I kept my voice light. Almost cheerful.
“Hey,” I said. “Just checking. The reveal box is ready for Saturday, right?”
After I hung up, I cried once.
Harper didn’t even hesitate. “Yep! All set. You’re going to freak out.”
I smiled so hard my cheeks hurt.
“You always take care of me,” I said.
A tiny pause.
“Of course,” she said. “I’m your sister.”
After I hung up, I cried once. Ugly and fast, like my body needed to dump the poison.
“I need a reveal box filled with balloons.”
Then I wiped my face and got practical.
I called a party supply shop across town.
A woman answered, chipper. “Hi! How can I help?”
“I need a reveal box filled with balloons,” I said. “Not pink or blue.”
“Okay,” she said. “What colors?”
“Black.”
“And I need a word printed on every balloon.”
Silence.
Then, gently: “Black?”
“Yes,” I said. “And I need a word printed on every balloon.”
“What word?”
“CHEATER.”
Her voice dropped into that tone women use when we recognize a shared enemy.
“If we’re doing this, we’re doing it right.”
“Got it,” she said. “Do you want matte or shiny?”
I blinked. Even in grief, I appreciated professionalism.
“Shiny,” I said. “If we’re doing this, we’re doing it right.”
A small laugh on her end. “How many?”
“Enough to be… obvious.”
“And confetti?” she asked.
I brought an envelope to the shop later that day.
“Black,” I said. “Broken hearts if you have them.”
“We do,” she said. “Pickup tomorrow.”
I brought an envelope to the shop later that day.
Inside: printed screenshots. Names visible. Dates visible. No wiggle room.
The woman didn’t ask questions. She just nodded and slid it into the box like she was sealing a curse.
“Some men,” she muttered.
Friday night, Harper came over to “help decorate.”
“Some sisters,” I said.
She looked me dead in the eye. “Honey, make it count.”
Friday night, Harper came over to “help decorate.”
She hugged me. Too tight.
“You look so cute,” she said, staring at my stomach.
“Thanks,” I said. “I feel like a tired whale.”
Blake walked into the room, and Harper’s whole body shifted.
She laughed. “Blake must be so excited.”
Blake walked into the room, and Harper’s whole body shifted. Softened. Like she was leaning toward him without moving her feet.
Blake said, “Hey, Harp.”
The way he said it made my skin crawl. Familiar. Intimate.
Harper smiled. “Hey.”
I kept my voice bright. “Can you both hang lanterns on the fence?”
I packed a small overnight bag and left it in my trunk.
They moved together like a practiced team.
I watched from the kitchen window for exactly 10 seconds.
Then I went to the garage and swapped the reveal box.
I also did one more thing, quietly.
I packed a small overnight bag and left it in my trunk.
Because pregnant or not, I refuse to be trapped in a house with a man who thinks I’m stupid.
Blake was working the crowd like he was running for office.
Saturday arrived bright and cold. The kind of day where the sun looks pretty but the air bites.
By two p.m., the backyard was full.
Family. Friends. Cameras. Loud laughs.
Blake was working the crowd like he was running for office.
“I’m going to be a dad!” “Can you believe it?” “Rowan’s doing amazing.”
People congratulated him.
“I’m so proud of you.”
He soaked it up.
His mom hugged me and whispered, “I’m so proud of you.”
I almost broke right there. Her kindness felt like salt on a wound.
Then Harper arrived in a soft blue dress, carrying pastel cookies like she was the Innocence Fairy.
She hugged me and whispered, “I’m so excited.”
I whispered back, “Me too.”
Everyone gathered around the big white box.
Her hands were freezing.
My aunt leaned in and said, “Harper’s been so helpful. You’re lucky to have her.”
I nodded and bit my tongue so hard I tasted blood.
Everyone gathered around the big white box.
Phones went up.
My uncle shouted, “Let’s go!”
Blake slid his arm around my waist, beaming for the cameras.
Someone’s kid screamed, “PINK! I want a girl cousin!”
Harper stood a little too close to Blake’s side, smiling like she owned him.
Blake slid his arm around my waist, beaming for the cameras.
“Ready, sweetheart?” he murmured.
I looked up at him and smiled. “More than you know.”
Someone started the countdown.
Black balloons surged up like a dark wave.
“Three! Two! One!”
We lifted the lid.