"Walking around with that look on her face—who's that supposed to be for? Adela, let's go. Back to the office."
The door slammed shut.
My whole body flinched. Instinctively, I looked toward the crib.
In that moment, tears fell like a broken string of pearls.
"Hello?"
"List my downtown two-bedroom for sale. Urgent."
"Come by this afternoon. I'll send you the address."
The voice on the other end agreed immediately, then asked cautiously, "Is everything okay?"
"Nothing serious. Don't worry about it."
The person on the phone was a student I'd sponsored through college—a recent graduate. I'd quietly placed him at the company Derek and I co-owned. No one else knew about it.
Now, he was the only card I had left to play.
The postpartum center was draped in festive decorations, brimming with the warmth of the New Year season. In the room next door, a family of three was happily posing for newborn photos.
My room was the only one that was cold and quiet.
The company had already closed for the holiday. Where Derek went after leaving the hospital was obvious enough.
I couldn't stop myself from opening his social media. Empty. Not a single post. Not even one photo of the baby.