PART 1 — HE CHOSE THE CRUISE

Three days after my doctor ordered strict bed rest for my high-risk triplet pregnancy, my husband boarded a luxury cruise ship and left me behind. At first, I told myself Daniel was simply selfish. I did not yet realize that the vacation was connected to a much deeper betrayal.

The glossy cruise brochure had remained on our kitchen counter for days. Daniel repeatedly picked it up, studied the photographs, and reread the letter attached to it. According to him, he had won a four-month cruise through a sales competition at work. Meals were included, there would be stops at tropical islands, and it was the kind of vacation we had only ever seen in travel advertisements.

“For once, something good has happened to us,” he said.

I wanted to believe him. I never saw an official announcement from his company, but Daniel carried the printed letter everywhere and spoke about the trip so confidently that I never questioned it.

Two weeks later, we were sitting in Dr. Evans’s office, staring at an ultrasound monitor. She turned the screen toward us.

“Helen, you are carrying triplets.”

Daniel gave a shocked laugh.

“Three babies?”

“Yes,” she said. “But your blood pressure is extremely high. With a multiple pregnancy, that makes the situation much more serious.”

My throat tightened.

“What do I need to do?”

“You are twenty-four weeks pregnant,” she explained. “I need you to stay off your feet as much as possible, beginning immediately. Strict bed rest gives us the best chance of delaying delivery.”

Daniel leaned toward her.

“For the rest of the pregnancy?”

“For as long as it remains safe for Helen to carry the babies.”

I looked at Daniel.

“We need to cancel the cruise.”

He loosened his tie and glanced toward the brochure tucked inside his briefcase.

“We do not have to decide immediately.”

“I do,” I said. “I am carrying three babies, and my doctor has ordered bed rest. There is no trip.”

Daniel said nothing during the drive home. An hour later, I heard the closet door close and the sound of a suitcase zipper. He appeared in the hallway carrying his luggage.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“Packing.”

“For what?”

“The cruise leaves in three days.”

For a moment, I thought he was joking.

“You cannot be serious.”

He placed the suitcase on the floor and rubbed his face.

“Helen, listen to me before you get upset.”

“Before I get upset?”

“This trip was supposed to be the one good thing we had,” he said. “Everything has become bills, stress, and problems. Now there is this.”

I rested my hand over my stomach.

“These are our children, Daniel.”

“I know.”

“Then stay.”

He avoided my eyes.

“Maybe I need some time away to think. I can come back rested, and then we will deal with everything.”

“You want to leave your pregnant wife on bed rest so you can clear your mind?”

“I will call. I will check on you. It is not like I am disappearing.”

“Who will bring groceries? Who will cook? Who will drive me to the hospital if something happens?”

He shrugged.

“You always manage to figure things out.”

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