She was eight months pregnant with our sixth child when my husband packed up and said, “I need a few days alone.” Then he disappeared. When our baby was finally born, I received something that revealed what he had been planning all that time

She was eight months pregnant with our sixth child when my husband, Daniel, walked into our bedroom, took a suitcase out of the closet and started putting his things away.

At first I thought an unexpected work trip had emerged.

Then he said quietly:

“Emily, I need a few days alone.”

I stared at it.

“Alone? Daniel, I’m eight months pregnant. We’ve got five kids downstairs. How can you leave me like this?”

He didn’t want to look at me.

That scared me more than his words.

“Is there another woman?”

“No.”

“You want to leave me?”

“No.”

“Then tell me what’s going on.”

Daniel stopped packing.