When I became pregnant for the first time at 29, I experienced all the emotions of a mother: excitement, anxiety, and joy. For nine months, I was in love with my husband and family, but I couldn’t stop long sleepless nights, remembering a man from my past. That man was Arjun, my first love, who lasted five years but ended just as quickly with a farewell message. He left my life without any reason, leaving a painful void in my heart.

It took me years to recover, and then I opened my heart to accept the love of my current husband, Rohit. But deep within me, the question, “Why did you leave that day?” still lingered like a sharp needle that could never be removed.

The day I went to the hospital to give birth in Mumbai, it was raining heavily. The contractions left me exhausted, in pain, and scared. I held Rohit’s hand tightly, but my vision was blurred by sweat and tears. As the nurse was carrying the stretcher into the delivery room, I saw a familiar face in the hallway. My heart skipped a beat. It was Arjun. After so many years, in this crucial moment of life and death, I met him again.

He was wearing a white blouse, with the busy face of a doctor on duty. I thought I was hallucinating because of the pain, but when his eyes fell on me, shock and confusion were evident. He quickly bowed, then walked with the team into the delivery room. Only then did I understand: fate had prepared me to face the truth that had been hidden for so many years.

The pain was becoming more intense. Amidst the hum of the monitor and the midwife’s pleading voice, I heard Arjun whisper:

– Be patient, you can do it.

Just a short sentence, but it felt like I was reminded of old times. He held my hand during an important test and said, “You can do it.” Tears welled up in my eyes, both from pain and from the past.

Finally, my baby girl cried for the first time. When she was placed on my chest, I saw Arjun silently wiping the sweat from his forehead, his eyes shining with joy and indescribable sadness.

After the birth, I was resting. When Rohit and his family went out to finish the paperwork, Arjun came to me in a trembling voice:

– I have an explanation to give you.

I remained silent, just staring at him. For years, I had been waiting for this sentence. He told me that that day, just before he proposed to me, he learned that his mother was seriously ill. To raise money for her treatment, he was forced into an arranged marriage with the daughter of a wealthy family in Delhi, who could help his family overcome their difficulties. She decided to go quietly because she was afraid that if she explained it to me, I wouldn’t let her go.

– I know I’m a coward. But at the time, I thought that if you hated me, forgetting would be easier than waiting. – Arjun said with tears in his eyes.

I listened, and my eyes filled with tears. For years, I blamed her for being heartless, but it turned out there was a family tragedy behind it. I looked at my daughter sleeping soundly in her crib, and a strange feeling welled up in my heart. I thought that if I met her again, I would scold her, cry loudly, and be satisfied by asking, “Why?” But now, standing on the brink of life and death, after giving birth to a little life, I suddenly found myself strong enough to forgive.
– You don’t owe me anything anymore. I have a family, I have happiness. I just hope you can be at peace too. I said softly.

Arjun smiled sadly and nodded. We didn’t need to say anything else, because the past ended at that very moment.

Now, when my daughter is over a year old, I still remember that birth vividly. It was not only the moment I became a mother, but also the moment I truly matured: learning to cope, to forgive, to cherish the present.

I understand that the life of a pregnant woman, a mother, doesn’t just revolve around the joy of welcoming a child, but is also a journey that touches many levels of emotions – sometimes the pain of the past, sometimes the anguish of the present. But the child growing in my womb gave me the strength to overcome everything.

The unexpected reunion with Arjun taught me that some love stories are not stopped by falling in love, but by fate. The important thing is not to blame, but to learn how to let go, find peace in my heart, and move on.

Today, as I hold my baby in my arms, I silently thank fate. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to meet him again, to understand the truth, and to complete an unfinished chapter. And thank you for giving me a perfect home, where I learned what simple yet profound happiness is.