I answered the phone slowly, and Jim’s voice came through, tinged with impatience.

“Babe, are you at the hospital?”

Well, Jim, you are surely well informed.

I sneered inwardly. The sound of him calling me made my stomach turn. That familiar voice, once so comforting, now made me want to curse out loud.

My hands were clenched into fists, nails digging into my palms—but the sting was nothing compared to the raw wound splitting open in my heart.

“I just saw Claire, and she said you called her. What’s going on? Want me to come get you? My dad’s off at some provincial exchange meeting, so I’ve got time. I...