The day my wife gave birth to another mans child, her parents hired ten security guards to keep me away from the maternity ward.

But I never showed. I didnt make a scene.

Later, I heard her mother was holding her hand, stroking her hair. Ava, dont you worry, shed said. Well make sure he doesnt get within a hundred feet of you.

Your father has men watching the main entrance, too. If he dares to show up and cause trouble, well have him arrested.

Ava, pale and exhausted, managed a weak nod. But her eyes still drifted towards the elevator bank. The space was empty. Only then did she finally let out a breath she didnt realize shed been holding.

She couldnt understand it. All she was doing was giving her high school sweetheart a child, a legacy before he died. Why couldnt I just understand that?

As a nurse placed the crying infant in her arms, a genuine, relieved smile spread across her face. She told herself that if I came to visit her the next day, she would forgive all our recent fights. She would even be willing to let me be the babys father.

What she didnt know was that I had just filed my final paperwork with Doctors Without Borders.

In seven days, I would renounce my American citizenship and disappear into the worlds forgotten corners. I was never coming back.

1

The day Ava was discharged from the birthing center, I was finishing the last of my handover paperwork at the hospital. I walked up to her parents front door and paused, my hand on the knob. Laughter spilled from inside.

Hes such a beautiful baby, her mother cooed. Those big eyes he got them from his father, thats for sure.

Leo emerged from the kitchen holding a steaming bowl of homemade chicken soup. I made this myself, he said, his voice a gentle hum. Youre still weak. You need to build up your strength. He sat on the edge of the bed, feeding Ava spoonful by spoonful with a tenderness that screamed of domestic bliss. They looked like a perfect family.

Her father, shaking a baby rattle, was grinning from ear to ear. This little guy is just so charming, just like his dad. Thank God hes not Ethans. Can you imagine? Having a doctor for a father would be a nightmare, all work and no play.

My hand tightened on the doorknob until my knuckles were white.

I remembered the first time I met her father. Hed clapped me on the shoulder, beaming. A doctor! Saving lives! Its an honor to have you in the family. Hed told me hed been a surgeon himself, forced into early retirement by a violent patient whod ruined the nerves in his hand.

Now, he was saying a doctor wasn't fit to have a family.

I had been away for a one-year fellowship. In that single year, this home had become a place where I no longer belonged.

I lowered my head, a bitter taste filling my mouth.

Ava and I had been married for three years. She told me she was staunchly child-free, and I understood the risks of childbirth, the nine-circles-of-hell ordeal it can be for a woman. I never pushed her.

I remember the day I left for my fellowship abroad. Shed cried, her eyes red-rimmed, telling me she couldnt bear to be without me. For that entire year, we were inseparable, despite the distance. We called every day, sharing every little detail of our lives. My colleagues would tease me, saying we were like newlyweds, even after three years.

Then, one month ago, I finally got approval for a surprise trip home.

I endured an eight-hour flight, my body screaming with exhaustion, but I didnt care. I rushed straight from the airport, only to find Ava on our doorstep, her belly swollen and round, her hand in that of her first love.

Leos voice pulled me from the memory. Ethan? Man, when did you get back? Why are you just standing in the doorway?

The laughter inside died. Everyone turned to look.

When Avas father saw the resignation letter in my hand, his brow furrowed into a tight knot. How did I ever entrust my daughter to someone like you? What a disgrace. You quit your job? Whats the plan, Ethan? Are you expecting us to support you?

What kind of husband are you? her mother chimed in, her finger pointed at me like an accusation. You quit? That job was a golden ticket, and you couldnt even handle that? What can you do? Avas recovering, the baby needs things money, Ethan! Or do you expect the three of you to live on air?

A hollow laugh escaped my lips. Whose wife and whose child, I said, my voice dangerously quiet, is whose responsibility.

What did you just say, Ethan? Have you no sense of duty? Ava finally broke. Her eyes were blazing, her face flushed with anger. Leo saved my life in that car crash three years ago! If it werent for him, Id be dead. His parents are gone, and now he has terminal cancer. Soon, there will be no one left in the world to even remember he existed. Her voice cracked. Why do you always have to attack him? Do you really think Im that kind of woman? A cheap, disgusting cheat?

A coughing fit seized her, and Leo was immediately at her side, rubbing her back, his face a mask of concern. He turned to me. Ethan, maybe you should just back off a little. I know this is all my fault. I promise, Ill disappear from your lives. But please, dont let me ruin what you two have.

I looked at the four of them, a perfectly united front. A wave of nauseating clarity washed over me.

They were the family. I was the intruder.

Then Ava spoke, her voice laced with steel. Ethan, my patience has a limit. If you ever dare to come after Leo again, you can forget about coming back to this house. If you want to stay married to me, you will drop this. At the christening next week, Im willing to tell our friends and family that youre the babys father.

Next week?

My gaze drifted to the sleeping infant in the bassinet. Next week, Id be on a plane to a different continent.

But before I left, I didnt mind giving them one last surprise theyd never forget.

My expression remained neutral. Okay.

Without waiting for their reaction, I turned and walked to the bedroom to pack. If I was leaving for good, I didnt want a single trace of myself left behind.

The sounds of their cheerful chatter seeped through the closed door. I paused, my hands stilling on a folded shirt.