When we learned the baby was a girl, Vanessa burst into tears. Soon, they were buying tiny dresses.
Blankets. Toys. And decorating a beautiful nursery in their Bellmere home.
By the time my delivery arrived, they could barely contain their excitement.
Vanessa started crying the second she saw the baby. Then Ethan gently took his daughter into his arms.
For a few seconds, he simply stared at her. I expected him to smile. Instead…
all the color disappeared from his face. “Ethan?” He didn’t answer. “What’s wrong?”
He swallowed hard. Then said: “I’m sorry, Claire, but… I CAN’T TAKE HER HOME.”
I thought I had misheard him. “What?” My voice shook. “Ethan, she’s your daughter.
What are you talking about?” He looked at Vanessa. Then back at me. “I’m sorry.”
His face tightened. “But I have to give up the baby. I’m not taking her home.”
