After My Husband Missed Our Daughter’s Last Heartbeat

Brendan comes home at two in the afternoon. He never comes home at two. But the board meeting ended early and traffic was light and something pulled him back to the penthouse. A feeling. Unease, maybe. Or just the need to see Charlotte's face.

The elevator opens. The apartment is quiet. He drops his keys on the hall table. Calls out. "Charlotte?"

No answer.

He walks through the living room. The kitchen. Empty. He checks his watch. She's probably at the studio. Or with Murphy. He loosens his tie.

That's when he hears it. A voice. Soft. Coming from his study.

He moves down the hallway. The door is half open. He pushes it wider.

Aylin stands at Charlotte's vanity. She's wearing something silk. Ivory. It takes him a second to recognize it. Charlotte's robe. The one she wore on Sunday mornings. The one that still smells like her perfume.

Aylin is moving things. Charlotte's jewelry box. Her hand mirror. The small porcelain dish where she kept her rings. Aylin picks up the dish. Holds it to the light. Sets it down in a different spot.

She's talking. To herself. To the mirror. Her voice is low, rehearsed.

"I'll tell them it was a natural transition. That we grew close over shared values. That I never intended—" She pauses. Adjusts the robe's collar. Smiles at her reflection. "That I'm honored to step into this new role."

Brendan's chest goes cold.

"Aylin."

She spins. Her face does something fast. Surprise. Then calculation. Then a smile.

"Brendan. You're home early." She touches the robe. "I'm sorry. I spilled coffee on my blouse. I was looking for something to change into. Charlotte said I could borrow—"

"Charlotte's not here."

"I know. She texted me. Said I could come by and pick up some files from your office." Aylin's voice is smooth. Easy. Like this makes sense.

Brendan looks at the vanity. At Charlotte's things, rearranged. At Aylin's face in the mirror.

"Get out."

Aylin blinks. "What?"

"Take off the robe. Get your things. Get out."

Her smile falters. "Brendan, I don't understand. Did I do something—"

"Now."

She stares at him. Something shifts in her eyes. The warmth drains out. What's left is flat. Cold. She unties the robe. Lets it fall to the floor. She's wearing her work clothes underneath. She picks up her purse from the chair.

"You're making a mistake," she says.

Brendan doesn't answer. He walks to his desk. Opens his laptop. The screen wakes. His email is still open. He scrolls. Clicks. A folder. Sent items. Months of them. Confidential reports. Investor decks. Product specs. All forwarded to an address he doesn't recognize.

He looks up. Aylin is watching him. Her face is blank.

"Who is this?" He turns the screen toward her.

She doesn't answer.

"Who did you send my files to?"

Still nothing.

Brendan picks up his phone. Dials security. "I need someone in my office. Now."

Aylin's jaw tightens. "You don't know what you're doing."

"I know exactly what I'm doing."

Two security guards arrive in under three minutes. Brendan points to Aylin. "Escort her out. She's fired. She's not to come back."

Aylin lifts her chin. Straightens her shoulders. She walks to the door. Stops. Looks back at him.

"You'll regret this."

Brendan says nothing. The guards wait. Aylin walks out. Her heels click down the hallway. The elevator dings. The doors close.

Brendan stands in the empty study. Charlotte's robe is on the floor. He picks it up. Holds it. It still smells like her. Lavender. Something soft he can't name.

He sinks into the chair. Puts his face in his hands.

What has he done?

---

Charlotte stands on the doorstep of her parents' house. The Connecticut estate. White columns. Brick. Ivy climbing the walls. She hasn't been here in six years.

Her hand shakes on the doorbell. She presses it. Hears the chime inside. Footsteps.

The door opens. Her mother stands there. Gray hair pulled back. Reading glasses on a chain. She looks at Charlotte. At the suitcase. At Charlotte's face.

She doesn't ask questions. She just pulls Charlotte inside.

"Oh, sweetheart."

Charlotte's knees buckle. Her mother catches her. Holds her up. Walks her to the kitchen. Sits her down at the table. The same table. The same chairs. Everything exactly like Charlotte remembers.

Mrs. Spencer fills the kettle. Sets it on the stove. Sits across from Charlotte. Takes her hands.

"You don't have to say anything."

Charlotte nods. Her throat is too tight to speak.

They sit. The kettle whistles. Mrs. Spencer makes tea. Earl Grey. Charlotte's favorite. She sets the cup in front of her daughter. Sits back down.

They don't talk. Not for an hour. Not for two. The sun sets outside the window. The kitchen grows dark. Mrs. Spencer turns on the small lamp over the sink. Warm light. Soft.

At three in the morning, Charlotte finally speaks.

"I lost a baby."

Mrs. Spencer's hand tightens on hers.

"He wasn't there. He was with her. And I drove in the rain looking for him and I—" Charlotte's voice breaks. "I woke up and she was gone. Emma. We were going to name her Emma."

Mrs. Spencer stands. Comes around the table. Wraps her arms around Charlotte. Charlotte buries her face in her mother's shoulder and cries. Really cries. For the first time in months. Not for Brendan. Not for the marriage. For the years she spent proving she was worth loving. For the baby she'll never hold. For the girl she used to be.

Her mother holds her. Doesn't shush her. Doesn't say it's okay. Just holds her.

Footsteps in the hallway. Mr. Spencer appears in the doorway. He looks at Charlotte. At his wife. He doesn't say anything. He just picks up Charlotte's suitcase from where she left it by the door. Carries it upstairs.

Charlotte hears his footsteps overhead. The creak of her old bedroom door. He's putting her things in her room. The room they kept. The room that waited.

She pulls back. Wipes her face. Her mother hands her a tissue.

"I'm sorry," Charlotte whispers. "For leaving. For all of it."

"No." Mrs. Spencer's voice is firm. "You have nothing to apologize for. Nothing. Do you hear me?"

Charlotte nods.

"You're home now. That's all that matters."

Mr. Spencer comes back downstairs. He pours himself tea. Sits at the table. Reaches over and squeezes Charlotte's hand once. Doesn't let go.

They sit together. The three of them. The kitchen is warm. The tea is hot. Outside, the Connecticut night is quiet and still.

Charlotte closes her eyes. For the first time in years, she feels safe.