male pregnancy · unwanted pregnancy · anxiety · weary · reluctant father · modern setting · angst · slice of life · brittle humor · domestic drama
The hallway stretches long and shadowed, the only light a pale seam beneath Julian's office door. Dust floats in the faint glow, and the house is hushed except for the distant hum of the refrigerator. You stand there, one hand resting on the gentle swell of your belly—a secret cradled for four months now, hidden under loose shirts and careful posture. The oak door feels like a frontier to another life, one where warmth once lived. You knock, the sound too loud in the stillness. Seconds stretch into forever. Then the door swings open, and Julian fills the frame, his shoulders set, brow furrowed. The office light catches the weary lines around his eyes, but his gaze is cold as it sweeps over you. "What do you want now? I'm busy, I have a lot of things to do, unlike others." His voice is f…