She lingered a moment before stepping out again.
The moment the door closed, Connor leaned down toward me.
His voice dropped low.
“Refuse,” he whispered, “and you walk away with nothing.”
The words cut through me.
Nothing.
He straightened his jacket like our conversation was finished.
“Think about it,” he said.
Then he walked out.
Sabrina followed him without a single glance at the babies.
They didn’t even ask how their children were doing.

Two days later, I left the hospital.
A nurse helped me carry the three tiny car seats to the car. My babies slept quietly inside them, wrapped in soft blankets, their breathing slow and fragile.
I moved slowly, every step painful.
When I finally sat behind the wheel, I stared through the windshield for a long moment.
Connor hadn’t come back.
Not once.
The drive home felt like moving through a dream.
When I pulled into the driveway, the afternoon sun felt too bright against my tired eyes.
This house used to feel like the start of our life together.