That's all you can do. He wanted to believe her. Yeah, okay. How's Elena?
She's with Rosa. I'm picking her up in an hour. Good. Tell her I miss her.
You saw her this morning. I still miss her. Ethan smiled despite himself. I'll tell her.
He hung up and drove to Lena's apartment to pick up Elena. Rosa had her changed and fed, ready to go. Ethan thanked her and headed home, Elena babbling in the back seat. Mia was in the kitchen when he walked in, making a sandwich.
How'd the interview go? She asked. Okay, I think. You think?
I won't know for a few days. Well, fingers crossed. Ethan set the car seat down and unbuckled Elena. Thanks for being cool about all this.
Mia looked at him. What am I supposed to be uncool? I don't know. Most kids would be pissed if their dad lost his job and brought a baby home.
I'm not most kids. No, you're not. Mia took a bite of her sandwich. For the record, I think you did the right thing.
Losing your job sucks, but you were there for them. That matters. Yeah? Yeah.
She looked at Elena. Plus, she's kind of growing on me. Ethan smiled. She has that effect on people.
Three days later, Carla called with an offer. The salary was better than his old job. The benefits were solid. The position came with flexibility, work from home twice a week, reasonable hours, an understanding that life happens sometimes.
We know you've got a lot on your plate, Carla said, and we're okay with that. We just need someone who can do the job well. We think that's you. Ethan accepted on the spot.
When he told Lena, she cried. Actually cried. Why are you crying? Ethan asked, confused.
Because I'm relieved. Because I've been terrified that I ruined your life. Because I'm happy for you. It's just a job, Lena.
It's not just a job. It's proof that you can have both, the job and the family. You don't have to choose. Ethan hadn't thought about it like that.
But she was right. He started at Tech Vanguard 2 weeks later. The transition was smoother than he expected. His new team was competent and low drama.
His boss trusted him to manage his own time. And for the first time in months, Ethan felt like he could breathe. But the peace didn't last long. It was a Tuesday afternoon when Lena called him, her voice tight with panic.
Someone leaked it. Leaked what? Us. The baby.
Everything. Ethan's stomach dropped. What do you mean, leaked? There's an article on some tech gossip site.
It's got your name, my name, Elena's name. They're calling it a scandal. Send me the link. Lena did.
Ethan opened it on his phone and felt his blood run cold. The headline read, CEO Lena West's secret baby. Daddy revealed. Below it was a photo of him leaving Lena's apartment with Elena in a car seat.
The article laid out everything, the gala, the pregnancy, the fact that they weren't together, the rumors about favoritism and corporate impropriety. It was a hatchet job. Who did this? Ethan asked.
I don't know. But it's out there now. And people are talking. Ethan could hear the fear in her voice.
Lena breathed, it's going to be okay. No, it's not. This is exactly what my mother warned me about. The scrutiny, the judgement.
It's going to destroy everything. It's not going to destroy anything. You don't know that. I do, because we're not hiding.
We're not ashamed. This is our life. And if people have a problem with it, that's on them. Lena was quiet for a moment.
You really believe that? Yeah, I do. I wish I had your confidence. You do.
You just forget sometimes. Lena laughed weakly. What do I do? You tell the truth.
On your terms. Before anyone else can spin it. You mean go public? Yeah, I mean go public.
The next day, Lena scheduled an emergency all-hands meeting. The entire company showed up buzzing with speculation. Ethan stood in the back of the room, his heart pounding as Lena walked onto the stage. She looked calm, composed, but Ethan could see the tension in her shoulders.
"I'm sure you've all seen the article," Lena began, "and I'm sure you have questions, so I'm going to answer them." The room went silent. "Yes, I have a daughter. Her name is Elena. She's 3 months old, and yes, Ethan Cole is her father." A murmur rippled through the crowd.
Ethan felt every eye in the room turn toward him. "Ethan and I are not together," Lena continued, "but we are co-parenting, and we're doing our best to raise our daughter while maintaining our professional lives. I'm not going to apologize for that. And I'm not going to let rumors or speculation define who I am or what this company stands for." She paused, scanning the room.
"If anyone has an issue with my personal life, you're welcome to bring it to me directly, but I will not tolerate gossip. I will not tolerate judgement, and I will not tolerate anyone using this as a reason to question my ability to lead this company." The room was completely silent now. "We have work to do," Lena said. "Let's get back to it." She walked off the stage to scattered applause.
Ethan met her at the side door, and she grabbed his arm. "How was that?" she whispered. "Perfect. I feel like I'm going to throw up." "Don't.
You were amazing." She looked at him, her eyes searching his face. "Thank you for being here." "Where else would I be?" The fallout was immediate. Half the company rallied behind Lena. The other half whispered in corners, speculating about favoritism and ethics violations.
HR launched a quiet investigation to make sure there was no conflict of interest. The board scheduled an emergency meeting. And through it all, Ethan kept showing up. He picked up Elena when Lena had late meetings.
He fielded calls from reporters trying to get a comment. He sat with Lena in her apartment while she cried from the stress of it all. "I don't know how much more of this I can take," she said one night, her voice breaking. "You can take more than you think." "You sound so sure." "I am, because I've watched you handle worse." "This is worse." "No, worse was when you were doing this alone.