Chapter 3
1/2
Three days after giving birth, I still had no milk. Harry said the formula was better and that it would make things easier for me.
I cried again.
Tom wanted to video call me to show me the snow scene and the
snowman they built. I told him I was eating with Harry, so he
gave up.
Tom: [With Harry there, I feel a lot more at ease. You’re about to give birth, and I’ve been so worried.]
I scoffed. He hadn’t been worried about me when he had left.
I’d already seen the snowman on Isabel’s post. The two of them had rolled around in the snow, their faces and noses flushed red. Their smile was bright.
Last winter, when it snowed, I bought some molds online and happily placed a row of ducks in front of his car. He casually smashed one of them, saying, “You’re 27. Isn’t this childish?”
That night, I couldn’t sleep. While I deleted the photos, Isabel sent me a video. It didn’t have any visuals, just their voices, sounding like they’d been drinking.
Isabel asked, “If I had been braver back then, would we be different now?”
Tom said, “Isabel, there’s no ‘if.”
“Where are you now? At Harry’s place? I’ll come over right now to apologize in person. How about that?”
“No, it’s not okay,” I refused.
“Honey, I’m sorry. You’re about to give birth. Don’t be stubborn. It’s not good for you or the baby,” he urged.
“You still remember I’m about to give birth?”
He grunted in pain, as if having bumped into something.
“Sara…” He sounded helpless. “Please, tell me where you are. You can hit me or yell at me. Just let me see you. I’m really worried.”
“Aren’t I talking to you just fine? What’s there to be worried about?” I sipped my soup. “I’m not even angry with you.”
“Sara Bains, can you stop talking like that? I’m trying to communicate and solve the problem with you,” he sulked.
I chuckled, “Right, solve the problem. Tomorrow, Harry’s lawyer will contact you. I’m going to divorce you, Tom.”
“What? Divorce?” He still thought I was just being emotional. “Honey, please, stop joking. You’re pregnant and about to give birth. Let’s talk about other things once the baby is safely born.”
I hung up the phone.
Harry came over after work and said that Tom had gone to his company to find him. Tom had first gone to our neighborhood but was stopped by the security guards at the gate.
smiled and said, “Then you’d better be careful. Don’t let him follow
