Claire and Eric fell in love and got married at a mature age. They wanted children, but they couldn’t conceive because Eric was infertile. After Claire caught Eric on a call with a mysterious woman, their marriage was tested. Claire and Eric met at a mature age, both in their 40s. Their meeting came about at a time of great tribulation for both of them.
They were both terribly lonely, and after multiple failed relationships in both their lives, they had almost given up on love. However, destiny had something else installed for the pair. They randomly met at a war conference, and the chemistry was instantaneously undeniable. After almost a year of dating, they finally tied the knot. Claire and Eric both dreamed of having a large family but had never had the opportunity to.
So, the minute they were married, they set out to try for a baby. Claire and Eric tried for a couple of months, but with no success. With things not looking up for them, they sought help and consulted a medical professional. Their doctor took them through various tests and treatments to help them conceive. After a while, their doctor sent the couple the results and the feedback from various tests conducted.
Eric was the one who received the email with the results, and he informed his wife. “So, what did the results say? Can we have a baby?” Claire nervously asked as they were getting ready for bed. “Sorry, my love, we will never be able to have children,” Eric said with deep sadness, and Claire was shattered.
“But how? Why is it me?” Claire said in a panic, weeping bitterly. The news was hard for the couple to digest, so they tried their best to stay hopeful. They soon decided to try adoptions since they couldn’t conceive their own child.
They embarked on the adoption process, and things were far from easy. Because of their mature age, most adoption agencies weren’t willing to allow them to adopt. They insisted older parents wouldn’t be properly fit to raise children. They stayed hopeful and continued to apply, praying their dream would finally come true. However, with each application, the result was the same – all the rejections they received began to take an emotional toll on not only them but their relationship.
After various fights over the matter, they soon realized that their pursuit brought them more harm than good. So, they finally decided to call it quits, salvaging the beautiful relationship they’d built and accepting that children weren’t in the cards for them. While Eric seemed to have come to terms with a failed adoption, Claire, on the other hand, was having a tough time. Sometimes she would dream out loud about what it would be like to have a family. “You know, I noticed something today.
With the space we have in the backyard, we could easily fit a jungle gym and a swing in. Imagine having a little one out there playing until they had their fill. It wouldn’t take you too long to set it up too. We could even call a guy. Wouldn’t that be something?
Claire went on. One time, she would often go on about what it would be like if things weren’t the way they were. Eric tried to entertain Claire’s hopeful conversations, but they made him uncomfortable after a while because she clearly hadn’t accepted their situation. Nonetheless, he continued to support his wife. As time progressed, Claire noticed that her husband had become distant and strange towards her.
It was as if he was hiding something from her. Eric was never one to be attached to his phone; he could go hours without it. But Claire noticed that he’d started to take it everywhere with him. He’d suspiciously always place it down on its face when Claire was around so she couldn’t see any context of incoming calls. When Eric did receive calls, he was jittery, often insisting on taking them at a reasonable distance from his wife.
Claire began to worry that something was going wrong with their relationship. Fearing the worst, she even began to suspect her husband may be having an affair. She decided to investigate the matter and figure out for herself what was really going on. One day, Claire and Eric were having lunch when Eric received a mysterious call. He excused himself before stepping out of the house to answer, as usual.
Only this time, Claire followed him outside and eavesdropped on the situation. Eric took the call on the porch while Claire listened in from behind the front door. She couldn’t hear much, but she did pick up a single sentence said in excitement, which shook Claire to the core. “You’re going to be a father, Eric! Congratulations, future dad!
a female voice hit over the phone. “What? That’s amazing, Jill!” Eric responded in excitement. Claire couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
She stoically returned to the living room and sat on the couch. She couldn’t bring herself to listen to another second of that conversation. “How could Eric cheat on me? And was he lying about being infertile?” Claire thought.
