One Night, Two Dads

urniture, even the quiet hum of the air conditioner grated on my nerves. I stared at m

could lose myself and forget about the disaster my pers

in a funk for weeks now-ever since the divorce was finalized. It was official. Elena w

was

one to blam

expression hard. She didn't cry, not once. That had hurt more t

my thoughts. I welcomed the distraction. Anythi

ication, and the subje

ns on Your Up

my eyes scanning the words faster

Mr.

ner's pregnancy. We look forward to assisting you

e a freight train. M

words might change. But they didn't. The emai

Some kind of administrative error. But the hospital's name was there,

was pr

d over me like a wave,

it was right before the divorce was finalized. That night, we'd both been angry,

gh? Could that night ha

length of my office. My though

told me? Did she think I didn't de

w. I had betrayed her, broken our vows, destroyed the life we'd

baby wa

y desk, staring down at the closed laptop.

me, a painful reminder of everything I'd lost. My thumb hovered over the call b

l saying you're pre

would go

with a thousand questions. If the baby was

ght hit me, one that

it was

moved on? Found someone else? The timing didn't make

hut, the sound reverbe

s from me," I mutte

. I didn't have a plan, didn't know where I was

the email over and over in my head. When the doors finally opened, I stepped out into

a slap, but it did little to clear my mind.

ant to talk to me? What

the last. But one thing was clear: I couldn't let this

driver her address before

. This wasn't how I'd imagined things would be. I'd always wanted kids, but not like

even the smallest chance,

termination settling ov

this slip through my f