The SUV turned north. Chloe rested her hands on her stomach. “If you want me in your life, Leo, you have to ask. You don’t get to claim me.”

For several seconds, the only sound was the hum of the heater. Then Leo said, “Stay.” It was a command out of habit. Chloe raised an eyebrow. He looked away, as if the next words were physically difficult.

“Will you stay?”

She felt the baby move beneath her hands. “Until he’s born.”

Leo nodded. It was not everything he wanted. But it was an answer freely given, and he accepted it.

That night, Chloe woke to find a new chair outside her bedroom. Not an armed guard. Leo. He sat alone beneath the hallway lamp, reading through a file.