Chapter 4: The Quiet Discharge
On Friday morning, three days after the birth, Laura was cleared for discharge.
There were no town cars idling at the main entrance, no photographers from the society pages, and no elaborate floral arrangements sent by the Hayes family.
Instead, Maya pulled her reliable, all-wheel-drive station wagon into the private subterranean ambulance bay beneath the hospital.
Marcus Sterling personally wheeled Laura down the service elevator, carrying her duffel bag while Laura held Leo securely in his infant carrier.
"Take care of that boy, Laura," Marcus smiled warmly, helping her step into the passenger seat. "And take care of yourself. Don't lift anything heavier than this baby for the next four weeks."
"I won't, Marcus. Thank you for standing in the doorway when it mattered most," Laura replied, shaking his hand with genuine gratitude.
As the car emerged from the tunnel into the crisp, blue autumn light of Boston, Laura looked out the window at the brick brownstones of the Back Bay.
In their penthouse on Commonwealth Avenue, Derek was likely meeting with his high-priced litigation attorneys, drafting threats and calculating leverage. But Laura was not heading to the Back Bay.
She had already surrendered the lease on the penthouse three weeks ago, quietly transferring her personal books, her research servers, and her baby nursery furniture into secure storage.
"Where are we heading?" Maya asked, merging onto Route 3 South toward the coast.
May you like
"To the Cape," Laura said, leaning her head back against the headrest, watching the salt marshes begin to replace the concrete overpasses. "To the only place that ever felt like an honest home."
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