He didn’t answer.
The silence said more than any excuse could.
Then he pushed back his chair.
“You have no idea what these last few months have been like for me!”
I stared at him.
“For you?”
“Yes, Maddie! For me!”
His voice rose.
“Ever since Sophie was born, everything revolves around her. Feeding schedules. Diapers. Naps. You barely ask about my
day anymore.”
I felt tears gathering in my eyes.
He continued.
“You stopped being the woman I married.”
The words struck painfully.
Because in the privacy of my own thoughts, I’d already been asking myself the same question.
Had motherhood changed me too much?
Had I stopped being interesting?
Had exhaustion made me someone he no longer wanted?
Then I looked at Sophie.
She was sleeping against my mother’s shoulder.
And I remembered the nights I’d spent awake alone.
The missed dinners.
The unanswered messages.
The times I’d begged for twenty minutes of help.
I looked back at Elon.
“Everything became about Sophie because you stopped being here to share it with me.”
He opened his mouth.
I continued.
“You told me you were working late. You said you were at meetings. You left me alone night after night.”
He looked away.
“And instead of telling me you were unhappy,
you found someone else.”
His voice dropped.
“So you’re going to embarrass me in front of everyone?”
I shook my head.
“I’m telling the truth in front of the people we spent years convincing that everything was fine.”
Then I walked to the drawer and retrieved the folder.
I placed our prenuptial agreement on the table.
Right beside the cherry pie.
Elon stared at it.
“What are you doing?”
“Remember this?”
His parents exchanged a glance.
I turned toward Eve and Alex.
“When we got married, you asked us to sign this agreement to protect the family business.”
Eve nodded slowly.
“I remember.”
“I signed it because I loved your son. And because I wanted everyone to feel secure.”
Then I looked at Elon.
“But I’m grateful I had it reviewed before making any decisions about giving up my career or financial independence.”
He frowned.
“You think you’re getting everything?”
No.”
I remained calm.
“I think I deserve to know my rights before you make any more decisions about my life without me.”
His eyes moved toward Sophie.
“So you’re taking my daughter away?”
