eyes darting away, then back to me.
“I’m pregnant,” she whispered. “With his child.”
The world tilted. I felt dizzy. My breath caught in my throat.
A woman in black at a cemetery ⏐ Source: Pexels
She must have seen the disbelief on my face because she spoke quickly. “I know you don’t know me. Our time together was… brief. I—I loved him. But he didn’t love me back.” Her voice cracked slightly. “He didn’t want a relationship. But this baby… it’s his. I just thought you deserved to know.”
Her hands rested protectively over her stomach. David’s child. A part of him was still here.
A shocked woman looking over her shoulder ⏐ Source: Midjourney
A spark of something flickered inside me. Hope?
I swallowed hard. “You’re having my grandchild?”
She nodded, eyes wet. “Yes.”
I didn’t hesitate. I reached for her, pulling her into a hug. She let out a soft sob, and we held each other, two women bound by grief and by love for the same man.
“Tell me everything,” I whispered.
Two women hugging at a cemetery ⏐ Source: Midjourney
We sat in my car. I hadn’t planned on leaving the cemetery so soon, but I needed to hear her story.
She wiped her eyes and cleared her throat. “My name’s Jennifer. I met David a few months ago. He was—” She smiled weakly. “He was kind to me. Funny. But he didn’t want anything serious.”
That sounded like David, private and independent.
Jennifer hesitated. “I didn’t tell him about the baby.”
A sad grieving woman ⏐ Source: Pexels
My heart twisted. “You never got the chance?”
She shook her head. “I was scared. And then… the accident.”
I reached for her hand. “You don’t have to be scared anymore.”
Her lips trembled. “I live in a tiny rented apartment. I don’t have medical insurance. I—” She looked away, ashamed. “I wasn’t prepared for this.”
A deep, aching protectiveness surged through me.
A side shot of a grieving woman at a cemetery ⏐ Source: Midjourney
“You don’t have to worry,” I said firmly. I reached into my purse and pulled out some cash. “I’ll help you and the baby.”
She stared at the money, eyes wide. “Helen, I—I didn’t come for—”
“I know,” I cut her off gently. “But you’re carrying my grandchild. And I won’t let you struggle alone.”
Tears streamed down her face. “Thank you.” Her voice broke. “I didn’t expect this. I just thought you should know.”
I squeezed her hand. “You’re not alone, Jennifer.”
Two women hugging ⏐ Source: Midjourney
At that moment, I felt something I hadn’t felt since the moment I lost David.
Purpose.
That night, I sat in our bedroom, folding tiny baby clothes I had bought on the way home. The nursery was still empty, but I could already see it in my mind — a crib, soft blankets, a rocking chair where I would hold my grandchild.
Mark sat on the bed with his arms crossed, watching me.
A mature man with glasses ⏐ Source: Pexels
“You’re moving fast,” he said.
I didn’t look up. “She needs help. The baby needs a family.”
Mark sighed. “Helen, you barely know this girl.”
I smoothed out a little onesie. “I know enough.”
“She could be lying.”
I froze. Slowly, I raised my head. “What?”
A serious woman sitting on the floor ⏐ Source: Pexels
He leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “You’re taking her at her word. But have you asked for proof? Have you asked for a test?”
My stomach twisted.
“Mark, she’s grieving. She’s pregnant. How can you even say that?”
“I’m saying you should be careful.” His voice was gentle, but firm. “We just lost David. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
A serious man covering his mouth ⏐ Source: Pexels
I shook my head. “I don’t need proof. I know it’s true.”
Mark exhaled, rubbing his hands over his face. “Helen…”
“I don’t want to hear it.”
I stood, gathering the tiny clothes in my arms. David was gone. But this baby was real, and I was going to be a grandmother. Mark didn’t say anything else, but I could feel his doubt in the silence.
A serious woman holding baby clothes ⏐ Source: Midjourney
Weeks passed, and Jennifer became a part of my daily life.
I took her to doctor’s appointments, bought her vitamins, and filled the nursery with soft blankets and tiny clothes. Every ultrasound picture she showed me felt like a gift of connection to David that kept me breathing.
Mark, however, remained distant. He didn’t argue, but I could feel his unease, the way he watched Jennifer with quiet suspicion.
A suspicious mature man ⏐ Source: Pexels
One afternoon, he came home from work and placed a manila envelope on the kitchen table. His face was unreadable.
“Helen,” he said, his voice tight. “You need to see this.”
I hesitated. “What is it?”
“Just look.”
With trembling hands, I opened the envelope. Photographs.
A woman looking at the photographs in her hands ⏐ Source: Midjourney
Jennifer. With another man. Holding hands. Kissing.
My breath caught in my throat. The last photo — the one that made my heart stop — was dated before David’s accident. In it, Jennifer’s belly was already rounded.
“No,” I whispered. My fingers clutched the edges of the photo so tightly it crumpled.
Mark’s voice was quiet but firm. “She’s been lying.”
A pregnant woman on a date ⏐ Source: Midjourney
A cold wave of realization crashed over me. I had let myself believe without question.
Tears burned my eyes as I slammed the envelope shut. “I need to hear it from her.”
Jennifer sat on the couch, cradling a cup of tea. She smiled when I walked in, but her face fell when she saw my expression.
I stood in front of her, gripping the envelope like a lifeline. “Tell me the truth, Jennifer.”
A serious woman in her living room ⏐ Source: Midjourney
Her brows knitted together. “What do you mean?”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Are you carrying David’s child?”
Silence.
The room felt impossibly small, closing in on me.
Jennifer lowered her gaze. Her fingers tightened around the cup.
A sad woman with a cup of tea ⏐ Source: Midjourney
“Jennifer,” I whispered, my voice shaking, “please.”
She exhaled slowly. Then, almost in a whisper—
“No.”
It was like the floor beneath me cracked open.
I stumbled back, shaking my head. “Why? Why would you lie?”
A heartbroken woman in her living room ⏐ Source: Midjourney
Tears welled in her eyes. “Because…” Her voice broke. “Because I saw how much you loved him. I saw how much you needed him to still be here. And I—I thought maybe, if I told you I was carrying his baby… maybe you’d love me too.”
Her words cut through me like glass.
