Page 52 of Unfaithful

He nodded, his face still buried in his hands.

"Is the baby okay?" I asked. I didn't ask about Elsa. I couldn't bring myself to care.

Cole lifted his head then, and the look on his face nearly broke me. Pure, raw affection softened his features as he thought about his child. Despite everything, he smiled. "Yes. It's a girl. Her name is Elena."

"Good," I said with a small nod, ignoring the sharp pinch in my chest. "Is that why you went missing for days?"

"Yeah..." he replied, offering nothing more. No excuse, no justification. Just that one word.

And I didn't have it in me to ask for more. I wasn't sure I could handle hearing it.

"Why did we never have a child, Sara?" he asked, as if wondering to himself.

Another pinch in my heart when I answered. "We decided to wait. We wanted to focus on work."

"Yeah..." He trailed off, leaning back.

"But then you decided on your own to have a baby with someone else." The words came out sharp, edged with anger and betrayal. I couldn't help it.

Guilt clouded his face again. "Sara... I'm so sorry."

I sighed, exhaustion settling deep into my bones. "It's too late for sorry now, isn't it?" My voice was bitter, detached.

"I can't abandon my child, Sara. Especially now that she's born. I know all too well how it feels to be abandoned." His voice shook, desperation creeping in. "Elsa has been... difficult. Neglectful. She barely even looks at Elena." He ran a hand through his hair, clearly frustrated. "I can't leave my child with her. She would be—"

He stopped, shaking his head as if he couldn't bear to finish the thought.

"I'm going to fight for full custody. I've already talked to Steve, and he's helping me find an attorney. I might have a strong case. I even have witnesses."

I looked at him—the man who had broken me, who had made choices I could never forget, never forgive. And yet, here he was, fighting for a child that wasn't mine.

"Full custody?" My eyes widened. Wow. Cole was really committed to this.

"Yes," he said firmly, determined.

A bitter laugh slipped out. "So now you decide to be a good father?"

He didn't answer, but the look on his face said it all.

"Well, Cole," I said softly, my voice laced with hurt, "I think it's great—you are being a good man for your mistressand a good father for your child. I'm proud of you." The words dripped with sarcasm. "And don't worry about me. I'll be just fine without you."

"Sara..." His hands closed around mine before I could pull away. "I never meant to hurt you. The last thing I want is to drag you into this mess."

A sharp, humorless laugh escaped me, louder this time. "Yeah, sure."

"I'm so sorry."

I met his gaze, my expression hard. I could feel it. "You should thank me, Cole, because I just made things easier for you."

Confusion flickered in his eyes. "What do you mean?"

I tilted my head, observing him. "Yesterday, I went over to Maria's. You know her, don't you?"

The color drained from his face. Of course, he knew her. Maria—the next-door neighbor. A divorce attorney. And not just any attorney. She had earned a reputation for defending betrayed wives and leaving cheating husbands with almost nothing.

She and I were quite close. We went to yoga together once or twice a week. I liked her a lot.

"Ah, Cole." I clicked my tongue, shaking my head. "It never crossed your mind that I'd fight back, did it?"

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