Chapter 4: The Date That Changed Everything
Nobody spoke.
Vanessa stood beside the dessert table, one hand pressed against her stomach, the other gripping the back of a chair.
Daniel stared at her.
"Don't," he said.
She looked at him as though she had never seen him before.
"Don't what?""
"Don't start making accusations in front of everyone.""
Vanessa laughed once, but there was no humor in it.
"You invited your ex-wife to our baby shower with a message telling her she could never give you a child. You humiliated her in front of forty people. And now you're telling me not to ask questions?""
Daniel glanced around the room.
"Everyone needs to leave.""
Margaret crossed her arms.
"No, Daniel. I think everyone should hear this.""
He pointed toward the front door.
"This is my house.""
"And these are your guests," Margaret replied.
"You wanted an audience. Congratulations. You have one.""
I barely heard their argument.
My eyes were fixed on Vanessa.
"What's the date?""
She looked at me.
"What?""
"The date you said you conceived your baby.""
She swallowed.
"January seventeenth. Four years ago.""
My stomach dropped.
I turned toward Dr. Harris.
He slowly opened the envelope again.
"Claire, the transfer authorization is dated January fifteenth.""
Two days.
Two days separated the embryo transfer from Vanessa's claimed conception date.
Daniel immediately stepped forward.
"That's a coincidence.""
Dr. Harris looked at him.
"Daniel, you know perfectly well that the dates are not the issue. The issue is the identity of the person who authorized the procedure.""
Vanessa shook her head.
"I don't understand. Daniel told me we'd conceived naturally.""
I looked at her.
"Did he?""
She nodded.
"He said he had been tested, that his fertility was fine, and that we were lucky. He told me he had never experienced anything like this before.""
Daniel rubbed his forehead.
"Vanessa, we discussed this.""
"No, Daniel. You discussed what you wanted me to believe.""
She turned to Dr. Harris.
"Could you tell me whether the embryo was genetically related to Claire?""
The doctor hesitated.
"According to the original laboratory records, yes.""
Vanessa's knees seemed to weaken.
She grabbed the chair.
"Then the baby I'm carrying...""
"Vanessa," Daniel interrupted, "listen to me.""
She pulled away.
"Don't touch me.""
He lowered his voice.
"You wanted a family. I gave you one.""
I stared at him.
"By stealing something that belonged to both of us?""
His eyes flashed.
"I didn't steal anything.""
"You told me our embryo was destroyed.""
"Because there was no point dragging you through something that wasn't going to happen.""
I stepped closer.
"That wasn't your decision to make.""
He shook his head.
"You were already divorcing me. What did you expect me to do? Keep paying storage fees forever?""
"That embryo was created with my eggs, Daniel. My medical treatments. My body. My consent.""
He laughed bitterly.
"And what? You wanted to keep it frozen until you were fifty?""
The room went quiet.
Vanessa looked at him with disgust.
"You're talking about a child.""
Daniel's expression changed.
I had heard that tone before. It was the tone he used whenever reality became inconvenient.
He looked at the guests.
"Everybody is making this much bigger than it is. The clinic made an administrative mistake. That's all.""
Dr. Harris closed the envelope.
"That is not what the records indicate.""
Daniel turned toward him.
"Be careful.""
"I have been careful for four years.""
Those words made Daniel freeze.
Dr. Harris continued.
"After the initial transfer request was rejected, the clinic opened an internal investigation. The records were secured. The matter was referred to our legal department, and the relevant parties were contacted.""
I stared at him.
"Why wasn't I contacted?""
His expression softened.
"We attempted to reach you through the address listed in your medical file. The letters were returned.""
I remembered moving shortly after the divorce.
I had spent months rebuilding my life in a rented apartment before buying my little house.
"Did you ever find me?""
"We eventually did. But by then, there were legal restrictions concerning what we could disclose without completing the review.""
Vanessa looked at Daniel.
"Did you know about the investigation?""
He said nothing.
"Daniel!""
"Yes," he snapped.
"I knew.""
Her eyes filled with tears.
"And you still married me?""
He looked away.
"I loved you.""
She stared at him.
"You told me you wanted a baby with me.""
"I did.""
"But you already knew there was another possibility?""
Daniel's silence was devastating.
Vanessa slowly removed her wedding ring.
Not all the way.
Just enough to look at it.
Then she turned toward me.
"Claire, I need to ask you something.""
I nodded.
"Go ahead.""
"Did you know anything about this when you divorced him?""
"No.""
"Did you ever agree to let him use the embryo?""
"No.""
She closed her eyes.
A tear slipped down her cheek.
"I think I've been lied to about almost everything.""
I wanted to comfort her.
I really did.
But there was something I needed to understand first.
"Dr. Harris, you said the original transfer authorization was rejected. What happened after that?""
He looked at the final page in the envelope.
"That's the part I cannot fully explain without the complete legal file.""
Daniel moved toward the table.
Margaret stepped between him and the documents.
"Don't even think about it.""
Dr. Harris continued.
"The embryo was eventually transferred under a different authorization. However, the recipient's identity is protected. We have requested permission to disclose the relevant information to the parties involved.""
I felt a chill.
"Was it transferred to Vanessa?""
The doctor didn't answer immediately.
Vanessa looked down at her stomach.
Then she whispered, "I think it was.""
Daniel finally exploded.
"Enough! This party is over!""
He grabbed the microphone from the photographer.
"Everyone, I appreciate you coming, but this is a private family issue.""
A voice came from behind me.
"Then perhaps you shouldn't have invited the entire town.""
Melissa had returned from the garden.
Emma and Noah were with her.
She quickly noticed the tension.
"Claire, the children are asking for you.""
I turned.
Emma was holding a small blue balloon.
Noah had frosting on his cheek.
They looked completely unaware of what had happened inside.
I walked toward them.
As I bent down, Emma whispered, "Mummy, why is everyone sad?""
I kissed her forehead.
"Sometimes grown-ups have difficult conversations, sweetheart.""
Noah pointed toward Daniel.
"Is that the man who made you cry?""
My heart stopped.
Daniel looked at him.
"What?""
Noah nodded.
"You were sad when we saw your picture.""
I closed my eyes.
I hadn't realized he remembered.
Emma took my hand.
"Can we go home?""
"Yes, baby.""
I stood and faced Vanessa.
"I don't know what happened here. But I know one thing. Whatever Daniel did, the children didn't choose it.""
Vanessa nodded through her tears.
"I know.""
I turned toward the exit.
Then Dr. Harris called my name.
"Claire, one more thing.""
I stopped.
He held up a photocopy.
"The transfer was not the final chapter of this investigation.""
I looked at him.
"What does that mean?""
He lowered his voice.
"The records show that someone contacted the clinic again three years later. Someone claiming to be the original recipient.""
My pulse quickened.
"Who?""
Dr. Harris glanced at Daniel.
"That person requested a DNA verification.""
Daniel's face went completely white.
And suddenly, I understood why he had invited me to that baby shower.
May you like
He hadn't simply wanted to humiliate me.
He had wanted to control what I heard before somebody else told me the truth.
