Summary

Martha went to a tattoo parlor she and Ingrid had visited a year earlier and asked for the map of the Hebrides to be inked on her hand. For the first time, she shared her diagnosis with a complete stranger. As she watched the tattoo artist work, she reflected on all the doctors who had been wrong about her having a baby and stopped lying to herself: that was the one thing she had wanted most her entire adult life. She vowed not to share this precious discovery with Patrick.

When she returned home, Patrick was eating takeout and watching television. She would not allow him this simple pleasure; instead, she unleashed her rage, finding out that he already knew her diagnosis from clues she had been leaving. While they argued about having a child, Patrick finally blurted out that he did not...