But I had already decided one thing.
“I’m not going home with him.”
Dr. Sato nodded.
“Good.”
The word surprised me.
Good.
Not Are you sure?
Not But he is your husband.
Good.
Eli cleared his throat softly. “Claire, I can leave if this is private.”
I looked at him.
He had stayed through blood, panic, accusation, and humiliation, yet still offered to step away the moment privacy mattered.
Ryan had never understood that presence was not ownership.
“You can stay,” I said. “If you want.”
“I’ll stay.”
Again, no hesitation.
No performance.
Just that.
The next twenty-four hours passed in fragments.
Lily nursing badly, then better.
Nurses pressing on my abdomen while I clenched my teeth.
Eli sleeping in a chair for forty minutes and waking instantly when Lily coughed.
Maribel returning with forms and resources.
Ryan calling repeatedly until Dana helped me silence my phone.
My brother, Daniel, arriving from Milwaukee in the middle of the night with red eyes, a duffel bag, and enough anger to heat the room.
