handing me a newborn with no explanation. He placed the baby into my arms.”Ellie,” he said, his brows furrowing deeply as he sat on the couch, his head in his hands.”Can you look after her for just a few days?” he asked in his usual reserved tone, avoiding my gaze as he prepared to leave for work again.”Wait!” I called out, completely confused at what was going on.How could William just walk in and hand me a baby that I didn’t know existed?”Where did she come from? Who is she?” I pressed, but he was evasive, murmuring about work emergencies and the need to look for a nanny soon.William got up,went to the kitchen before heading out.He began making a sandwich, but his entire demeanor was off. His hand shook slightly, and he had a frown on his face.”What’s going on?” I asked, holding the baby tightly—grateful that she was still asleep.”I’ll explain everything when I get home,” he said quietly.He picked up his sandwich and a bottle of juice and ran out to his car.As I held the baby, a chill crept up my spine. Something was profoundly wrong. William didn’t have any family that he kept in contact with, so the thought of the baby belonging to a family member didn’t seem to add up.The baby began to squirm, and I knew that she needed to be changed. So, I took her to my room along with the diaper bag that my stepdad had left at the door.Unwrapping the baby from her blanket, I saw a note attached to the baby’s blanket—the name, Abby, with an address written.The name and address on the blanket felt like a breadcrumb in a dark forest. With my stepdad gone and the baby gazing up at me with innocent eyes, I made a decision—I needed answers.My mind raced with the possibilities of who the baby was.Was there a chance that the baby was William’s? It had been years since my mother had died, and my stepdad hadn’t actually dated anyone since. Or at least, not that I knew of.”You can see other people, it’s okay with me,” I told him one day when we were walking back from my mother’s grave.”Thank you for saying that, Ellie,” he said. “But I don’t think I can. Your mother was the one for me.”For the years leading up to this moment—William had never been with another woman. He did see his friends all the time, getting together for sports and beer, but I had never known him to date.But now, looking at the baby, I wasn’t convinced.I changed the baby while trying to decide what to do next. Abby was innocent in this mix. And I didn’t have an issue taking care of her, but I wasn’t going to be around for much longer.In a split moment, I made a decision. I needed answers. I packed the essentials and with the baby in tow, got a cab—headed to the address from the blanket.The house was modest, the garden unkempt, with an old bicycle lying in the middle. My heart pounded as I rang the bell, each chime echoing my escalating fears. The door opened to a face etched with worry that melted into relief upon seeing her child.”Oh, my little Abby,” she gasped, her arms instinctively reaching out for her baby.Between sobs, she unfolded her tale of loss and desperation.”There was no way out for my husband, Jerry, and I,” she said. “He lost his job, and I don’t have one. The debts just kept getting worse. Giving up Abby was our only chance of survival.””How do you know William?” I asked, uncertain if I wanted to know the truth.
