The Child Between Worlds

My body went rigid.

Was it a coincidence?

I stared at Vivian.

During our five years of marriage, she had always been a composed, reserved university professor. She never talked this much, and she certainly never wore such an eager, almost fawning expression.

Her explanation matched the advice in the post almost word for word.

The blood rushed to my head.

My voice shook when I finally spoke. "Vivian, if you found him abandoned, shouldn't we call the police and child protective services first?"

Vivian looked down and teased the baby in her arms. When she raised her head, her eyes were damp.

"I already reported it. The police said finding his parents would probably be difficult. When I held him, he suddenly smiled at me.

"In that moment, I thought maybe he was a gift sent to us because we have been alone for so long."

Her voice was gentle and emotional.

The tenderness in her expression left me cold to the fingertips.

Years earlier, an injury had left me permanently infertile.

When guilt drove me to suggest divorce, Vivian became furious. She insisted she didn't even like children and wanted the two of us to remain child-free forever.

For five years, she kept that promise and never placed any pressure on me.

She even defended me whenever our relatives demanded grandchildren.

I had never doubted Vivian's love, which was why I still didn't want to believe she had betrayed me.

After two seconds of silence, I stepped closer and examined the child.

"He looks barely a month old. Are you certain you found him?"

Vivian's gaze didn't waver.

"Absolutely. Aaron, look how calm he is. He hasn't cried once. Can we keep him and apply to adopt him?"

My heart sank.

Had Vivian written that post?

Cold spread through me, but I pretended to hesitate.

"You always said you hated noisy children. You wanted our life to be just the two of us."

Vivian smiled softly. "People change.

"I had never met a child who felt meant for me. The moment I saw him, my heart melted.

"Don't you feel a connection too? Even his eyes look like mine."

Vivian was obviously trying hard to persuade me.

But when she lowered her head and kissed the baby's forehead, the fierce love in her eyes was unmistakably that of a mother.

None of it was false.

I understood then.

Vivian mistook my silence for uncertainty and hurried to continue. "I know this is sudden, but think about it. We have always wanted a child.

"It's difficult to adopt when you know nothing about a child's background, but an abandoned newborn is a blank page. If we raise him from infancy, what difference would there be from our own child?"

What difference would there be from her own child?

For Vivian, none at all.

Because this baby was hers.

I suppressed the urge to throw the phone in her face and forced a stiff smile.

"It's your call. If you feel that connected to him, then we'll raise him."

Vivian brightened and wrapped one arm around me. "Aaron, you're wonderful. I promise I'll love you even more. The three of us will build a happy life together."

Her embrace was warm, but a chill moved through my chest.

"I'll go make him a bottle. I picked some formula up at the store downstairs."

She handed me the baby and went into the kitchen.

I looked down at the infant in my arms.

He was beautiful, and the shape of his eyes faintly resembled Vivian's.

With a bitter laugh, I loosened the blanket. The baby kicked his legs.

A vivid red birthmark appeared high on the inside of his thigh.

I stopped breathing.

I had an identical birthmark in the exact same place.

What was happening?