After a Brutal 14-Hour Labor, I Was Holding Our Newborn Son — But What My Husband Whispered Before Walking Out Made My Blood Run Cold / Chapter 5 / 8

Chapter 5 - The Blank LineThe blank line waited. My mother's hand rested on my knee. I could hear the faint sound of elevators in the hallway. I had no idea whether the next person through the door would be Emmett — or proof that my marriage had just ended.

My phone buzzed. A message. Emmett. On my way back. Please trust me. That was all.

Mom read it over my shoulder. "Trust him?" Her voice sharpened. "Willa, sign the paper. Give the baby your name."

"Mom."

"No man disappears on the day his son is born and then tells his wife what she can and can't write."

I looked down at Owen. His tiny mouth opened slightly as he slept.

Mom leaned closer. "You didn't see him leave. I did. He was completely calm."

"Please stop."

"Men who are hiding things can look very calm."

Nurse Odalys entered again. "Still no rush, but if we get the name today, it'll make the paperwork easier."

"My husband is coming back," I said. She nodded and left.

Mom pressed the pen into my hand. "Do it."

I brought the tip toward the line. And then I stopped. Because suddenly, several memories came rushing back. Emmett awake at two in the morning with the laptop. The envelope from a law firm I had never heard of. A conversation I overheard in the garage weeks earlier — Emmett speaking quietly into the phone.

"Her son deserves to know the truth."

At the time, I thought he was talking about our unborn child. Now I wasn't sure.

"Willa," Mom said. "Why aren't you signing?"

I put the pen down. "I'm waiting."

She stared at me. "You're exhausted. You're not thinking clearly."

"No." I looked at her. "I think I'm thinking clearly for the first time today."

She shook her head. "If Emmett has done something—"

"If I'm wrong about him, I can be angry later." I took a breath. "But if I write something out of fear or spite before I know what's happening, I might regret it forever."

Mom fell silent. Finally, she sat back. "You sound like me when I was your age."