I bought a play mat for the living room. It was bright and patterned all over with little animals.

Coco bounced on it, laughing, and watching her I suddenly felt how much I'd let slip away over these years.

But it wasn't too late. As long as I started, no moment was too late to start walking toward a better life.

I opened the job app and sent out another résumé.

That night, a little past nine, Coco was already asleep and I was mopping the living room.

Peter pushed the door open and came in.

He stood at the entryway changing his shoes, his eyes landing on the play mat, and his brow furrowed.

"It's in the way."

"It's not. Takes two seconds to roll up."

His frown deepened. I didn't want to hear another one of his lectures, so I got there first. "Besides, all you do at home now is sleep. How is it in your way?"

He looked at me, and in the end said nothing, just turned and went to the bathroom.

When the water started running, I dug a food delivery receipt out of his coat pocket.

The address was an upscale neighborhood.

A can of imported formula, two sets of kids' pajamas, and a scatter of other children's things.

He'd never put that much care into Coco.

Without a word, I slipped the receipt back where it had been.

The next day, I took Coco and went to Julia Fox's door.

Julia was thinner than in college, but her face hadn't changed much. When she saw it was me she smiled, as if she'd known I would come.

"You're here."

I didn't say anything. Facing the woman I'd thought of as my "rival," I didn't know what I was supposed to feel.

"I came because of Peter."

"Come in first."

Julia waved me inside and carried the two children off to the kids' room to play on their own.

I looked around the apartment.

It was warm, cozy. Nothing like Peter's hand.

Had I never understood him? Or was this side of him something he'd simply never shown me?

"You came at a good time." Julia poured me a cup of tea. "I'd been meaning to go find you, actually."

"Peter told me back then that the two of you had been separated for a long time, that you just hadn't filed the paperwork, and you lived your own lives."

Even though I'd braced myself for it, hearing the words out of someone's mouth still felt like a needle going in.

"I didn't believe him," she went on. "But I'd just gotten back from overseas, I was buried at work, my child had just been weaned, and the few nannies I tried weren't right. Peter said he could help, so I didn't turn him down."

She said it so openly that I was the one left not knowing what to do.

"Sheila." She said my name softly, her tone turning more serious. "I'm telling you all this today, but I'm not trying to take your man."

"I dated Peter back in college. You know what kind of person he is. So do I."

"Then what do you want?"

I was genuinely confused. If she didn't even like Peter, why was she doing any of this?

Julia took a sip of tea. "I just made partner last month. The firm has a stack of cases lined up for me, and I'm lucky to get five hours of sleep a night."

"I hired two nannies. One fed my child scalding oatmeal just to skimp on formula money, and the second sat there on her phone while the baby cried beside her."

"Sheila, you're a mother too. You know a child needs care, and needs someone there with them."

"But I don't have the time. I put in this much effort and these many years to get where I am. I'm not about to throw away my career for a man or a child."

"So that's why you came to me?" My throat was a little dry.

She pushed a contract across the table toward me.

Eighteen thousand after taxes, with room, board, and everything else covered on top of that. Genuinely good terms.

"And Coco's the same age as Ethan. With the two of them together, they'd have each other to play with."

"So you posted that photo to your feed on purpose, and slipped the receipt into Peter's pocket—just to get me to come knocking?"

Julia smiled a little. "You're a wonderful mother. Peter just never gave your worth its due."

I looked at the contract, unable to decide.

What Julia was offering me really was a once-in-a-lifetime chance. But could I just take it so easily—

She seemed to read my hesitation. "Ethan isn't Peter's son. You don't have to carry any guilt over that."

She sighed, letting a rare flicker of vulnerability show. "And I'm not handing you charity. The truth is, I need you, Sheila."

"Besides, I can handle your divorce for you."

"You'd take my case?" I lifted my eyes to her. "But you're Peter's—"

"I'm Peter's ex-girlfriend. But first and foremost, I'm a lawyer."

She paused.

"Sheila, you need to be clear with yourself. Did you come here to have it out with me, or to get back what's rightfully Coco's?"

From the children's room came the sounds of Coco and Ethan, the two of them at the piano, the melody broken and halting, their giggles never stopping.

"Why do you want to help me?"

"Like I just said, I need you." Julia met my eyes openly. "I've gone through several nannies, and not one of them could let me walk out the door and go to work without worrying. But you're different. You've raised Coco so well. I trust what you can do."

"And the divorce case?"

"That's an added service." She gave a small smile. "Once you sign this contract, you're my people. And I'm not about to let Peter push around someone of mine for nothing."

"Besides, putting you in this kind of work is honestly a waste of you."

I was quiet for a moment.

Peter had never once shown me that kind of consideration.

"You trust me that much?"

"Back in college, I already knew exactly what kind of person you are."

There was no doubt in her voice.

And the irony of it hit me.

Julia could tell from a few years of knowing each other in college that I was someone worth counting on.

While Peter, who lived with me day in and day out, called me a woman too greedy for things, too useless to keep a home.

"All right. I accept."