At 34 weeks pregnant, I was sound asleep when my husband suddenly woke me up in the middle of the night, shouting my name. My heart raced as I leapt out of bed, terrified something was wrong. But when I reached the living room, I was met with laughter.

My husband, Daniel, and his friends had staged a prank — he had yelled “Fire!” just to scare me.This wasn’t just a silly joke to me. When I was a teenager, my family’s home caught fire. We escaped safely, but the memory of smoke and sirens has stayed with me ever since. Because of that, I’m very cautious now — always double-checking locks, outlets, and appliances before bed. Daniel knew this about me, yet he chose to play with my deepest fear.

I broke down crying, shaken and hurt. Daniel apologized, but the damage was done. That night, I called my dad, who came right away and took me home. He reminded me that I deserve to feel safe, especially while expecting a baby.The next morning, with a heavy heart,

I decided to leave Daniel. I realized that if he couldn’t respect my feelings or protect our family’s peace, I needed to take a stand for myself and my child.Daniel has been reaching out nonstop with apologies and promises to change, but I know this is the right choice for me and my baby. Some lines, once crossed, can’t be ignored.