Chapter 6 - The Lie About the Baby
Vanessa shook her head before anyone spoke.
“That signature is fake.”
Miriam zoomed in. “The payment came from Crane Strategic Consulting.”
“I have employees.”
“Your company has one employee,” Dad said. “You.”
Vanessa’s face flushed.
I looked at the medical summary. It listed bloodwork, imaging, and a fertility consultation.
Adrian stared at it too.
His voice dropped. “You went to a fertility specialist?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
I almost screamed.
“Because the doctor said there was nothing wrong with me.”
He blinked.
“The follow-up recommendation was for both partners to be tested. I asked you three times to come with me. You said you were too busy.”
Vanessa’s hand moved to her stomach again.
The gesture was automatic.
I saw Miriam notice it.
So did Dad.
Adrian looked between us. “What?”
Miriam asked Vanessa, “How far along are you?”
“Seven weeks.”
“Who confirmed the pregnancy?”
“That is none of your business.”
Adrian turned. “Vanessa.”
She snapped, “I took three home tests.”
“You told me Dr. Carver confirmed it.”
“I said I had an appointment.”
“No, you said confirmed.”
Her confidence finally cracked.
“I am pregnant.”
“Then show me the test.”
“I threw them away.”
Adrian stared at her.
She slapped her purse against her side. “This is ridiculous. Your wife calls Daddy and suddenly I’m on trial?”
“My wife?” he repeated softly.
The word seemed to surprise him.
For the first time that night, I saw that he was no longer sure Vanessa had told him the truth about anything.
My phone buzzed.
A message from my gynecologist’s office appeared, triggered by an old patient portal alert. I almost ignored it.
Then I read the subject.
LAB RESULT UPDATED.
I opened it.
A genetic carrier screening result had been corrected after a lab processing issue. That was all.
But beneath it was a note from the fertility consultation I had forgotten.
PARTNER TESTING STRONGLY RECOMMENDED DUE TO POSSIBLE MALE-FACTOR INFERTILITY.
I looked up at Adrian.
He was still staring at Vanessa.
Dad’s phone rang.
He stepped away, listened, then looked at me.
“The bank audit found something else,” he said.
“What?”
“Vanessa wasn’t the only person receiving transfers.”
Adrian went pale again.
“There’s a second account,” Dad said. “Under your husband’s name.”
“And?”
May you like
Dad’s jaw tightened.
“It’s been sending money to a clinic in Zurich for eleven months.”
