The first time Daniel kissed me, it was raining so hard the thunder shook the office windows. Everyone else had gone home, and I was still at my desk, finishing a report he needed by morning. He walked out of his office, jacket off, tie loose, looking less like my boss and more like a man who hadn’t talked to anyone in a long time. “You’re still here, Sophie?
” he asked. We had tea in the break room. He made it himself. We talked about life, not work.
He told me he was lonely and trapped by his own company. I told him about my cat, Luna, and my small white apartment. He looked at me differently that night. Then he kissed me.
I knew it was wrong. He was my boss. But I didn’t say no. I had liked him for a long time.
The next morning, I walked into the office happy, thinking everything would be different. He stood by the window in his dark suit. “Good morning, Mr. Daniel,” I said, my voice bright.
He didn’t smile. “About last night. ” He raised his hand. “It was a mistake.
It was unprofessional. We must forget it. Please go back to work. ”
My heart broke.
I felt stupid. I felt used. I nodded and went back to my desk, and for two months, he treated me colder than ever. Then I found out I was pregnant.
His baby. I took the test in my tiny bathroom while Luna sat on the floor watching me. I couldn’t stop shaking. I had no one to tell.
My parents were old-fashioned and far away. My salary was small. If Daniel fired me, I had nothing. So I kept my secret.
I wore loose sweaters and long scarves. I ate crackers at my desk to stop the nausea. I watched him through the glass wall of his office, powerful and untouchable, talking on the phone while I carried his child just a few meters away. I told myself I would wait.
I would save money. I would figure it out alone. Then the meeting happened. I was carrying a heavy tray of glass water bottles into the conference room.
A sharp pain shot through my back. My hand slipped. The tray crashed. Glass shattered across the expensive carpet, splashing water on a manager’s shoes.
Everyone turned to look at me. I started to bend down to pick it up. “Don’t touch it! ” Daniel shouted.
He ran to me, grabbed my arm, pulled me up. “You’ll cut yourself. ” He looked at me closely. “You’re shaking.
”
He made me sit down. He brought me water. All the managers watched, confused. Why was the boss being so nice to the clumsy assistant?
Later that day, he called me into his office. I was sure I was being fired. I sat in front of his desk, hands clenched, staring at the floor. “Sophie,” he said slowly.
“What is going on? You’re tired. You’re emotional. You wear baggy clothes.
You eat all the time. ” He paused. “Are you sick? ”
He thought I was dying.
He actually looked worried. “I’m not sick,” I said. My voice came out quiet and strange. I looked straight at him.
“I’m pregnant. ”
The room went silent. I could hear the clock ticking. His face went blank.
“Pregnant,” he repeated. “Yes. ”
He leaned back, then leaned forward, staring at my stomach. He was counting the months in his head.
I saw his eyes widen. “Sophie,” he whispered. “Is it…? ”
“It’s yours.
”
He stood up so fast his chair fell over. I shrank back, waiting for him to shout. Instead, he knelt down in front of my chair. The great Mr.
Daniel, on his knees. “Why didn’t you tell me? ” His voice cracked. “Why did you keep this secret?
”
“You said that night was a mistake,” I said, starting to cry. “You were so cold. You treated me like a stranger. I thought you would fire me.
I thought you would hate me. ”
“Oh, Sophie. ” He took my hands. “I was cold because I was scared too.
I liked you too much. I knew it was dangerous. I pushed you away to protect my business, to protect myself. I was a coward.
”
He reached out and touched my belly. His hand was shaking. “Hello, baby,” he whispered. “It’s your dad.
”
The secret was gone. The fear was gone. I wasn’t alone anymore. He came with me to every appointment.
We saw our daughter on the screen and heard her heartbeat, whoosh-whoosh-whoosh. He cried. He held my hand. He told the whole office at a staff meeting, standing beside me with his hand on my back.
Sarah and Emily hugged me. Everyone clapped. Months passed. I moved into his big, quiet house and filled it with baby things: a crib, tiny clothes, toys.
It started to feel like home. When our daughter was born, we named her Grace. She had Daniel’s eyes and my nose. I held her and looked at Daniel holding her, terrified and amazed.
I remembered the days I hid in my big sweaters, the mornings I vomited in the office bathroom, the nights I talked only to my cat about the life growing inside me. I remembered thinking my life was over. I was wrong.
My life was just beginning.
