Chapter 3

There was a brief, heavy silence.

Then, he took the phone, his voice tense and rushed. "Clara? What's wrong?"

"My water broke."

"Get home right now."

After hanging up, I leaned back against the couch, the contractions starting to hit me in waves.

I don't know how much time passed before the front door finally burst open.

Julian rushed in, sweat pooling on his forehead, his breathing heavy.

And right behind him stood Chloe.

She was wearing a camel-colored trench coat, her hair slightly messy.

"Don't worry, Clara, we’re going to get you to the hospital right now," she said, stepping forward to help me up. I instinctively shrank back from her touch.

Julian didn't notice my reaction. He was too busy grabbing my hospital bag, muttering to himself not to panic.

On the way to the hospital, I sat in the back while Chloe took the passenger seat.

Julian glanced at me through the rearview mirror. "Hang in there, babe. We’re almost there."

Then, he turned to the passenger seat. "Chloe, can you input the hospital's address into the GPS for me?"

Her phone automatically connected to the car's Bluetooth.

I remembered that Bluetooth system. It used to be that only my phone was connected to it.

It felt so bizarre.

Your husband is driving, another woman is sitting in the passenger seat, and the two of them are working in perfect, silent harmony to get you to the delivery room.

While you sit in the back, looking like a hitchhiker who just caught a ride.

I snapped out of my memories and opened my eyes. Julian was standing at the foot of my bed, staring at his phone while discussing something with Chloe.

"What do you think of Chloë? It means blooming life, and it’s a sweet tribute to Chloe for helping us out today," Julian suggested, his voice soft and testing.

He looked up at Julian after saying it.

Julian repeated the name a couple of times, his eyes lighting up.

"Hey, that’s actually beautiful! Clara, what do you think?"

He turned to face me, a wide grin on his face.

"Chloë. It sounds so pretty, and the meaning is perfect."

He had absolutely no idea what those syllables represented.

Chloë.

My daughter was going to be permanently branded with another woman’s name.

Chloe waited eagerly for my reaction.

Just then, a nurse walked in to take my blood pressure, causing the air to fall dead silent for a few seconds.

I shifted my weight, leaning back against the pillows to make myself more comfortable, and spoke.

"I don't like it."

The smile on Julian’s face faltered.

"You don't? What's wrong with it?"

Chloe also took a small step forward, her lips parting. "Clara, it was just a casual suggestion..."

"Sunny," I said, locking my eyes onto Julian. "Her name is Sunny."

Julian opened his mouth, a flash of awkwardness crossing his face. He clearly hadn't expected me to shut him down so bluntly.

He instinctively glanced at Chloe, who bit her lower lip and turned her face away.

"Alright, Sunny is pretty too," Julian muttered, trying to smooth things over.

Silence stretched in the room for a few moments.

Chloe held the baby a little tighter.

I pushed myself up against the headboard. The sharp pain from my stitches made me gasp, and cold sweat immediately beaded on my forehead.

"Julian."

I gritted my teeth, forcing the words out.

"I'm hungry. Go get me something to eat."

Julian and Chloe exchanged a quick look.

It was the kind of silent communication that only people who had done it a thousand times could pull off.

"Let's go. I’ll help you pick something out," Chloe said, walking over to the bed and carefully handing the baby back to me.

"Let's go."

Julian was already at the door, calling out to her.

The sound of their footsteps faded down the hallway.

The nurse wrapped the blood pressure cuff around my arm, starting the machine.

As she worked, she struck up a casual conversation.

"Was that your husband and his sister earlier? They don't look very alike."

I pulled the corners of my mouth into a tight line. "She's not his sister."

The nurse's hand paused. She looked up at me but didn't push any further.

She finished taking my vitals, jotted down the numbers in her chart, and turned to leave. But right at the doorway, she stopped.

"Um, Clara."

She took a half-step back inside, lowering her voice.

"While you were in the delivery room, I walked past the hallway a few times."

She hesitated, seemingly debating whether she should speak.

She licked her lips and took a quick glance outside.

"Your husband and that girl... they were sitting on the bench talking. I heard them mentioning something about a date."