Seven months pregnant, Emily stood in the middle of her own baby shower when Linda suddenly tore the shawl from her shoulders.
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Chapter 15 / 17
Chapter 15
The baby was born healthy.
Emily named him Luca.
Not after me.
Not after Ryan’s father.
Not after some dead patriarch.
Just Luca.
I loved that.
Ryan met him later under Emily’s terms.
Short visit.
Quiet.
No Hale relatives.
No speeches.
Ryan cried.
Emily did too.
Love does not disappear neatly just because harm becomes visible.
I respected that complexity.
Linda asked to come.
Emily said no.
Linda called me.
“You’re keeping me from my grandson.”
“No.”
I said the sentence slowly.
“His mother is.”
Silence.
“That is her right.”
Linda hung up.
May you like
Good.
For once, someone else’s boundary remained standing after she disliked it.