Claire fell into a stupor, finding herself so caught up and shocked that she didn’t even notice Eric appearing before her. Eric saw Claire’s stoic glare and could instantly tell something was amiss. “Everything all right, love?” Eric asked, reaching for Claire’s shoulder to comfort her. “Don’t touch me, and don’t you dare call me that,” Claire barked, shoving his arm away.
“What’s wrong, Claire?” Eric asked, surprised. “What’s wrong? I just found out I married a liar and a cheat. You said you’re sterile, isn’t that so?
What are you talking about here, Eric? Don’t play dumb with me,” Claire said, getting up and rushing to the bedroom. “Where are you going?” Eric asked as Claire quickly packed a backpack with a few clothes. “I’m leaving you, Eric.
I heard you speaking to that woman, Jill, or whatever her name is. I don’t want anything to do with you,” Claire concluded, storming out of the house with her backpack. “Clear, please, I can explain,” Eric pleaded, but it was too late. Claire had already reversed the car out of the driveway and driven off. Eric tried to talk to Claire, but she would refuse each time and wouldn’t grant him access to her sister’s house where she was staying.
He tried texting and calling Claire, but she blocked his number entirely. He figured she was too mad to communicate, so Eric decided to give her some space and talk things through when she finally calmed down. A few days passed, and Eric finally received a knock at the door. He was over the moon, thinking Claire had finally come back home. However, when he got to the door, he got the shock of his life as a young man served him divorce papers.
Eric was completely distraught, but there was nothing he could do. His hands were tied. His only option was to wait until the meeting with the lawyers to finally get an opportunity to speak to Claire before he lost her for good. A few days later, it was time to meet with the lawyers. Eric walked into the room full of lawyers, but all he could see was his wife.
She seemed so down and tired, and this broke Eric’s heart. He wasn’t exactly sure what had brought them to this place, but he hated to see her sad. Eric immediately rushed over to Claire with documents in hand and melted down before her. “Sir, please take a seat at the table and give my client space,” one lawyer said. “Please, Claire, there’s no need for all of this.
I did it all for us. Please, just let me explain to you in private,” Eric begged, ignoring the lawyer’s objections. “Why? So you can tell me more lies?” Claire said, getting up and rushing to the bedroom.
“More lies that you and your girlfriend, Jill, cooked up?” Claire asked. “Jill isn’t my girlfriend. She’s an adoption agent,” Eric replied. “What? Claire asked, astonished. “You’re right. I did lie when I said the results came back, and I said I was infertile. It wasn’t true. You’re barren,” Eric said, handing her the document with the test results and adoption papers.
Claire went through them, utterly shocked, as Eric continued to explain. “I knew how much you wanted kids, so I couldn’t bring myself to tell you what the results said. I thought it would be better for you if you thought it was my fault. And regarding the adoption, I saw how hard you were taking it, even though we’d agreed to let it go. I knew you never would, so I kept looking for adoption agencies and finally found one that would give us a chance.
We’re gonna be parents, Claire. We’re gonna have a baby,” Eric said. Claire was in tears at this point as she saw the picture of the little boy in the adoption paper documents. She then looked at her husband with adoration. “To be parents,” she said softly.
“Yes, and we’ll set up the jungle gym and everything, just like you’ve always wanted,” Eric replied. “Oh, Eric, I love you. I’m so sorry,” she cried, hugging him tight. “I love you too. Sorry I lied,” Eric cried.
“We’re gonna have a baby!” Claire cheered in excitement. Claire called the divorce off and went home with her husband. That evening, they had a long conversation about everything that transpired, as well as finding their way forward. Eric admitted that he shouldn’t have kept the truth from Claire because they wouldn’t have had to go through all this drama, and Claire apologized to her husband for her temper.
They decided to go to the adoption agent together the next day to bring Claire up to date. A few days later, Eric and Claire arrived to pick up their child at the adoption shelter. Claire beamed with happiness and burst into tears when she first took the baby in her arms. Eric hugged her, and she didn’t miss the opportunity to once again apologize to Eric and sincerely thank him for making her the happiest woman alive.
