The Child He Chose

On my birthday, I went to the hospital hoping for a baby. Instead, I found my husband—the man who swore he never wanted children—cradling his pregnant mistress. He thought I was the one who couldn't give him a child. He forgot I was the one holding his medical reports.

...

"Ethan?"

I stopped cold when I saw Ethan outside the obstetrics department with another woman.

Ethan and I had been married for seven years. We had no children.

My best friend, Selena, had recommended this hospital because its obstetrics department had an excellent reputation. I had come for a consultation because I had finally decided I wanted a baby.

Instead, at the department entrance, I saw something I would never forget.

Ethan smiled as he steadied the woman, whose belly was just beginning to show.

She could not have been far along, yet Ethan held her with exaggerated care.

He rested a hand on her belly as though he could already feel the life inside.

"Honey, hang on to this paperwork. You’ll need it for the next checkup."

Ethan looked every inch the delighted father-to-be. "Hey, slow down..."

She looked barely into her twenties. I did not think she was prettier than I was, but youth made her seem bright and carefree.

"Honey, the baby just kicked me."

"Sweetheart, it's way too early for him to kick. Be careful..."

Every word lodged beneath my ribs.

An invisible wall rose between Ethan and me.

He and the woman were a new, loving couple, and I was just a stranger.

My hand shook as I called him.

He was so absorbed in her that he did not check his phone until it had rung several times.

He stared at the name on the screen for a second, then declined the call.

"It's okay. A business call. Let's go."

I nearly collapsed as I watched them leave.

You promised me you never wanted children, Ethan.

That was your choice.

So why did you look so happy now?

"What a jerk! I'll go teach them a lesson!"

Selena, who had come with me, started after them, but I caught her arm.

"Never mind."

Selena shook off my hand, anger and heartache in her eyes.

"Claire, how much longer are you going to put up with him?"

Yeah, how long?

When would it end? Was it the day I stopped loving him?

I barely remembered getting home. All I could feel was cold.

I called Ethan numerous times, and he declined every call.

Then he turned his phone off.

It was my birthday today. Had Ethan forgotten?

Once he cupped my face, his eyes full of love.

He said that my birthday was the greatest day in the world.

Now, to Ethan, this wasn't my birthday. It was the day of that woman's prenatal appointment.

I sank to the floor and cried until I could barely breathe.

Wiping my red, swollen eyes, I got up and walked to the kitchen to cook myself a simple meal.

Looking at the food on the table, I had no appetite. This was my first birthday without Ethan.

Maybe they knew each other before my last birthday?

When did they get together? It looked like they had been together for a couple of months.

I felt sick imagining Ethan sleeping with that woman and then coming home to kiss me.

I forced down a few bites and was washing the dishes when the front door opened.

There was a rustle behind me. Ethan's hands encircled my waist from behind.

"Honey, why didn't you wait for me?"

He smelled of baby soap, the same scent that had clung to the woman at the hospital. My stomach turned.

This time, I pushed him away at once.

"Why didn't you answer your phone?"

Ethan put on a puzzled expression and pulled out his phone.

"I had a busy day. And my phone died."

I sneered. "What a coincidence. You were busy on my birthday."

Something flickered in Ethan's eyes, gone almost at once.

With a flourish, he produced an elegant jewelry box from behind his back.

"Happy birthday, honey!

"Babe, did you really think I forgot your birthday? How could I?"

Instead of looking surprised, I took the jewelry box in silence.

I lifted the lid and smiled.

Inside the box lay a gold bracelet.

It looked familiar. It reminded me of that woman next to Ethan at the hospital.