She let out an exaggerated sigh, rolling her eyes.

“Oh, please. You’ve been panicking about this baby for months now. Always stressing about money, about how overwhelming it all is. I just… took some of that pressure off your shoulders.”

My whole body tensed, rage bubbling up.

“This isn’t like your so-called ‘help’ back in college,” I shot back, kicking the bucket over. “This is my family. My wife. My child.”

I took a deep breath, steadying myself. “Get in the car. Now. You’re telling Emily the truth. Every word of it.”

When we arrived at Emily’s parents’ house, she hesitated before opening the door. There was uncertainty in her eyes, but she let us in.

I turned to Claire. “Go ahead. Tell her.”

With an exaggerated sigh, Claire finally confessed everything. Every last detail.

When she finished, Emily stepped toward me, her hands wrapping around my waist, holding me tight.

Then, she turned to Claire, her face unreadable.

“You owe me an apology,” she said firmly. “If you were really that concerned, if you honestly thought Henry wanted out, why not just come to me? You could’ve told me what he said. We could’ve talked about it.”

Claire shifted uncomfortably, her confidence faltering.

“I… I thought if I pushed things, you two would be forced to have the conversation. That he’d finally tell you the truth.”

And in that silence, I knew. Emily was done with Claire.

And to be honest? I felt the same way. Our lives were better without her.

In the following weeks, Emily and I took the time to heal and sort through everything.

As for Claire? I set firm boundaries—she wouldn’t be a part of our lives unless she truly changed her ways.