Karen entered the manse quickly, locking the door behind her and pulling the chain across.
"Rosario! Can you watch Cailyn for a while?"
Rosario came into the foyer quickly, surprised at the request. Karen hardly ever left Cailyn out of her sight. "Sure, lady. What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Karen said briskly. "Cailyn, sweetie? Go with Rosie and she'll get you a snack, okay?"
Karen trudged up the stairs and went into her bedroom. She shut the door and walked into her enormous closet, shutting that door behind her as well. Karen closed her eyes and screamed at the top of her lungs until she collapsed in tears on the nearby chaise lounge.
Half an hour after Karen returned home, Will was at the front door. Rosario let him in, not fully knowing what was going on, but knowing that Will was here to make amends. He ran up the stairs to Karen's room and knocked before he walked in. She was sitting at her vanity, staring at a photo album of the past year. It was every single picture taken of Cailyn and herself, as well as her friends.
"Karen?"
She met his eyes in the mirror, her expression one of pure pain. "Will? What happened today?"
Will explained everything to Karen exactly the way that Stan had told him. She listened intently, but could still not understand why he couldn't have said something.
"Thanks for coming over here to tell me, honey." Karen said as she got up and began to walk out of her room to feed Cailyn.
"Karen, there's one more thing." She turned to him as she put her hand on the doorknob. "Stan wants to see you and meet Cailyn."
Karen hesitated for a moment before answering. "Tell him that I'll meet him at noon tomorrow, in your office. But that Cailyn will not be joining me." She said as she walked down the hall to her daughter's room.
The next day, Karen walked into Will's office in one of her sharp, black Gucci suits. She hadn't worn one in so long, it seemed almost odd to her to put on high heels and a skirt. Since she'd had Cailyn, she'd favored jeans and slacks. Walking over to the conference room, Karen took in a deep breath as she saw Will waiting for her outside the door.
"You're sure you want to do this?" he asked before opening the door.
Karen nodded. "Yeah, honey. I'm sure."
Will opened the door and allowed Karen to go in first. Stan stood up from his seat and stood next to the table. Karen walked directly up to him, and without missing a beat, slapped him hard across his face. Will rushed over and pulled her away as she had brought her hand back to strike him again. Wiggling out of his grasp, Karen began to speak.
"You son of a bitch! Do you have any idea what you've done to me? I have cried myself to sleep for over a year and a half because I thought I'd lost you!"
"Karen," Stan began, "I am so sorry. I was only thinking of you and the kids."
"You selfish bastard! If you were thinking about us, you would have said something sooner. You would have been there for the birth of our daughter. You would have been around for the first year of her life!"
"Karen, please. I'm sorry. It wasn't safe to come back until now. If I had known about the baby, I would have figured out a way."
"So you would have figured out a way to come back if you knew about my child, but not for me?" she snapped back at him.
Stan began to stutter. "No, no! You misunderstood me!"
"I didn't misunderstand anything, Stan. You said it yourself."
"Karen, please. I'm here now and I want to be part of her life. I'm her father."
Karen pursed her lips. "No, Stan! Cailyn only has one father and he's standing right next to me." She screamed, pointing at Will. "Will has been there for everything. He gave Cailyn her name. He was in the room with me when she was born. He took her to the park, and gave her baths. And he rocked her to sleep at night when I would cry over you!"
"Please, baby. Don't keep her from me. We tried for so long. Please let me know her." Stan pleaded with her.
"I'll think about it, Stan. But as of right now, I wouldn't hold your breath." She opened the conference room door, but turned back. "And don't call me baby!" She slammed the door behind her, leaving Stan and Will both shocked and speechless. Karen walked quickly through the office, not caring that everyone in the firm was staring at her, and made her way into the elevator so that she could go home to her daughter.
