Fifth Time, Final Goodbye

"Where's the baby's father? I called him to come take care of you," the doctor asked.

Claire blinked, her voice weak. "The baby doesn't have a father."

The doctor frowned. "That can't be right. You're married, aren't you? But I've never seen your husband at any of your checkups. And now, with something this serious? Nothing?"

Claire froze. It hit her: every single prenatal appointment, she'd been alone.

When she first told Finley she was pregnant, he acted thrilled. Promised he'd come to the first ultrasound. But then Renee showed up.

From that moment, it was like Claire didn't exist. Every time she mentioned a checkup, he dodged her, always too busy. She knew where he really was—spending time with Renee.

She stayed quiet for the baby's sake. But now? The baby was gone. So was her reason to keep enduring this.

She was done. Seven years of chasing him, and she had nothing left.

"If no one's here to handle this, you'll need to sort out the payment," the doctor said, handing her a form.

Claire pushed the blanket aside, forcing herself out of bed.

And then she saw them.

Finley. And Renee.

He was hovering over her, his arm steadying her. When he saw Claire, he stepped in front of Renee, protective.

"You followed us here?" Finley snapped. "Renee's hand is already hurt—what more do you want?"

His words hit like ice.

"Don't talk to Claire like that," Renee murmured, leaning against him. "I'm sure she's just here to apologize." She smiled faintly at Claire. "It's okay. I'm not blaming you."

"If you're here to apologize," Finley said, "go get Renee something to eat. Her hand's injured, and she needs to rest."

Claire glanced at Renee's hand. Barely red. Seriously? Meanwhile, she'd just lost her baby, and no one cared.

Her heart felt ache, but she forced a brittle smile, even as her vision blurred.

Words caught in her throat, but Finley noticed something off. He frowned, his tone shifting. "What now? All I'm asking is for you to apologize and get Renee some food. Is that really so hard?"

"No," Claire said, forcing a smile. "It's not too much."

What was there to fight about? Losing the baby had made everything else feel... irrelevant.

"Good." Finley nodded. "Now go home and wait for me. Once Renee's hand heals, I'll come back to you."

The words hit like déjà vu. She'd heard them before—so many times.

The day Renee came back, Claire had scheduled a prenatal appointment. Finley said he was busy, told her to go alone.

She waited at the hospital all day, but he never showed. Instead, she saw him on the news that evening, standing at the airport with a bouquet of yellow roses, grinning as he welcomed Renee home.

A few days later, Claire came down with a fever. Because of the baby, she couldn't take any medication, so she spent the night curled up, sweating through the pain. Finley? He was off on a film set with Renee.

She'd called him, desperate, telling him she felt awful. His response? The same as always. "Wait for me. I'll be back soon."

He didn't come back until the fever had already broken.

It was always like that. Broken promises, over and over, until all the letdowns blurred together.

After one brutal fight, he swore he'd change. Promised he wouldn't leave her for Renee again.

She'd given him five chances.

This was the fifth.

"Renee hasn't eaten yet. If you're not going to get her something, I'll take her myself. Just head home," Finley said, cutting into Claire's thoughts.

"Okay." She turned to leave without another word..

But Finley's gaze snagged on the paper in her hand, his eyes narrowing. "What's that you're holding?"