Ryan looked at me.
“Claire, tell her to leave.”
I opened my mouth, but no words came.
His voice hardened.
“This is between us.”
Linda turned toward me.
“No, Claire. You decide. Not him.”
That sentence changed everything.
You decide.
For months, Ryan had made every decision and presented it as something I had no choice but to accept.
That night, someone finally reminded me that I had a voice.
I placed one hand over my stomach.
“I’m not sleeping in the car again.”
Ryan rolled his eyes.
“Fine. I’ll use the couch tonight.”
“No,” I said.
He looked at me.
“I’m leaving with Linda.”
The Truth He Couldn’t Explain Away
Ryan’s confidence disappeared.
“You’re leaving me over sleep?”
“No,” I said. “I’m leaving because you looked at your pregnant wife in pain and decided she deserved less comfort than you.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
