Even though my marriage had ended and left me broken, I had found a way to start over.
My wife Alicia got a stomach bug, which set off the whole thing. Rocky, our loyal Labrador, became her steady friend and wouldn’t leave her side. Even after she got better, Rocky became even more needy, which confused us.
We looked for answers because we were worried, but all we found was a shocking truth that would change our lives forever. Things were not right with Rocky because of the way he was acting.
A woman I met at the vet’s office gave me a clue about a possible reason: dogs can tell when someone is pregnant. We chose to take a pregnancy test after giving each other a hopeful look.
Even though the outcome was good, I still had doubts. We were careful, but the timing didn’t make sense. Something felt wrong, and I couldn’t shake it.
I asked Alicia if we could do a DNA test one bad night. It was reasonable that she was upset, but I needed to know for sure. It was very painful to wait for the findings.
When the envelope came, I paused because I was afraid of what it said. The room was filled with Alicia’s tears and my own worry. There was only one clear line on the page: “Probability of paternity: 0%.” Every other word was fuzzy.
Our world fell apart. When Alicia admitted to having an affair, it broke my trust in her. I couldn’t stay with someone who lied to me all the time.
Deciding to get a divorce was very hard, but it had to be done. I felt a mix of sadness and relief as I packed my things.
Rocky stayed loyal because he could tell how I felt. She couldn’t take care of him by herself, so I took him with me, thankful for his company.
Rocky put me in touch with Courtney, a nice woman with a big smile, one afternoon at the park. We swapped numbers, and I felt hope come back to me.
I thought about the past while sitting on my porch. I realized that losing someone had led to a new start. Rocky, my security dog, was lying next to me, a sign that life still had hope.
I thought that maybe things wouldn’t be so bad after all. With Rocky’s steadfast support and fresh starts ahead, I saw a glimmer of hope and a chance to start over and find myself again.
