After six years working together as firefighters, my friends Ethan, Lucas, and I were all becoming fathers within months. Our children, however, arrived within 24 hours of each other at the same hospital. Our partners were in adjacent rooms, and we joked about how everything seemed perfectly in sync. But two hours later, Sophie, Lucas’s girlfriend, sent me a text asking to talk privately.

She confessed that months earlier, during a dangerous warehouse fire, she had lied to Lucas about the station delaying safety protocols. She had heard rumors that the captain covered up a timeline discrepancy, but hadn’t told Lucas to avoid causing him more stress, especially as she was pregnant. Sophie feared this secret would damage their relationship.