CHAPTER 92 FRACTURED REALITIES

Weeks slipped away in a deceptive dance for Ethan, the tension between the parallel lives he led tightening like an invisible vice. The nursery, once a haven of hope, now echoed with the foreboding whispers of an impending storm. One evening, as the weight of his secret bore heavily on him, Natalie, his wife, approached him in the dimly lit living room. Natalie's eyes, filled with curiosity and concern, met Ethan's. "You've seemed distant lately. Is everything okay?" she asked, her voice tinged with worry. Ethan hesitated, caught in the web of his own deception. "I've just been preoccupied with work and... things," he mumbled, avoiding her gaze. Natalie, persistent in seeking the truth, sat beside him. "You can talk to me, Ethan. We're in this together," she reassured him, her hand gently resting on his. The weight of his double life pressed upon him, and he sighed. "It's just a lot to handle right now. I want everything to be perfect for us, for the baby." Natalie, unaw