Lahat ng Kabanata ng Three Chances, Then I Walked: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 10

Emily Markham grabbed my arm to stop me, her face tight."Do you really have to do this? Daniel's just going to think you're being unreasonable. It won't do you any good!"You're threatening divorce because you're upset. That's not fair to the baby either!"I looked at the newborn sleeping beside me and let out a short laugh.Not fair to the baby?If anyone needed to hear that, it was Daniel.At my last prenatal appointment before the birth, the doctor had said, "Your health isn't great right now, and you have a rare blood type. The baby's in a good position, but I can't promise you'll be able to deliver vaginally. Is your family here? We should work out a delivery plan together."Daniel hadn't come.He was busy comforting Rebecca Lennox through her divorce.Our text thread still ended right before I went into the delivery room.I had written: [Babe, my stomach hurts. I think the baby's coming. I'm heading to your hospital now. Can you switch shifts and come be with me?]He'

Daniel smiled too. "He looks just like you."I looked at that little face, and I felt completely calm.The three chances weren't a way for him to save face.They were the final line I was drawing for myself and my son.After three, I would never look back.In the early hours of my third day after delivery, the pain from my incision woke me up.The incision burned and throbbed, and my engorged breasts were hard and heavy, pressing on my chest.I felt around in the dark for the call button. Next to me, the bed was empty.No one was on the cot. The blanket was cold and neatly folded.My phone screen was lit up. The Markham family group chat had dozens of unread messages.My mother-in-law had posted a photo at two in the morning.Daniel sat in Rebecca's living room wrapped in his jacket, while Rebecca sat next to him, head down, crying.The caption read: [Daniel was so worried about Rebecca that he went over in the middle of the night to stay with her. Such a loyal, big-hearted

"She's standing right by the railing. What if she really jumps? I'll just go talk to her, and the second she's down, I'll come straight back."I watched the panic in his eyes, and my heart slowly turned to ice.This was him. This was my husband.He always had someone more urgent to save, always some responsibility he couldn't shake off.The baby and I would always have to wait a little longer.When I didn't say anything else, he turned and rushed out.Before long, he appeared on the roof across the way.Bearing the dull ache of my incision, I braced myself against the wall and slowly made my way to the window.The inpatient building faced the outpatient building's roof directly, so I could see everyone clearly.Rebecca stood by the railing in a thin nightgown. As soon as she saw Daniel run up, she burst into tears and threw herself into his arms.He caught her steadily, patting her back over and over, bending his head to murmur soothing words into her ear.The wind whipped u

The thermos smashed against the floor tiles, and scalding broth splashed everywhere, filling the room with the heavy smell of chicken soup.Daniel stood rooted to the spot, his face going from white to gray. It took him a long time to squeeze out a few words."Claire, you just got out of an emergency. You're weak. Don't do something like this just because you're upset.""Upset?"I leaned back against the pillow. Even laughing took effort."Daniel, do you remember the three chances I gave you?"I counted them off for him slowly, my voice barely above a whisper, but every word hit home."The first time was the early morning of my third day after giving birth. My incision hurt so much I was breaking out in a cold sweat, and the engorgement had given me a fever that left my whole body stiff. You lied and said there was an emergency in your department, but you were really at Rebecca's place, keeping her company for six whole hours."The second time, I had mastitis with a fever of al

"You've thought of everything," Linda said, lowering her voice. "Once they're divorced, he's bound to get at least half of that house in the good school district. Then you give him a baby, and we'll be the ones running this family."Standing outside the door, Daniel felt the blood in his veins go ice-cold.He'd always believed Rebecca was truly fragile and helpless. He'd believed he was repaying a debt and doing his duty as a brother.It turned out the whole thing had been a carefully planned con from start to finish.And his own mother had been its most eager accomplice.He kicked the door open.The laughter inside stopped dead.The teacup in Linda's hand crashed to the floor. Her face went white."D-Daniel... What are you doing here?"Rebecca reacted fastest. Her eyes reddened instantly, and tears streamed down her face."Daniel, you heard? I... I didn't mean to lie to you. I really do love you! I've loved you ever since the day I pulled you out of the water!"She lunged f