Derek let out a long sigh. "She hasn't even finished her postpartum recovery yet. I'm not about to file now and have everyone pointing fingers at me."
"Last time you 'accidentally' left that condom wrapper out in the open, I didn't make a fuss about it, did I?"
"Baby, just be patient."
Adela gave a soft hum of displeasure. "I can wait. The baby in my belly can't."
My mind went blank—like a bomb had gone off inside my skull.
They...
They were having a baby?
"If you don't hurry up and deal with this, I'm booking an abortion tomorrow!"
Derek panicked instantly, scrambling to soothe her, coaxing and pleading for what felt like forever.
The two of them stayed tangled together inside the bathroom stall. Through the gap in the door drifted the unmistakable sounds of intimacy.
I stood there and listened to every last second of it.
By the end, all that remained was a hollow desolation that stretched through my entire chest.
At the entrance, Irvin Swanson walked over.
"Don't stand in the wind. You'll catch a cold."
He draped his jacket over my shoulders. "The apartment's been sold. The custody registration you asked about is done too."
"Are you going to divorce him?"
I sniffed and tucked the loose strands of hair behind my ears.
"Yes. But not yet."
I hailed a cab and left the venue. When I got back to the postnatal care center, I packed everything and checked out.
Derek dropped Adela off at her place but didn't go upstairs.
"I should head back to the center and check in."
Adela pouted, pretending to be upset, but she had no choice except to let him go.
Derek grabbed some supplements and a bag of baby clothes and headed upstairs. The moment he opened the door, the room was empty.
His stomach dropped.
He seized the nearest staff member. "Where are they? I booked a two-month stay—where's my wife?"
The woman flinched at his tone, stammering, "Ms. Henson said... she said she was going home to recover. Then she packed up and left. You didn't know?"
Derek's brow furrowed. He reached for his phone to call me—but before he could dial, an incoming call flashed across the screen.
Adela.
Her voice was thick with tears.
"Derek!"
"Get over here—now."
