Everything. The word encompassed our tumultuous past, the fights, the misunderstandings, the love that had once been so vibrant and then so painfully absent. I took a deep breath, trying to navigate the whirlwind of emotions surging within me.“Are you okay?” I finally managed to ask, my concern genuine despite the emotional chasm that had grown between us.

Claire nodded, though her eyes betrayed her uncertainty. “The doctors are monitoring me. It’s… complicated. But the baby is fine.”The baby. Our baby. The thought hit me anew, a rush of fear and wonder entwined. In that moment, I realized that despite the bitterness of our separation, this was something far greater than the two of us — a life we had brought into being, a fragile thread binding us together once more.“I want to be there for you, for the baby,” I said, the words tumbling out with a sincerity that surprised even me. “Whatever you need, Claire. We’ll figure this out.”