Chapter 6: What the Doctors Found
I didn't sleep that night.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Daniel standing in the reflection of that hospital photograph.
He had been there.
He had known I was in danger.
And somehow, he had still allowed me to crawl across our kitchen floor alone.
At 7:30 the following morning, I called the hospital.
I asked for the medical records department and requested a complete copy of my prenatal records.
The woman on the phone explained that some records required additional authorization.
I gave her my identification details.
After a short wait, she returned.
"Mrs. Carter, there's an issue with your file.""
My stomach tightened.
"What issue?""
"Several documents were marked as restricted by the attending physician.""
"Which documents?""
"Your prenatal genetic screening results and a specialist's consultation.""
I closed my eyes.
"Can you tell me why?""
"I'm afraid you'll need to speak with the medical records supervisor.""
"Please transfer me.""
Twenty minutes later, I was sitting in my car outside the hospital, waiting for a supervisor named Dr. Helen Morris.
When she entered the consultation room, she carried a folder.
"Mrs. Carter, I understand you're requesting information about your pregnancy.""
"Yes. I was told some records were restricted.""
Dr. Morris nodded.
"Before we proceed, I need to ask whether you're comfortable discussing potentially distressing information.""
I looked at her.
"I've already lived through something distressing. I want the truth.""
She opened the folder.
"During your thirty-fourth week of pregnancy, your doctor identified signs of a condition that increased your risk of severe complications during labor.""
I remembered the appointment.
The doctor had advised additional monitoring.
Daniel had told me not to worry.
"Why wasn't I told?""
"You were supposed to be informed. The record indicates that your husband requested to receive the information privately before your follow-up consultation.""
I felt my throat tighten.
"Did the doctor agree?""
"Initially, the physician discussed the preliminary findings with him because he was listed as your emergency contact. However, the medical team documented that you needed a direct consultation.""
I stared at her.
"What happened next?""
"Your follow-up appointment was canceled.""
I shook my head.
"I didn't cancel it.""
Dr. Morris looked at the file.
"The cancellation request was made through the patient portal using your account.""
I knew immediately.
Daniel had access to my phone.
He had known my passwords.
He had handled our appointments for months.
I pressed my hands against the table.
"What was the condition?""
Dr. Morris explained that my blood pressure had been rising and that there were concerning signs of preeclampsia.
Without proper monitoring, the condition could become life-threatening.
I remembered the severe headache I had complained about.
The swelling in my hands.
The strange flashes of light I sometimes saw.
Daniel had told me I was exaggerating.
He had said pregnancy was supposed to be uncomfortable.
I looked at the doctor.
"Would I have survived if I hadn't received emergency treatment?""
She didn't answer immediately.
"Your condition was serious. You were fortunate that the ambulance arrived when it did.""
I lowered my head.
A tear fell onto the table.
Then I asked the question that had been haunting me.
"Did my husband know?""
Dr. Morris turned a page.
"There's a note indicating that he was advised to seek immediate medical attention if your symptoms worsened.""
I covered my mouth.
He knew.
He had known I was at risk.
He had known I needed medical attention.
And when I begged him to take me to the hospital, he had thrown seventy dollars at me.
I called Thomas from the hospital parking lot.
He listened without interrupting.
When I finished, he spoke carefully.
"Emily, we need to add this information to the investigation.""
"Can we?""
"Yes. We'll request the original medical records, the patient portal access logs, and any communications related to the canceled appointment.""
I stared through the windshield.
"Thomas, I want to know why he did this.""
"So do I.""
"I don't mean the money. I mean why he was willing to let me die.""
Thomas was quiet.
Then he said, "We're going to find out.""
That afternoon, Michael called me.
I almost rejected the call.
But he left a voicemail.
"Emily, I know you hate me. I deserve that. But I found something in Daniel's office. Something you need to see.""
I called him back.
"Where are you?""
"At the old office.""
"Don't touch anything.""
"I already made copies.""
"What did you find?""
"A folder with your name on it.""
I closed my eyes.
"What was inside?""
"Insurance documents. Bank statements. And a letter.""
"What letter?""
Michael hesitated.
"It was addressed to Daniel. From Vanessa.""
My heartbeat quickened.
"Read it.""
He cleared his throat.
