Claire Asked the Question Evan Couldn’t Answer

“If she hadn’t come yesterday, when were you going to tell me?”

Evan looked down.

Claire waited.

Thirty seconds.

Still nothing.

Finally:

“After the baby was born.”

Claire nodded.

“Which baby?”

Again, no answer.

Claire Filed for Separation

Not divorce.

At least not immediately.

That became controversial among her friends.

Some thought Evan had already done enough to make divorce obvious.

Others reminded Claire that she was weeks away from giving birth and didn’t need to make every decision immediately.

Claire agreed with the second group.

She wanted legal and financial distance.

But she did not want anger deciding the rest of her life.

Then the DNA Test Came Back

Evan had voluntarily agreed to establish paternity once Madison’s baby was born.

The baby was his.

That meant Claire’s daughter and Madison’s son were half-siblings.

Linda immediately began pushing for the families to “find a healthy way forward.”

Claire hated the phrase.

Madison did too.

Ironically, that became the first thing the two women agreed on.