Claire moved away from him. “I would never have helped you if I’d known the truth.”
Ethan’s mother stood. “How could you, Ethan?”
I watched the performance fall away.
Ethan shook his head. “It was the simplest way. I gathered enough proof to show I’d been taking an active interest in the baby. It’s enough to build a strong case for sole custody. We were going to have a fresh start, just me and my kid.”
“Not anymore.”
I pulled out a folder, removed the divorce papers, and held them out to him.
He looked down at the documents, then up at me.
“You’re divorcing me?”
“After all of this?” I said. “Absolutely.”
“We were going to have a fresh start, just me and my kid.”
The surrogacy agency terminated Ethan’s involvement after hearing the recording. The contracts were restructured. Everything was redrawn with my lawyer present, and Ethan’s name was no longer on any of it.
Claire apologized with tears running down her face.
“I thought I was helping a father protect his baby. I never would have agreed to any of it if I’d known what he was really doing.”
I took her hand and held it. “I believe you.”
The contracts were restructured.
The divorce was finalized months later.
Ethan fought for custody. His lawyer tried gamely to excuse what he’d said on that recording, but it was no use.
The judge ruled in my favor.
And when I finally held my little boy in my arms for the first time, I understood something Ethan never did.
A baby is not a stepping stone to a new beginning.
