The hospital room smelled like disinfectant and formula.
Adrien slept curled on her chest, his tiny fists clenched like he was already bracing for the world. Ava hadn't slept in thirty hours. The painkillers were fading. But the ache wasn't just physical anymore.
The door creaked open.
He walked in — Alex. Hoodie, unbothered. Hands in his pockets like this was some casual visit. Like he hadn't missed the entire delivery. Like he hadn't ignored her messages while she screamed through ten hours of labour.
"You look like shit," he said, lips twitching like it was a joke.
Ava didn't laugh.
She didn't even flinch.
She just held Adrien tighter.
"I gave birth alone," she said flatly, eyes on the sleeping baby. "You knew I was due. You knew."
"I was busy," he muttered, glancing at the baby. "Is that him?"
A nod.
He walked over slowly, peering down like the child was an exhibit. He didn't touch him. Didn't ask to hold him. Just stared.
"He's got your nose," Alex said, and it should've made her heart swell. But it didn't.
"Where were you?" she whispered. "During everything?"
Alex shrugged. "Does it matter now?"
She blinked — slow, steady — trying not to cry again. She'd cried enough. On the hospital bed. In the bathroom while changing her pad. While feeding Adrien for the first time with shaking hands.
Now, she was done.
He sat on the couch, pulled out his phone, and started texting.
She looked at him then.
Really looked.
And she didn't see the boy she'd fallen in love with. She saw the one who'd slapped her for laughing. The one who hit her ribs so hard she couldn't breathe. The one who said "Sorry" and then did it again the next day. And the next.
He didn't ask how she was healing. He didn't ask if she needed help. He didn't ask how many stitches she'd gotten, or whether Adrien had cried through the night.
She wanted to scream, "I almost died. Alone."
But she didn't.
Because she wasn't surprised anymore.
She was just... done.
She kissed Adrien's forehead and whispered again, "You've got me, baby. Just me."
Then she turned away, and for the first time in a long time, she didn't care whether Alex stayed or left.
Because deep down — she already knew.
He was never really there to begin with.