Chapter 5 - The Friday Morning Lineup
The alarm on my phone went off at 5:30 AM on Friday.
I hadn’t slept. Every time I closed my eyes, I heard the muffled murmur of Jake packing his duffel bag in the guest room and the soft click of his door closing around 3:00 AM.
I stood by the bedroom window, parting the blinds just enough to look out onto the quiet suburban street. Down below, sitting right at the curb, was a dark blue Ford pickup truck idling with its headlights on.
Even from the second-floor window, I could see the silhouette of Cody in the driver’s seat and Mason in the passenger side. In the extended cab behind them, a dark-haired figure leaned against the window—Chloe.
The front door of our house opened.
I watched Jake walk down the front steps carrying a heavy canvas duffel bag and his favorite leather jacket. He didn't look back at the house once. He tossed his bag into the truck bed, opened the rear door, and climbed inside beside Chloe.
Within seconds, the truck shifted into gear, its taillights glowing red against the damp asphalt before turning down the corner and disappearing into the morning mist.
I let the blinds snap back against the frame.
The house was dead silent. The air conditioner hummed, and somewhere in the distance, a dog barked. I walked down the stairs to the kitchen, poured myself a cup of coffee, and sat at the dining table, looking out over the backyard.
For the first twenty minutes, I felt nothing. Just a cold, numb efficiency. My life had completely imploded, yet the sun was still coming up, painting the Colorado sky in shades of pale pink and orange just like the clouds Jake had painted on the nursery wall.
Then my phone buzzed on the table.
It wasn't Jake. It was an email notification from our joint credit card company, alerting me to a pending transaction processed three minutes ago at a gas station four blocks away.
Beneath the standard transaction alert was a second notification—an automated message from the obstetrician’s office portal regarding my routine lab results from yesterday afternoon.
I opened the portal with trembling fingers, expecting the usual check-box confirmation that everything was normal.
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Instead, a secure message from Dr. Keller sat at the top of the inbox:
Olivia, please call the office as soon as you open this. Your bloodwork from yesterday shows an unexpected spike in protein levels, and combined with your symptoms, we need to discuss moving your delivery date up. Please come in this morning.
