Chapter 3

Clara stared at my face and went silent for a long moment.

She probably thought I would break down.

Scream.

Demand answers.

Throw a full-blown tantrum.

None of that happened.

I was as still as stagnant water.

"Mason and I... it really was just an accident."

I leaned back against the cushions, crossed my legs, and put on a polite, listening face.

To be honest, I didn't give a damn.

But I knew that if I didn't let her speak her piece, she would stand there all day.

"It was that college reunion. He showed up. I had too much to drink, and he offered to drive me back... and then one thing led to another..."

She trailed off, biting her lower lip.

"Then I found out I was pregnant."

"I know I did you dirty. I'm not asking for your forgiveness."

"But Ethan, I really, truly wanted a baby of my own."

Her voice suddenly grew louder on that last sentence.

"You know that. You know how badly I wanted a kid."

She looked at me, a flicker of indignation creeping into her eyes.

As if her getting pregnant by someone else was somehow my fault.

"We've been married for five years. To buy this place, you worked overtime every single day, went to client dinners every night. We barely even had a normal marriage."

"Every time my mom badgered us, I covered for you. But I'm human too! I wanted a child of my own! What did I do that was so wrong?"

She sounded so righteous.

As I listened, the corners of my mouth slowly curled into a smirk.

"You did nothing wrong."

Clara froze.

She definitely expected me to fire back.

"You're not in the wrong at all."

I stood up, looking her dead in the eye.

"Failing to give you a child was on me. I let you down. Now that you're pregnant, I'm happy for you."

"Ethan..."

Her brow furrowed hard.

"I mean every word."

Clara parted her lips, wanting to say something, but ended up swallowing it down.

The way she looked at me shifted.

There was a sudden wariness, a sense of unfamiliarity.

She was probably baffled by why I didn't seem to care at all.

"I'll go pack."

Clara dragged out two massive suitcases.

She lined them up by the front door, then turned around to head back to the bedroom.

I followed behind her.

"When's your due date?"

I asked out of nowhere.

Clara's hands paused mid-zip.

"June."

Seven months away. I ran the dates in my head; she was about two months along.

Two months ago, I had just wrapped up a massive corporate contract, so drained that I stayed in bed for three days straight.

During those three days, Clara had claimed she was visiting her mom.

Turns out, she was in Mason's bed.

"I'm heading out."

She pulled the zipper shut and straightened up.

"Okay."

"I'll send the divorce papers over this afternoon. Look them over, and if everything looks right, sign them."

"Will do."

"I'll swing by tonight to grab the rest."

"Got it."

The door clicked shut.

Her footsteps faded down the hallway.

Standing in the entryway, staring at the closed door, I let out a long, slow breath.

I walked back into the bedroom, grabbed my phone, and texted my best friend, Lucas:

"Drinks?"

Lucas replied instantly: "Booze at noon? What the hell happened to you?"

I didn't answer.

My phone buzzed with an incoming call.

It was my mother-in-law, Martha.

"Ethan? Clara just told me you two are getting a divorce?"

Martha's voice sounded frantic.

"Yes."

"What on earth happened? Everything was fine, why throw away a marriage out of nowhere? Did you pick another fight over saving up for a house?"

Her tone was already laced with blame.

"You should ask her."

I had no desire to chat.

"I did ask her, but she won't tell me a thing! Listen to me, Ethan. When couples fight, they talk it out. You don't just throw out the word divorce! You're in your thirties—if you get divorced, who else are you going to find?"

"Besides, you're the one who spent years obsessed with buying a home, barely ever showing your face around the house. Clara never complained all these years, did she? You can't be this selfish!"

She finally laid her true thoughts bare.

"Martha."

I addressed her calmly, without a shred of warmth.

"Clara and I are divorcing because she's pregnant with another man's baby."