"Get Out of Bed!" My Mother-in-Law Screamed. She Thought I Was Lazy... Until She Opened the Curtains and Broke Down in Tears.

Chapter 2 – The Secret Inside the Envelope

Daniel burst into the bedroom just as Carol finished opening the envelope.

Inside was a handwritten letter.

The date at the top stopped her cold.

It had been written three days before the wedding.

My dearest Daniel,

If you're reading this, it means someone found the truth before I had the courage to tell you.

The doctors discovered that my anemia isn't temporary. It's caused by a rare bone marrow disease. Without an urgent transplant, I may not survive another year.

Carol covered her mouth.

Daniel took the letter with trembling hands.

His eyes raced across the page.

I wanted to cancel our wedding.

Not because I stopped loving you...

Because I couldn't bear the thought of making you a widower.

Tears rolled down his face.

The letter continued.

Your mother has already sacrificed so much for this family. I didn't want her spending her retirement taking care of a sick daughter-in-law.

Daniel dropped to his knees beside the bed.

"Sophie..."

For the first time, Carol realized why Sophie had looked exhausted during every wedding photograph.

She hadn't been tired.

She had been dying.

The ambulance arrived minutes later.

Doctors rushed Sophie into the emergency room.

Outside the operating theater, Daniel blamed himself.

"I kept asking why you looked so pale..."

His voice broke.

"And you kept telling me you were just nervous."

Carol wrapped her arms around her son.

"I judged her..."

She whispered.

"I never even asked if she was okay."

Neither of them noticed the physician walking toward them.

His expression was serious.

"We've stabilized her..."

He paused.

"But there's another complication."

Daniel's heart nearly stopped.

"What complication?"

The doctor handed him another test report.

"Sophie is pregnant."

Silence filled the hallway.