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“Mel! You won’t believe what happened,” she said, barely containing her laughter. “HR finally caught wind of what Ethan did. Leaving his wife after two surrogacies? It got around fast. And they’ve been questioning his character. He’s been dismissed.”
“Wait, seriously?” I asked, frowning. “They actually fired him?”
“Yes, it wrecked his reputation. And once he knew that people were aware of his actions… he started slipping up at work. It was grounds for being fired. And, that’s not even the best part,” Jamie added. “He tried dating that new girl in marketing. You know, the one we laughed at during the Christmas party?”
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“Well, she was showing everyone her beach selfies,” I said, almost laughing at the memory.
“Anyway, she blocked him. And she’s telling everyone how toxic he is. Everyone knows it. Oh… and Mel?”
“Yes?” I asked, afraid of what she’d say next.
“He moved back in with his mom. That was the address he gave for his things to be sent over,” Jamie said.
For a second, I didn’t know what to say. The weight of everything he’d put me through sat heavy in my chest. But under it, something else flickered. It wasn’t joy or even revenge.
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It was relief.
Jamie messaged me a photo a few weeks later. It was of Ethan at Target — unshaven and wearing a threadbare hoodie. His face looked older and bloated somehow. Even his eyes seemed dull.
Not long after that, at a postnatal checkup, a kind nutritionist named Dr. Lewis gently took me under her wing.
“Melissa,” she said. “Have you ever thought about working with someone to rebalance your hormones?”
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“No,” I said, shaking my head. “I guess I didn’t know I had the option.”
“No pressure,” she said. “But you’ve given so much of your body to others. Maybe it’s time to come back to it.”
“Maybe it is,” I said, feeling something in me soften.
With her help, I began again. It started with slow walks, quiet meals, and clothes that fit instead of hiding. I was instructed not to use a scale. And soon, I started returning to myself.
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Then came the call from Victoria — Hazel’s mother.
