Chapter 3

Dr. Chen's office felt smaller today, the familiar cream walls closing in as I shifted uncomfortably on the examination table. The paper crinkled beneath me with every movement, a sound that seemed amplified in the tense silence.

"Your blood pressure is elevated again, Emma," Dr. Chen said gently, her dark eyes filled with concern as she wrapped the cuff around my arm for the third time. "And your heart rate... this level of stress isn't healthy for you or the baby."

I stared at the ceiling tiles, counting the little holes to avoid meeting her gaze. "I'm fine. Just tired."

"Emma." Her voice was soft but insistent. "I've been your doctor for eight months. I know what 'just tired' looks like, and this isn't it."

The baby kicked hard against my ribs, as if responding to the tension radiating through my body. I pressed my hand to the spot, feeling the sharp jab of a tiny foot or elbow.

"Is everything alright at home?" Dr. Chen pulled up a chair, settling beside the examination table at eye level. "With David? With the pregnancy preparations?"

The kindness in her voice was my undoing. The careful walls I'd built over the past weeks crumbled like sand, and suddenly I was sobbing—ugly, gasping sobs that shook my entire body.

"He's... he's having an affair," I choked out between tears. "With someone from high school who used to... who made my life hell. And I'm due any day, and I don't know what to do."

Dr. Chen's hand was warm on my shoulder. "Oh, Emma. I'm so sorry."

"She keeps showing up places. Sending things. Making me feel like I'm going crazy." The words tumbled out in a rush. "David won't return my calls, and I think... I think he's planning to leave me. Right when the baby comes."

"Listen to me," Dr. Chen said firmly. "You are not crazy. And you are not alone." She reached into her desk drawer, pulling out a small card. "This is a support group for single mothers. They meet twice a week, and they have resources—legal advice, childcare assistance, emotional support."

I took the card with shaking fingers. "I never thought I'd need something like this."

"None of us plan for these situations. But you're stronger than you know." She squeezed my hand. "That baby needs a healthy, calm mother. And right now, that means taking care of yourself first."

Two days later, I sat in my favorite corner booth at The Daily Grind, nursing a decaf latte and trying to summon the courage to call the support group number. The coffee shop buzzed with its usual afternoon energy—students typing on laptops, business meetings over espresso, the comforting hum of normal life.

I was reaching for my phone when a shadow fell across my table.

"Mind if I sit?"

My blood turned to ice. Victoria stood there in a pristine white blazer, looking like she'd stepped off a magazine cover. Without waiting for an answer, she slid into the booth across from me.

"You look better," she said, tilting her head with mock concern. "The crying fits seem to have stopped."

My hands trembled around my coffee cup. "What do you want?"

"Just to chat." Her smile was all edges. "Woman to woman. About David."

The baby pressed against my bladder, adding physical discomfort to my emotional distress. "There's nothing to discuss."

"Oh, but there is." Victoria leaned forward, her voice dropping to an intimate whisper. "You see, David and I have been having such interesting conversations lately. About the future. About what's best for everyone involved."

Nausea rolled through my stomach. "You're lying."

"Am I?" She pulled out her phone, scrolling through messages with deliberate slowness. "He's been quite honest about his concerns. About whether you're... equipped to handle single motherhood. About the kind of environment a child should grow up in."

The words hit like physical blows. I pressed my back against the booth, trying to create distance between us.

"He's worried about your mental state, Emma. The mood swings, the paranoia. He thinks maybe... maybe the baby would be better off with more stable guardians."

"Stop," I whispered.

"I'm just the messenger." Victoria's eyes glittered with satisfaction. "Though I suppose I should mention—we've been discussing terms. The divorce, custody arrangements. He wants to make this as clean as possible."

The coffee shop spun around me. I gripped the edge of the table, my pregnancy hormones amplifying every emotion until I felt like I might vomit right there.

Victoria stood, smoothing her blazer. "Take care of yourself, Emma. For the baby's sake."

As she walked away, I caught fragments of conversation from nearby tables—normal people discussing normal problems. But their voices seemed distant, muffled, as if I was drowning.

That evening, my phone buzzed with a text from my friend Jennifer: *Hey, can we raincheck dinner this week? Things are just really crazy right now.*

Then another from Mark and Lisa: *So sorry to miss the baby shower planning. Hope you understand.*

One by one, the messages came in. Polite cancellations, gentle excuses, the slow dissolution of my support network.

And somewhere in the back of my mind, I could hear Victoria's honey-sweet voice: *He's been quite honest about his concerns.*

The baby kicked frantically, responding to my racing heartbeat, and I realized with crystal clarity that this was only the beginning.