What he saw made him stop as though he had been struck.
A beautifully set table stood in the center of the living room. There was champagne, a cake, and a candle shaped like the number ten.
Claire sat on the sofa—but she was not alone. Beside her stood a tall blond man Andrew had never seen before. They were laughing, and the stranger’s hand rested casually on Claire’s shoulder.
“What… what is going on here?” Andrew demanded, his voice rough as he stepped into the room.
Claire flinched and turned toward him.
“Andrew? You’re back already?” She glanced at the clock in surprise. “We weren’t expecting you for another two hours.”
“Who is he?” Andrew looked from Claire to the unfamiliar man.
The blond man rose and extended his hand with an easy smile.
“Alex. Nice to meet you.”
Andrew ignored the offered hand.
“Claire, what is this? What are you celebrating?”
“You forgot?” Claire asked quietly. “Today is our tenth wedding anniversary.”
The floor seemed to shift beneath Andrew.
Their anniversary.
He had forgotten it completely. Worse than that, he had spent the entire week with another woman while Vanessa had been waiting for him to announce that he intended to leave his wife.
“And you decided to celebrate with him?” Andrew pointed toward Alex, who remained unnervingly calm.
“Don’t worry,” Alex said, settling back onto the sofa. “I’m only here for work.”
“For work?” Andrew clenched his fists. “In my house? Late at night? With champagne?”
“He’s an interior designer,” Claire explained evenly. “I wanted to have the house renovated while you were away. It was supposed to be an anniversary surprise.”
“You managed all this in one week?”
“Not just the living room.” Claire stood and motioned for him to follow her. “Come on. There’s more.”
Andrew followed her through the house in a daze.
The bedroom had been transformed as well. New wallpaper covered the walls. There was a different bed, new lamps, and several paintings.
“This is…” Andrew began, but no words came.
“Do you like it?” Claire asked hopefully. “I’ve wanted to change things for a long time. Your conference seemed like the perfect opportunity.”
The way she emphasized the word “conference” made him wince.
“It’s… unexpected,” he managed.
“That’s not all.”
Claire opened the door to the room that had served as Andrew’s home office.
He stopped on the threshold.
The room had become a nursery. The walls were painted blue. A small crib stood near the window, surrounded by toys. A teddy bear rested on a shelf.
“What is this?” he whispered.
Claire wrapped her arms around herself. All at once, the calm expression disappeared, leaving her looking vulnerable and frightened.
“I wanted to tell you on our anniversary,” she said. “I’m pregnant, Andrew. Fourteen weeks.”
For a moment, time seemed to stop.
Andrew stared at his wife, then at the gentle curve of her stomach—the curve he had somehow failed to notice—and finally at the crib and the stuffed bear waiting on the shelf.
“Pregnant?” The word sounded unfamiliar in his mouth. “But we…”
“Do you remember the night before your business trip?” Claire asked with a faint, sorrowful smile. “We’d had a little too much to drink.”
Andrew remembered.
It had been three months earlier, one rare night of closeness in a marriage that had already begun to fade.
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“I wanted to be certain. I was waiting for the right moment.” Claire gave a small shrug. “Then you announced your ‘conference’ with Vanessa.”
The color drained from Andrew’s face.
“You knew?”
“Of course I knew.” Claire looked directly into his eyes. “I’m not stupid, Andrew. But I wanted to give us a chance. I wanted to leave room for all of us.”
She placed one hand over her stomach, and that simple movement made everything suddenly real.
They were going to have a child.
Their child.
“Claire, I…” Andrew could not find the words.
“Don’t say anything yet,” she interrupted gently. “Go back to the living room. Alex was just about to leave. We’ll have some champagne, and then we’ll talk.”
Andrew nodded and walked away from the nursery.
Alex was already gathering his things.
“Happy anniversary,” the designer said, extending his hand again. Andrew shook it automatically, still in shock. “And congratulations on the baby. Your wife is an extraordinary woman.”
“Yes,” Andrew said hoarsely. “Thank you.”
After Alex left, Claire returned carrying two glasses. One held champagne. The other contained something that looked like juice.
“To us?” she asked, offering him a glass.
Andrew took it, but he could not raise it.
“Claire, there’s something I need to tell you.”
“I know,” she said calmly. “About Vanessa. About the two of you. About how badly you want to leave.”
Andrew stared at her.
“How could you possibly—”
“Your phone died before you left, remember? You borrowed my old one to call a taxi. Then you logged into your account and forgot to sign out. Every message came through to me.”
Andrew felt the blood leave his face.
Every conversation with Vanessa. Their plans. Their promises. His assurances that he would file for divorce.
“Claire, I don’t know what to say.”
“Then don’t say anything.” She stepped closer. “Answer one question instead. Do you love her?”
Andrew opened his mouth, then closed it again.
He had thought he did. Throughout the entire week, he had been certain of it. But now, standing in the home they had shared, looking at his wife, the renovated rooms, and the future represented by the nursery, certainty vanished.
“I don’t know,” he admitted. “I’m confused.”
Claire nodded as though she had expected that answer.
“All right.” She took the untouched glass from his hand and set it beside her own. “I’m giving you one week. Pack your things and stay with friends, your parents, or in a hotel—wherever you choose. Take time to think about everything: us, the baby, and what you truly feel. Come back in a week and tell me what you’ve decided.”
“What if I decide to leave?” Andrew asked quietly.
Claire closed her eyes for a moment. The effort it took for her to remain composed was visible in every line of her face.
“Then I’ll let you go,” she said. “And I’ll thank you for being honest.”
Andrew stood in silence, unable to move. Behind Claire, the nursery waited with its blue walls, its tiny crib, and the quiet promise of a life he had nearly thrown away before it had even begun.