She had not expected a doctor to pick up a phone.

My whole return to her life came down to that: a woman being unable to tell a lie even on paper, even to the man she thought had abandoned her.

The words landed on me like something physical.

“Made my choice?” I leaned forward and gripped the edge of the mattress.

“Rosalie, I didn’t know. I swear to you on my life, I had no idea you were pregnant.

Do you honestly believe I would have left you to carry our child alone for one day, let alone all these months, if I had known?”