My newborn daughter slept against my chest, still rosy from birth, her tiny fists curled tight like she had entered the world already prepared to defend herself. Rain tapped against the hospital window, and the sharp scent of disinfectant mixed with the wilted carnations my mother had left beside the bed in our private room at a hospital in Brooklyn.
I almost ignored the call.
But the second I saw Adrian’s name flash across the screen, something inside me went numb.
Six months after our divorce, my ex-husband was calling me from outside a cathedral in Manhattan.
“Emma,” he said brightly, his fake cheer dripping with poison, “I figured you should hear it from me first. Today I’m marrying Vanessa.”
Behind him I could hear violins, champagne glasses clinking, rich people laughing. The polished soundtrack of wealthy guests celebrating a man who had wrecked my life and still expected admiration for it.
I looked down at my daughter. Her tiny fingers were tangled in the fabric of my hospital gown.
“Congratulations,” I answered quietly.
Adrian chuckled.
“Still so cold. That’s exactly why our marriage died.”
“Why are you calling me?”
“To invite you. Vanessa thinks closure would be healthy for everyone. We don’t want any bitterness lingering around.”
Vanessa.
My former executive assistant.
The same woman who smiled sweetly and complimented my outfits while sleeping with my husband during business conferences in Miami, Dallas, and Los Angeles. The same woman who brought me coffee every morning while secretly combing through my emails and forwarding them to him.
“I just had a baby,” I said. “I’m not going anywhere.”
The line went silent.
The music in the background continued, but Adrian stopped laughing.
“What did you say?”
“I said I just gave birth.”
