The Act of Love

Sheila has loved Xavier Leeson since high school, when she stopped him from attempting suicide. He waited five years for her, and their marriage seemed like a gift. Then she miscarries their first child after catching him with Rachel Solis, a nurse at his hospital. He kneels, swears his loyalty never wavered, and she chooses to believe him.

After an arduous struggle to conceive again, she finally becomes pregnant. But on the hospital rooftop she overhears Xavier tell his colleagues that being with her feels like a task, and that a child from her feels dirty because of her past. Below, she watches him stroke Rachel's hair, then follows them to the old house he claimed he had rented out. A pregnancy test in the trash reveals Rachel is pregnant too.

Calmly, she restores everything and returns home, burning the medical reports and medication she once endured. When Xavier asks for their maternity things for a pregnant colleague, she agrees. She no longer wants the child, or him.