After two years behind the wheel, Cleo had seen every kind of passenger a taxi could carry: the 3 a.m. party crowds stumbling over their feet, families racing to catch flights, and guilty-looking businessmen who reeked of cocktails and bad decisions. She’d heard every story, dried more than a few tears, and learned to read people before they even opened her cab door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The yellow cab’s headlights cut through the November fog as Cleo guided her taxi down the empty streets of downtown that night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her back ached and the baby seemed determined to practice gymnastics against her ribs. At eight months pregnant, her night shift was getting harder. But bills don’t pay themselves, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The mention of home brought unwanted memories flooding back. Five months ago, she’d bounded up those same stairs to their apartment, her heart racing with excitement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She’d planned everything perfectly \u2014 the candle-lit dinner, her husband Mark’s favorite lasagna, the little pair of baby shoes she’d wrapped in silver paper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mark had stared at the shoes, his face draining of color. The silence stretched until Cleo couldn’t bear it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Say something.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“I can’t do this, Cleo.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“What do you mean, you can’t?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Jessica’s pregnant too. With my child. Three months along.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The candles had burned low as Cleo’s world collapsed. Jessica. His secretary. The woman he’d sworn was “just a friend.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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