My chest tightens as I tear it open.
You’re invited to celebrate the upcoming arrival of Baby Carter!
My breath stutters. The room shifts.
Carter.
Clark’s last name.
Stephanie is pregnant. How long had they…?
I sink onto a kitchen stool, the invitation trembling in my hands.
I shouldn’t care. It shouldn’t matter.
But it does. It still does.
I don’t love Clark. Not anymore. But the betrayal? That’s still fresh. Still raw.
A baby. They’re having a baby.
The front door creaks open behind me.
“Hey, sweetheart,” Jack calls. His boots scrape the hardwood. “Garage was a mess today. Henry nearly—”
He stops when he sees me.
“Beth?” He crosses the kitchen in three strides. “What is it?”
I hand him the invitation, unable to speak.
His brow furrows as he reads. His mouth flattens. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
A bitter laugh escapes. “Flip it over. There’s more.”
He turns the card.
Hosted by Martha Carter and Diane Harrison.
Jack mutters a curse. “Your mom?”
I rub my temples. “Why am I even surprised?”
He sets the card down carefully, like it might explode, then crouches in front of me. His palms settle warm and steady on my knees.
“Talk to me.”
“It’s not Clark,” I say. “It’s not even Stephanie, really. I don’t care about them. Not personally.”
Jack nods once, waiting.
“It’s my mom,” I whisper. “Celebrating with them. Helping them. Like what happened didn’t matter. Like I didn’t matter.”
His jaw clenches. “Youdomatter.”
“Not to her,” I snap, too tired to soften it.
Jack’s thumbs trace slow circles on my knees. “You don’t have to go.”
