INICIAR SESIÓNThe night Derek left to find Sarah, I did not sleep.Eli held me. His arm was wrapped around my waist. His chest was warm against my back. Hope slept in her bassinet at the foot of the bed. The apartment was quiet. Too quiet.But my mind was loud. Roaring.I thought about Derek's desperate face when he said he still loved her. That broken look I had seen so many times before. I thought about Sarah's lost baby. The pain that had driven her away across the ocean, then brought her back, only to leave again. I thought about Luca's new apartment, his new date, the way he had held Hope before he left. I thought about Eli. His patience. His kindness. Four years of waiting. Four years of watching me marry someone else, break, and come back to life with someone who was not him.I rolled over. Eli was awake. His eyes were open, staring at the ceiling.He asked if I was okay. His voice was soft. Tired.I said I was thinking about Derek.He said Derek was a grown man. He would make his own choice
Derek stood in the doorway. His face was gray. His hands hung limp at his sides.I asked him to come in.He walked to the couch. He sat down. He stared at the floor.Luca brought him a glass of water. Derek did not drink it.Eli sat across from him. I sat next to Derek. Hope was in her crib, sleeping.No one spoke.Finally, Derek said Sarah had called him from the hospital. She was alone. The baby was gone.I asked if he had gone to her.He said no. She did not want him there. She blamed him. For leaving. For not loving her. For everything.I took his hand. His fingers were cold.He said he did not know what to do.Luca said there was nothing to do. He just had to be there. If she changed her mind.Derek looked at Luca. His eyes were empty.He said Luca was lucky. Luca had a daughter. Luca had a family.Luca said he knew.Derek stood up. He walked to the door.He said he needed to be alone.He left.The door closed.Eli looked at me. He asked if I thought Derek would be okay.I said I
Derek stood in the doorway. His face was pale. His hands were shaking.I asked him to repeat what he said.He said Sarah was pregnant. Three months along. She had not told him until last night.I stepped aside. He walked in.Eli was in the living room, holding Hope. Luca was in the kitchen. They both looked at Derek.Derek sat on the couch. He put his head in his hands.He said he did not know what to do.Eli asked if the baby was his.Derek said yes. Sarah had told him. There was no one else.Luca walked to the living room. He stood by the window. His arms were crossed.I sat across from Derek. I asked if he was going to be with her.He looked up. His eyes were red.He said he did not love her. Not the way she deserved. But she was carrying his child.I asked what he wanted.He said he wanted to be a father. He had watched Luca with Hope. He had seen the way Luca looked at his daughter. He wanted that.I said he could have that. Without being with Sarah.Derek shook his head. He said
The night after Derek left, I could not sleep.Hope was in her crib, dreaming. Eli was beside me, his arm around my waist. Luca was in the guest room, alone.I slipped out of bed. I walked to the nursery. Hope was on her back, her tiny fists curled near her face. She looked peaceful. Innocent. She had no idea that her father was sleeping in the next room, or that the man holding me at night was not him.I sat in the rocking chair. I watched her breathe.The door creaked. Eli walked in. He sat on the floor next to the rocking chair. He rested his head on my knee.He asked if I was okay.I said I was thinking about Luca. About how he must be feeling.Eli was quiet for a moment. Then he said Luca was probably feeling guilty.I asked why.Eli said because Luca had spent years wanting me. And now he had a daughter with me. But I was still in love with Eli.I looked down at him. His eyes were tired.I asked if he felt guilty.He said yes. Because he had thrown away my number. Because he had
The doctor's words hung in the air. The father is Luca.No one spoke.The baby was in my arms. She was sleeping. Her dark hair was soft. Her green eyes were closed.Luca stood by the door. His face was pale. His hands were shaking.Derek stood by the window. His arms were crossed. His jaw was tight.Eli sat on the edge of my bed. His hand was on my ankle. He did not move.The doctor said she would leave us alone. She walked out.The door closed.Luca walked to the bed. He looked at the baby. Then at me.He said he did not know what to say.I said there was nothing to say. She was his daughter.He reached out. He touched her tiny hand. She grabbed his finger.He started crying.Derek walked to the bed. He looked at the baby. He looked at me. He looked at Luca.He said he was happy for them.I asked if he meant it.He said yes. He had known, somehow. From the beginning. The way Luca looked at me. The way I looked at Luca.Eli stood up. He walked to the window. His back was to us.I aske
The words stuck in my throat. The baby is not yours. I could not say them. Not yet. Not at the dinner table with Luca sitting across from us, his fork halfway to his mouth.Eli looked at me. His eyes were soft. He asked if I was okay. I had gasped when the baby kicked. He thought it was just a strong movement.I said I was fine. Just surprised.Luca set down his fork. He looked at my face. He knew something was wrong. He did not say anything.We finished dinner. Eli cleared the plates. Luca helped.I sat at the table, my hand on my belly, my heart pounding.The baby kicked again. Normal. Healthy. But not Eli's.I did not know how I knew. A mother's instinct, maybe. Or just a feeling. Deep in my bones.I had to tell him.After the dishes were done, Luca said goodnight. He kissed my forehead. He shook Eli's hand. He left.The door closed.Eli walked to me. He took my hands.He asked what was wrong. He had seen my face at dinner.I led him to the couch. We sat down.I took a breath.I sa







