He Left Me in Labor to Help His Ex

My due date was almost here, and my husband Ethan was driving me to the hospital.

But halfway there, Ethan suddenly slammed on the brakes.

I followed his gaze and saw Chloe.

His ex-girlfriend.

She was standing in the pouring rain, lugging two heavy shopping bags, struggling to hold a carton of milk in her arms. Her three-year-old son clung to her coat, trailing beside her.

"Wait here for a minute," Ethan said, unbuckling his seatbelt. "I need to help her out."

Ever since Chloe's divorce, whenever a lightbulb went out, she called Ethan. If her pipes leaked, she called Ethan. Even when her kid needed help with a kindergarten craft project, she called Ethan.

And every single time, he showed up.

"Ethan!" I stared at him in disbelief. "We're on our way to the hospital to have our baby! I'm in pain right now!"

"I know, but Chloe's out here in this storm, carrying all that stuff and looking after her kid. She can't possibly get it all upstairs herself. I can't just pretend I didn't see her, can I? It'll take ten minutes, tops."

"Isn't there anyone else? She lives here, she could take her kid up first, come back down for the bags, or ask a neighbor for help. Why does it have to be you?"

Ethan finally turned to me, disappointment written all over his face. "Sarah, she's a single mom. You're about to be a mother yourself—can't you have a little empathy?"

Before I could reply, there was a gentle tap on the car window.

Chloe had walked over at some point. "Ethan, thank goodness. Can you give me a hand? Oh—Sarah, you're here too? Are you guys headed to the hospital? I'm so sorry, if I'd known it was urgent, I wouldn't have bothered you."

She shifted the milk in her arms, exposing a wrist marked red from the strain. "Ethan, you should take Sarah to the hospital."

"It's fine, I'll help you. It'll be quick." Ethan stepped out, glanced back at me. "Stay in the car and wait for me."

Click. The central lock engaged.

Chloe waved at me, took her child's hand, and naturally handed the heaviest box to Ethan.

The two of them, plus the little boy, clustered around Ethan, disappearing into the shadowy stairwell.

The world went quiet, except for the dull thud of raindrops on the roof.

A sharp pain seized my belly, and a sudden warm gush soaked my lower body.

Hands shaking, I fumbled for my phone and dialed Ethan.

"Ethan! Help! My water just broke!" I sobbed into the receiver. "Come back! I'm in so much pain right now!"

Chloe's voice came through the phone. "Sarah, relax. From the way you're yelling, you're nowhere near delivery. When it's really time, you won't even be able to talk."

"Shut up! Give the phone to Ethan!" I screamed.

"Calm down, Sarah." Chloe's voice softened. "Pregnancy hormones can make your emotions run wild."

"Sarah," Ethan's voice was strained, barely holding back anger. "I don't know what you're freaking out about. I told you, I'm just helping her carry some stuff upstairs. I'll be back in ten minutes."

"I'm not lying—my water really broke..."

The call ended abruptly.

I dialed Ethan again. No answer. Again. Phone off.

"Ah—" A wave of pain tore through me and I cried out.

I couldn't die here. My baby couldn't die here.

Sweat-drenched and trembling, I called 911, sobbing as I explained my situation.

They told me to get out of the car, but Ethan had locked it.

Wait—the trunk had an emergency release...

Fighting the agony that felt like it was ripping me apart, I unbuckled my seatbelt and painfully crawled toward the back.

Every movement sent electric shocks through my abdomen.

Amniotic fluid soaked my pants, cold and sticky.

"Where is it... where..." I frantically searched in the darkness, fingers sliced by the toolbox, until I finally found a pull handle.

Bang!

The trunk popped open a crack.

I tumbled out, landing hard in the muddy puddle outside.

Cold rain mixed with warm, salty amniotic fluid, streaming down my legs and staining the water beneath me.

Just before everything went dark, I thought I heard the urgent wail of an ambulance.

......

"Where's your family?" A nurse fitted an oxygen mask over my face, shouting anxiously. "Ma'am, we need to contact your husband right away! What's his number?"

Hands shaking, I unlocked my phone, but the number I dialed went unanswered.

Then a social media notification popped up.

It was a snap from Chloe.

Without thinking, I tapped it.

On screen, a short video played: Ethan sat on the couch, looking relaxed, while Chloe stood behind him, gently toweling off his wet hair.

Chloe's teasing laughter filled the video. "What a fool, getting soaked just to help me. Good thing I'm here."

A crushing grief washed over me, leaving me breathless.

I gave up trying to reach him.

And I gave up our marriage, too.

"No family..." I sobbed, shaking my head, tears running into my damp hair, voice hoarse and broken. "I'll sign for myself."