"Emma, please..." I try.
"No." She holds up a hand, stopping me. "I don't want to hear it. Not from either of you."
She storms upstairs. A door slams. Ethan bursts into tears, scared by the yelling and the anger and the way everything feels wrong.
Jackson moves to comfort him, picking him up. "Hey, hey. It's okay, buddy. Mom's just upset."
"Mommy mad! Mommy crying!" Ethan sobs against Jackson's shoulder.
"I know, she'll be okay." Jackson bounces him gently, making soothing sounds.
I stand here, pendant heavy against my chest, feeling like I'm drowning in the consequences of our choices.
Jackson looks at me over Ethan's head, his face devastated.
"She hates us," I whisper.
"She doesn't hate us, she's hurt."
"Same thing."
"No, it's not." He continues to bounce Ethan. "We’ll let her calm down, then we’ll speak to her and fix this.”
"How? We lied for months, Jackson. We lied to her while she was pregnant, while she was terrified about Sofia, while she..."
"I know." His voice is rough, strained. "I know what we did. But we're not giving up, not on her, not on each other."
Ethan's crying subsides into hiccups. "Want Mommy."
"Soon, buddy. Let's give Mom a minute, okay?" Jackson sets him down with his blocks, then crosses to me and takes my hands.
"We're in this together," he says. "Whatever happens with Emma, we face it together. Okay?"
I nod even though I feel like I'm going to be sick.
Upstairs, I hear Emma crying, the sound muffled but unmistakable. It breaks something in me.
"I need to go talk to her."
"Maya..."
"She's my best friend, I need to try."
He squeezes my hands, then lets go. "Okay. But if she kicks you out, I'm going with you."
"You can't leave Emma right now..."
"I mean it." His eyes are fierce, protective. "We're together. If she can't handle that, then we'll figure it out."
I kiss him quickly, then head upstairs, my heart pounding.
Emma's door is closed. I knock softly.
"Go away."
"Emma, please."
"There's nothing to talk about."
