Chapter 2

The doctor did not release me until one in the morning, after the contractions slowed and my cervix showed no further change.

The contractions had slowed, but my blood pressure was still high.

My discharge instructions said I had to return on Friday.

Until then, I was not to drive myself, and someone should stay with me whenever possible.

Daniel did not come to pick me up.

Mom drove me home, then slept in the guest room so I would not be alone.

At 1:40 a.m., the garage door finally opened.

Daniel came into the bedroom carrying a mug of warm milk.

He sat on the edge of the bed and touched my forehead.

"What did the doctor say?"

"Is the baby all right?"

"You would know if you had come to the hospital."

He set down the mug and apologized in a gentle voice.

"I handled tonight badly."

"But Sophie's flight changed without warning."

"The Christmas trip starts tomorrow."

"I couldn't leave her and Kate stranded there."

"So you left your pregnant wife having contractions in a supermarket instead."

"Your mother had already gone to get you, and you made it to the hospital."

He pulled the blanket higher over me.

"If the doctor let you come home, it means nothing serious happened."

"Stop scaring yourself."

To Daniel, the baby being safe for now meant he had done nothing wrong.

The next morning, my obstetrician called to follow up.

Because of the contractions and my blood pressure, I needed to stop working earlier than planned.

I could not drive myself either.

Before Friday's appointment, the doctor again stressed that I should not be left alone.

Daniel heard every word.

Mom put my blood pressure log and medication on the dining table, then explained when each reading needed to be taken.

He nodded while watching flight alerts on his phone.

"I have it."

"Friday at eight thirty."

"I'll take her to the appointment."

Then he pushed a gift box toward me.

"Sophie's Christmas gift still needs to be wrapped."

"You chose the silver band, and she's going to love it."

"Check the card too."

The card read, "Merry Christmas to our beloved daughter."

"Love, Mom and Dad."

My discharge papers and that card sat side by side beneath his hand.

One reminded him to care for his pregnant wife.

The other erased his wife entirely.

I had taken Sophie to try on that watch three times before we chose it.

I had bought the wrapping paper too.

Now Daniel still expected me to finish a gift from him and his ex-wife, signed by the two of them as one family.

"The people signing the card can wrap the gift."

He frowned.

"It's just a card."

"Do you have to make an issue out of this before Sophie's Christmas trip?"

"I didn't ask you to put my name on it."

"You can at least tie the ribbon yourself."

"But you chose the gift."

"You obviously care about Sophie."

"Why are you using the signature to make things harder for her?"

"I'm not making anything harder for Sophie."

I pushed the card back toward him.

"You're asking me to prepare a gift from you, Kate, and your daughter, then pretend I don't see what you're doing."

Daniel took the box downstairs to look for wrapping paper.

Ten minutes later, he returned with a crooked ribbon around the box.

Not one name on the card had changed.

"Are you satisfied now?"

He tossed the tape back into the drawer.

"I already promised to take you to your appointment."

"Can we stop fighting over one trip?"

"What time did you leave the restaurant last night?"

"As soon as we finished confirming the itinerary."

"What restaurant keeps serving until one in the morning?"

He did not look at me.

"I was late because I drove Kate back to her hotel."

"That's all."

He carried his clothes into the bathroom.

As the water began to run, a charge alert from our joint credit card appeared on my phone.

The Mason Hotel.

$486.

The charge had been made at 9:47 the night before.

At that time, I was still in the hospital under observation.

Daniel had just told me he had only driven Kate back to the hotel.

I opened the last six months of statements and searched the hotel's name.

March 17.

The Mason Hotel.

$462.

Last night at 9:47.

The Mason Hotel.

$486.

The same hotel.

Two room charges.

The first appeared on our wedding anniversary.

The second appeared on the night I was hospitalized with signs of preterm labor and he refused to come see me.

I took screenshots of the charges and sent them to my attorney with the photo.