Must every woman’s story end in pregnancy?

I was reading a really good book the other day, "The Chocolate Villa" by Maria Nikolai. It was about a woman with ambition. A woman who grew up fascinated by her father’s chocolate factory, full of smart ideas and a hunger to build something.

And then, of course… she has sex one time and gets pregnant.

Because that’s what happens. Not just in "Chocolate Villa". Also in "Sophia's Hope" by Corina Bomann. And "Counting Heartbeats" by Katarina Widholm. And just about every story I’ve read lately that features a “strong female lead.”

It’s like the only adversity a woman can face ... the only true, meaningful turning point ... is getting pregnant.

Is that all we’ve got?

I’m not even mad at the storylines. They’re well written. They shine a light on a real hypocrisy: Men get to make mistakes and move on. Women get shamed. Ostracized. Called immoral. Especially in historical settings, the consequences are brutally unequal.

But still.

I can’t help but ask:

Is this the only story we’re allowed to tell?

Where are the stories of women facing other challenges?

• Of women navigating the brutal business world?

• Of climbing the ladder in a system not built for them?

• Of creative women being dismissed, underestimated, or pushed aside?

• Of struggling with chronic illness? With loss? With burnout? With friendship?Anything other than… a man, a night, and an accidental pregnancy?

We deserve broader narratives

What frustrates me most is how predictable it’s become.

Strong woman. Complicated man. Chemistry. One night. And boom ... pregnancy.

It’s so predictable that in other books, like Fourth Wing, when a woman simply feels nauseous, entire fan forums shout, “Pregnancy! Here we go again!”

But she wasn’t.

She was just… sick.

Chronically ill.

As her character has been from the start.

We’re so conditioned to expect it that we can’t imagine any other reason a female character might throw up. That says a lot, doesn’t it?

What I want

I want a story where a woman is smart enough to enjoy herself. Without consequences being the point of the plot.

I want sex without a morality lesson. Strength without punishment. Pleasure without a price.

I want a woman who doesn’t fall for the trap. Who lays the trap. Who leads the dance. And then goes on with her actual story.

We don’t all need redemption arcs that start with shame. We don’t all need baby bumps to qualify as complete.

Because we are more

We are more than wombs and warnings. We are more than vessels for adversity in the shape of regret. We’re complex, powerful, brilliant ... and sometimes messy, yes. But not always in the ways the books keep insisting on.

So please:

Give me a woman who stays sharp.

Give me a story that doesn’t end in nausea and consequence.

Give me something different.

I’m ready.