The pregnancy test lay on the counter, its two pink lines glaring back at me. My breath hitched. Could it be real after five years of heartbreak?

My hand trembled as I reached for my phone to call Ronald. But doubt crept in—we had been let down before. I needed to be sure first.

I booked an ultrasound, telling Ronald I had a dental appointment. At the hospital, the technician pointed at the screen. “See that flutter?”

A heartbeat. My baby’s heartbeat. Tears welled up. It was finally happening.

I left the hospital planning a surprise for Ronald, but as I rounded the corner, my world crumbled. There he was… with a very pregnant young woman. His hands rested on her belly, and he smiled at her with a tenderness that had once been mine.

I froze, heart racing. Who was she? What was he doing here? I ordered an Uber and followed them to a small house. Anger propelled me forward as I knocked on the door.

Ronald’s face went pale. “Carol? What are you doing here?”

“I think that’s my question,” I said, pushing past him. The young woman stared at me in shock, then broke into a wide smile.

“You’re Carol!? I’ve been dying to meet you!”

I blinked. What?

“Carol, this is Anna… my daughter,” Ronald said softly.

My breath caught. “Excuse me?”

He explained everything: Anna was from a brief relationship before we met. He’d only recently learned about her after her mother passed away.

Anna nodded, her eyes bright. “And now… you’re going to be a grandmother!”

Grandmother. The word hit me like a ton of bricks.

“All those late nights at work?” I asked.

“I was trying to get to know her,” Ronald said gently. “I didn’t know how to tell you.”

I looked at Anna, noticing the familiar dimple and warm brown eyes. “Oh my God.”

Anna laughed. “Surprise!”

Relief and disbelief bubbled out of me. “I thought you were having an affair,” I admitted.

Anna gasped, smacking his arm. “Dad! No wonder she was spying on us!”

“She followed us in an Uber,” she whispered conspiratorially.

Ronald groaned, but Anna grinned. “This is amazing! I can’t wait to tell my baby how his grandma stalked his grandpa!”

“Grandma?” I echoed, wide-eyed.

Anna wiggled her eyebrows. “You better get used to it!”

As we laughed, my heart swelled. What had seemed like the end was actually a new beginning—a family I never expected but already loved.