At least, not entirely.
I cried because suddenly I understood how much of my life I had spent trying to convince adults to love me correctly.
My daughter had been alive for seconds.
And loving her required no negotiation.
“What are we calling her?” the nurse asked.
Daniel and I had never agreed.
He liked trendy names.
I wanted Clara, after my grandmother.
So I looked down at my daughter.
“Clara Rose.”
The nurse smiled.
“Clara Rose Bennett?”
I hesitated.
Then nodded.
“Yes.”
My maiden name.
Something about saying it felt like returning home.
Daniel did not call during labor.
He did not call after she was born.
He arrived the following afternoon.
But he did not arrive alone.
The door opened.
Daniel entered wearing a navy blazer.
Behind him walked a blonde woman in a cream suit.
Expensive shoes.
Perfect makeup.
And a diamond ring on her left hand.
My eyes went directly to it.
Daniel noticed.
That was exactly what he wanted.
“Rebecca.”
I said nothing.
The woman stepped beside him.
“This is Lauren.”
So this was Lauren Cross.
The CFO.
Daniel placed his hand around her waist.
I looked at his hand.
Then at her.
Then at Clara sleeping beside me.
“You couldn’t wait forty-eight hours?”
Daniel sighed.
“Don’t make this ugly.”
I almost laughed.
“You threw your wife onto the street while she was in labor.”
Lauren shifted.
Her expression changed slightly.
Apparently, Daniel had skipped that part.
He continued.
“Lauren and I have been seeing each other.”
“How long?”
“That doesn’t matter.”
“It usually matters to the wife.”
Lauren spoke.
“Rebecca, Daniel told me the marriage had been over for months.”
I looked at her.
“Did he also tell you our daughter was born yesterday?”
Her eyes moved toward Clara.
“Yes.”
“And you still thought this was an appropriate time for a jewelry demonstration?”
Her cheeks reddened.
Daniel stepped forward.
“Enough.”
“No. You’re right.”
I leaned back against the pillows.
“Please continue. I’m fascinated by your timing.”
Daniel clenched his jaw.
“We came because there are practical things to discuss.”
“Our newborn?”
“The house.”
There it was.
“The house.”
“You’ll need to arrange a time to collect your belongings.”
I stared at him.
“You threw me out of my own home yesterday.”
“Our home.”
“Interesting time to rediscover the word ‘our.’”
Daniel’s expression hardened.
“I don’t want a fight.”
