When Julia nearly dies giving birth to their daughter Lily, she expects her husband, Ryan, to be her source of strength during recovery. But instead of bonding with their newborn, Ryan becomes distant and begins disappearing every night. Confused and hurt, Julia eventually follows him—only to discover he has been attending a support group at a recovery center. He isn’t abandoning his family at all; he is struggling with trauma from witnessing Julia’s near-death experience during labor.
Listening through the window, Julia learns that Ryan’s distance from Lily comes from fear, not rejection. Every time he looks at their daughter, he relives the moment he almost lost his wife. He worries that getting too attached will make the pain unbearable if anything goes wrong again. Instead of burdening Julia during her recovery, he chooses to seek help in secret.
