Chapter 5

I answered Ethan's fifth call.

"Where did you take Noah?" His voice was urgent and hoarse. "What do the ring and those papers mean?"

"They mean I filed for divorce."

Silence held for two seconds. Then he gave a short laugh, as if the words made no sense to him.

"Over one Christmas breakfast?"

I looked at the portable crib. Noah was sleeping restlessly, the emergency-room bracelet still circling his tiny wrist.

"The doctor wants his temperature checked every four hours tonight. You have two choices. You can come here and learn how to care for him, or you can…