Chapter 4

At maternity triage, a nurse strapped on a monitor. The doctor confirmed I was in labor at thirty-five weeks and six days; our son might need extra observation after birth. His heartbeat flickered across the screen. “Is he okay right now?” “His heartbeat looks reassuring,” the doctor said. “We're going to keep a close eye on you both.” Maya arrived with my hospital bag, breathless, and took my hand. When a nurse asked whether to call Graham, I said yes. Despite everything, I still wanted him beside me when our son was born. He answered with music and voices behind him. “Ellie? I'm at the reception. Can I call you later?” “My water broke. I'm in labor. Our son is coming today.” “Wait—what? Wasn't your appointment at two?” “I didn't make it. I came here in an ambulance.” He moved somewhere quieter. A door closed, and for one foolish second, I hoped he'd left the reception. “Is Maya there?” he asked. “Yes. I need you, Graham.” “The directors are all here. The award is tonight. I can't disappear before my speech.” “Your son is being born.” “You have Maya and a whole medical team. You're safe. I'll come as soon as I finish.” “If you leave now, you can be here.” “I've worked eight years for this award.” “We've waited eight months for this baby.” “Elena, after everything with Tessa, it feels like you're asking me to prove I'll choose you over her. I can't let every argument decide what happens to my career.” Tessa called his name. He muffled the phone and told her he'd be right there. Another contraction tightened through me. “Our son deserves a father who shows up.” “Ellie, don't say that. I am showing up. Just not this second.” The pain hit before I could answer. My phone slid onto the blanket, and Maya caught it. “Do you want me to tell him to come?” she asked. I looked at the screen. Graham was still explaining something about contracts and sponsors. I'd heard enough. “Hang up.” I cried as Maya ended the call. I was frightened and in pain, furious that I had to beg my husband to attend his own son's birth. Maya pressed a cool cloth to my forehead and stayed beside me. Shortly before seven, a clip from the Calder Hotel gala appeared on my phone. Graham stood beneath the stage lights, holding his award. “The first person I want to thank is someone who believed in me from the beginning.” I knew the words. I'd helped write the speech. Years ago, he'd promised those words to me. “Tessa,” he said, smiling at the front row. “I wouldn't be standing here without you.” The room applauded. Tessa rose in her silver dress, one hand pressed to her chest. I turned the phone facedown. At 7:26 p.m., our son was born. A thin cap of brown hair lay damp against his head. His fingers curled around mine as the team checked him. The nurse told me his first checks were reassuring. Maya kissed my forehead. “He's here.” My phone hadn't rung again. When we were settled, Maya brought the divorce petition we'd discussed. Her colleague, divorce attorney Dana Mercer, would handle filing and formal service. I signed the required pages, and Maya promised to deliver the filing set to Dana in the morning. On hospital stationery, I wrote Graham a note. Our son was born at 7:26 tonight. He's safe. You knew I was in labor, Graham, and you still chose your award over your own child. I placed my note beside the birth card and a signed photocopy of the petition. Dana would receive the filing set in the morning; this copy was for Graham. “Will you take these to the house?” I asked Maya. “Put them on the kitchen table where he'll see them when he comes home.” Maya studied my face. “You want him to find them himself?” “I want him to see what he chose to miss.” After Maya left the hospital, I opened the home-security app. We'd installed cameras at the front entry and in the kitchen after a break-in scare the previous winter. The entry feed showed the empty doorstep; the kitchen feed showed Maya placing the birth card, my note, and a signed photocopy of the petition on the table. She checked their position, then let herself out and locked the door. The house stayed empty. At 10:30 p.m., the entry camera caught Graham and Tessa coming up the walk. Graham wore his gala suit, his award tucked under one arm and a bottle of wine in his hand. Tessa followed in her silver dress, carrying a white cake box tied with gold ribbon. They were laughing before they reached the steps. Tessa glanced at him as they reached the steps. “Did you call the hospital?” Graham adjusted the wine bottle in his hand. “Maya's with her. If anything had changed, she'd have called.” “You could still check.” “And let Elena turn this into another test of whether I'll choose her over you? She knows how important tonight was. I'm not going to let every argument decide for me.” Tessa lowered her eyes toward the cake box. “I never wanted to come between you.” “You didn't.” The entry camera's microphone caught Graham as he shifted the wine bottle and smiled at her. “No more speeches. No more people asking me for things. Tonight, it's just the two of us celebrating.” Tessa smiled and lifted the cake box. “You deserve one night that's yours.” He reached for the handle. The front door opened.