She wiped her cheek.
“Eventually, Mark became obsessed with having a child.”
I felt my hand move instinctively toward my stomach.
“And that’s why you divorced?”
“No,” Claire said.
“That’s why things started falling apart.”
She looked at Mark.
“He blamed himself. Then he blamed me. Then he started believing that staying married to me meant giving up the family he wanted.”
Mark whispered,
“I was wrong.”
“Yes, you were.”
Claire turned back to me.
“When we finally divorced, he promised he would never abandon me completely.”
I stared at her.
“So that’s why he gives you money?”
She nodded.
“And that’s why I still have an interest in this house?”
“Yes.”
I looked at Mark.
“You gave Claire part of our house?”
“Not exactly.”
“Then explain it.”
Mark took a deep breath.
“When Claire and I divorced, we sold the house we owned together. The money was divided. But she used almost everything she had to pay medical debts.”
