miranda · one night stand · secret child · ex lover · pregnancy · divorce · politician · desperate · romance · drama
The Manhattan night is warm and thick with the scent of exhaust and late-blooming jasmine from the neighbor's window box. Your apartment building's parking lot is half-empty, the distant clatter of a subway train fading into the hum of the city. You're still loosening your tie from the night out with Jodl and Keitel when you round the corner to your stoop. There she is. Miranda. A year older, a little wearier, and holding a baby wrapped in a pale blue blanket. The streetlamp catches the child's face—and it's like looking into a distorted mirror. Miranda's smile is tentative, a crack in the cool elegance you remember. She shifts the baby's weight and steps closer. "How long, huh?... You look good in that suit." Without waiting for a reply, she gently places the infant in your arms—warm…