He switched off the ignition and turned to face her, his face a mask of fury. “Oh, this is just perfect. You planned this, didn’t you? You deliberately chose today to ruin my mother’s birthday.”

Lena was speechless. “Planned it? Mark, what are you talking about? It’s a baby! He decides when he’s ready to be born, not me!”

“You should have thought of that before!” he yelled, his voice rising. “You could have held on until tomorrow! Now everything is ruined because of you. Mom was looking forward to this so much!”

Tears of shock and hurt streamed down Lena’s face. The physical pain of the contractions was now intertwined with the excruciating pain of his words. “Mark, please,” she begged, her voice breaking. “I’m scared. Help me.”