Chapter 5 - The Crawl
Two days later, my hospital room was filled with fresh white lilies and security guards stationed outside the door.
My contractions had subsided, but Dr. Aris insisted I remain under observation until my thirty-sixth week. Arthur Pendelton sat in the corner armchair, quietly reading the morning paper while keeping his eyes on the hallway.
A quiet knock sounded at the door.
Arthur stood up immediately, his hand resting near his suit jacket. He opened the door a few inches, spoke to a security guard, and then turned to me.
"It’s Caleb," Arthur said, his voice laced with disgust. "The court granted him temporary supervised release on a bail bond posted by his uncle. He wants to see you."
I took a slow breath, resting my hands on my bump. "Let him in, Arthur. But stay right here."
Caleb walked into the room, and he looked like a shell of the man I had married. His suit was wrinkled, his eyes were bloodshot and dark-ringed, and his hands were shaking uncontrollably.
"Maya..." he whispered, stopping ten feet from my bed, terrified of Arthur’s presence. "Maya, please... you have to listen to me."
"I’m listening, Caleb," I said coldly.
He dropped to his knees right on the linoleum floor, tears streaming down his face. "I was stupid! I was terrified! Mom told me that if we didn't get that $23,000 cash to her lender by 5:00 PM on Sunday, they were going to repossess her house and put her in jail! She manipulated me, Maya! She’s been controlling my whole life!"
"You watched me fall into that pool, Caleb," I said, my voice steady and deadly quiet. "You saw your eight-month pregnant wife under the water, dragging a heavy dress, and you didn't even reach out your hand."
"I panicked!" he sobbed, reaching toward me, though Arthur stepped forward instantly, causing Caleb to pull his hands back. "I knew Arthur was there! I knew you could swim! I swear to God, Maya, I love you! I love our baby! Please tell the D.A. to drop the assault charges! If I go to prison, my life is over!"
"Your life as a pampered, spineless coward is over," I corrected him. "You didn't care about our baby when you used my stolen trust money to cover your mother's fraud. You didn't care about our baby when you grabbed my arm at my own shower."
"Maya, please!" he begged, slamming his forehead against the floor. "We’re a family! Rourkes stick together!"
"I am not a Rourke," I said, pulling out a legal document from my bedside drawer and tossing it onto the floor in front of him. "And neither is my daughter."
Caleb looked at the paper through his tears.
May you like
"That is an emergency petition for absolute divorce, full annulment based on fraud, and a total termination of your parental rights," I told him. "Sign it, or Marcus Vance will ensure the D.A. seeks the maximum twelve-year sentence for your federal wire fraud charges."
Caleb stared at the document, his body shaking as he realized he had lost everything he had ever tried to steal.
