My husband was constantly visiting our surrogate mother to make sure she was okay. I hid a tape recorder, and what I heard ended our marriage.

He

The surrogacy agency removed Ethan from the process after hearing the recording. The contracts were reviewed. Everything was rewritten with my lawyer present, and Ethan’s name no longer appeared on any document.

Claire apologized, with tears in her eyes.

“I thought I was helping a father protect his baby. I never would have agreed to any of that if I had known what I was really doing.”

I took her hand and squeezed it gently. “I believe you.”

The divorce was finalized a few months later.

Ethan fought for custody. His lawyer tried to justify what he had said in the recording, but it didn’t work.

The judge ruled in my favor.

And when I finally held my little one in my arms for the first time, I understood something that Ethan never knew.

A baby is not a step towards a new beginning.