He looked out the window at the gray Chicago skyline.

“The babies are three months old,” Ethan said. “They need a father who is actually there.”

“And the house in Lake Forest?” she asked.

“I’m staying there,” he said. “It’s their home.”

Evelyn nodded slowly, then reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Take care of them, Ethan,” she said.

She picked up her briefcase and walked out, leaving the two of us alone in the quiet boardroom.

Ethan stood up and walked over to where I was standing.

He looked at my uniform, then at the folder containing my cleared name.

“You don’t have to wear that anymore, Grace,” he said.

“It’s what I have right now,” I said.

“I want you to come back to Lake Forest,” he said.

I looked down at the carpet.

“As a nurse?” I asked.

“As whatever you want,” Ethan said. “But the children know your voice. They sleep when you are in the room.”

I thought of the quiet nursery, the four cribs, and the soft breathing of the babies.