I picked up my keys.
“You have one chance to tell your wife the truth yourself.”
He stared at me for a long time.
Finally, he nodded.
“Okay.”
“I’m coming with you.”
Part 6 — Melissa Learns the Truth
That evening, I carried Hope up the walkway toward Ryan and Melissa’s house.
I had imagined walking toward that house with the baby dozens of times during my pregnancy.
In every version, it had been joyful.
There would be balloons.
Pictures.
Family.
Maybe
tears.
But happy tears.
Instead, I walked toward the front door with a knot in my stomach.
Ryan opened it.
He looked like a man preparing to hear a sentence he already knew he deserved.
Melissa sat on the couch.
She looked exhausted.
Her face changed the moment she saw Hope in my arms.
Pain.
Love.
Longing.
All of it appeared at once.
I turned toward Ryan.
“Tell her.”
He sat across from his wife.
For several seconds, nothing came out.
Then he began.
“I lost my job four months ago.”
Melissa stared at him.
Ryan continued.
“I never told you. Every morning when you thought I was going to work, I was going to a coffee shop. I’ve been applying for jobs.”
Melissa didn’t move.
“You used your daughter as an exit.”
Ryan slowly nodded.
“Say it.”
He looked at me.
“Ivy—”
“Say what you did.”
His face crumpled.
