“He said you wanted quiet time with the babies, Ky. He said you wanted to bond with them and asked for space.”
I looked around the room.
“What? No.”
Three bassinets.
Two baskets of laundry.
Six bottles waiting to be washed.
“He said that?”
“He said his mother was helping.”
“No one is helping.”
Two baskets of laundry.
After a silence, Ben said, “Kyra, I didn’t know.”
“Now you do,” I replied before ending the call.
Only after all three babies were asleep did I walk into the guest room.
Ethan’s suitcase lay open on the bed.
His resort shirts were folded in neat rows. His swimming trunks sat beside new sandals. His toiletries filled one side pocket.
“Kyra, I didn’t know.”
I hung his resort clothes back in the closet and packed the unopened earplugs, sleep mask, parenting book, fatherhood shirt, one week of my feeding logs, and the barbecue photo.
On the back, I wrote:
“Your audience is waiting.”
I left him one clean outfit and basic toiletries. I wanted him exposed, not stranded.
“Your audience is waiting.”
Then I placed one more note on top.
“You survived six weeks by leaving every hard part to me. Congratulations.”
I zipped the suitcase.
The next morning, Ethan kissed my cheek and wheeled it toward the door.
“Try not to stay angry the whole time I’m gone.”
I adjusted Tara’s blanket.
“Congratulations.”
“Try not to mistake consequences for anger.”
He frowned, didn’t check the suitcase, and picked up his wallet.
Then he left.
At four that afternoon, he called screaming.
As Timothy finished his bottle, I listened to Ethan rage from his resort room.
“Marcus and Ben saw everything!”
He called screaming.
“I know.”
“You planned this.”
“Yes, Ethan.”
“You had no right to drag my friends into our marriage.”
“You invited them on your fake solo trip.”
“I told them I needed a break.”
“You planned this.”
“You left your recovering wife with three newborns.”
“I deserve time away.”
“And I deserved a partner.”
Marcus spoke behind him.
“You told her she wanted you to leave?”
Ethan moved away from the phone.
“Stay out of this.”For illustrative purposes only
“You said she had help.”
“I deserved a partner.”
“This is between me and my wife.”
Ben added, “Then maybe you should’ve stayed home with your wife.”
Ethan lowered his voice.
“You don’t know what my house is like.”
Marcus replied, “That’s the point. You don’t either.”
I heard a suitcase zip.
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