He Wanted Us to Go Dutch While I Carried His Child

Synopsis

"Starting tomorrow, we split everything fifty-fifty," David said, tapping his fork against the rim of his plate. The clink rang out sharp and jarring in the quiet of the dining room. Charlotte Lane, seven months pregnant, stopped with her fork halfway to her mouth. She looked up at David Clark, her husband of three years. Karen Clark, David's mother, set a piece of roast chicken onto David's plate without a word. Frank Clark, David's father, kept his head down and cut another piece of steak, chewing in silence. Charlotte heard her own voice ask, "What do you mean, fifty-fifty?" "All of it. The mortgage, the bills, the groceries, everything. We split it right down the middle," David said, as if he were explaining something perfectly reasonable. "You have not been working these past few months because of the pregnancy, so it is time to start using your savings to cover your share." Charlotte felt her belly tighten. She set down her fork and pressed a hand to the side of her stomach. The baby kicked. "I am seven months pregnant," she said. "So? It is not as though I forced you to have this baby," David muttered, still cutting his food. "Besides, the child belongs to both of us, so why should I be the only one paying for everything?" Charlotte looked at her in-laws. Karen kept her head down and took a slow sip of her wine. Frank wiped a crumb from the edge of the table and said nothing at all.