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.