Chapter 10 - The Line in the Sand
The clinical silence in the waiting room was absolute.
Ryan looked frantically between Dr. Patel and me. “Nora... you can't let them involve child services. This will destroy our family! Think about our marriage! Think about what this looks like to the outside world!”
I looked at my husband—a thirty-six-year-old man who still hid behind his mother’s apron strings, who prioritized his social image and family comfort over the literal survival of his newborn child.
“We don't have a marriage, Ryan,” I said quietly, wiping the remaining tears from my cheeks. “We haven't had one since you decided your mother was the third partner in our bed.”
I walked past him toward the ICU double doors, where a nurse nodded and allowed me entry to see my daughter.
May you like
As I pushed through the doors, leaving Ryan and Judith standing alone in the sterile white hallway, I reached into my pocket, pulled out my phone, and dialed my father’s number.
“Dad?” I said steadily when he answered on the first ring. “Pack a bag for me and Lily. We’re coming home.”
