Anna sat under harsh hospital lights, clutching two tiny bundles hidden beneath blankets. Her whole body shook.
“Anna?” I rushed over. “Are you okay? Is it the pain? Do I need to call someone?”
She didn’t look up. She just squeezed the babies tighter.
“Don’t look at our babies, Henry!” she sobbed, her voice breaking.
“Anna, talk to me. Please. You’re scaring me. What happened?”
She shook her head, rocking the babies as if she could shield them from the world.
“I can’t… I don’t know—I just don’t—”
I knelt beside her. “Anna, whatever it is, we’ll handle it. Show me my boys.”
With trembling hands, she loosened her grip.
“Look, Henry,” she whispered.
I looked—and froze.
Josh: pale, pink-cheeked, looking like me.
Raiden: dark curls, Anna’s eyes… and deep brown skin.
“I only love you,” Anna sobbed. “They’re your babies, Henry! I swear. I don’t know how this happened! I never looked at another man that way! I didn’t cheat!”
I stared at our sons, speechless, as Anna fell apart beside me.
“Anna, look at me. I believe you. We’ll figure this out, okay? I’m right here.”
She nodded. Josh whimpered. Raiden clenched his tiny fists, fierce against the world.
A nurse entered, clipboard pressed to her chest. “Mom and Dad? The doctors want to run a few tests on the babies. Just standard checks, given the… unique circumstances.”
Anna tensed. “Are they okay?”