"She wrote that she couldn't keep waiting forever. She wanted Daniel to finish everything before the baby arrived.""
I felt sick.
"Finish what?""
"She mentioned the money, the house, and your insurance.""
I tightened my grip on the phone.
"Was there anything else?""
Michael took a breath.
"She wrote that once Lily was born, Daniel would have no reason to keep pretending.""
I looked toward the living room.
My daughter was sleeping in her little swing.
"Pretending to do what?""
Michael lowered his voice.
"Being your husband.""
I closed my eyes.
I had suspected the affair.
But hearing it spoken aloud still hurt.
"Michael, why are you helping me now?""
He didn't answer immediately.
Then he said, "Because I knew what Daniel was planning, and I helped him hide it.""
I felt anger rising.
"You knew?""
"I knew about the loans. I knew about Vanessa. I didn't know he would leave you during labor.""
"But you knew enough to stay quiet.""
"Yes.""
"Then why should I believe anything you say?""
"You shouldn't. That's why I'm giving everything to your attorney.""
I swallowed.
"Good.""
Before ending the call, Michael said something else.
"Emily, there's one document you need to see. It's dated three days before you went into labor.""
"What is it?""
"A transfer of ownership.""
"Ownership of what?""
He answered quietly.
"The house.""
I froze.
"What about the house?""
"Daniel had arranged to transfer it into a company registered under Vanessa's name.""
My blood ran cold.
The house where I had spent four years building a life.
The nursery he had emptied.
The kitchen where I had begged him for help.
He had been preparing to take it all away.
"Did the transfer go through?""
"Not completely. Your signature was required.""
I felt a strange sense of relief.
Then Michael added:
"Emily, the reason Daniel needed you to sign those papers at the hospital was because he was running out of time.""
I remembered the folder he had placed on my hospital blanket.
The loan agreement.
The documents he had wanted me to sign.
I had refused.
And that refusal might have saved me from losing everything.
The next morning, Thomas arrived at my mother's house.
He carried a thick envelope and asked to speak privately.
I placed Lily in her crib and joined him at the dining table.
"What's happened?""
He opened the envelope.
"We received the original documents from the bank.""
"And?""
"Your husband had been preparing to transfer the house, but there's a complication.""
"What complication?""
"The property was purchased partly with money from your inheritance.""
I frowned.
"My grandmother's inheritance?""
He nodded.
I remembered the $65,000 my grandmother had left me when she died.
I had used it as part of the down payment.
Thomas continued.
"That contribution is documented. It may give you a substantial claim against the property, regardless of what Daniel attempted to do.""
I looked at the paperwork.
"Can he still sell it?""
"Not without resolving the ownership dispute.""
I exhaled.
For the first time in months, I felt that something might finally be going my way.
Then Thomas placed another document on the table.
"This is more serious.""
I looked down.
It was a copy of a private agreement between Daniel and Vanessa.
Both names appeared at the top.
The document described the transfer of the house and the distribution of insurance proceeds.
But there was one line that made my hands go cold.
*Upon successful completion of the transfer, Daniel Carter will receive a guaranteed payment of $300,000.*
I looked up.
"Who was paying him?""
Thomas pointed to the bottom of the page.
A company name.
One I recognized from the bank statements.
"Who owns this company?""
Thomas didn't answer.
He turned to the final page.
There was a signature.
Not Daniel's.
Not Vanessa's.
It belonged to someone I knew.
Someone who had stood beside me in the hospital after Lily was born.
Someone who had cried when I told her how Daniel had abandoned me.
I stared at the signature.
My mother.
I couldn't breathe.
"That's impossible.""
Thomas leaned forward.
"Emily, I need you to tell me something.""
I looked at him, tears filling my eyes.
"Has your mother ever had access to your financial documents?""
Before I could answer, my phone rang.
Mom's name appeared on the screen.
I answered.
"Mom?""
Her voice was shaking.
"Emily, sweetheart, I need you to come home.""
"What's wrong?""
There was a long silence.
Then she whispered:
"Daniel is here.""
My heart stopped.
"Why?""
My mother began crying.
"He's saying that if I don't tell you the truth about your grandmother's money, he'll make sure you never see Lily again.""
I stood up so quickly that my chair fell backward.
"What truth?""
Mom took a shaky breath.
Then she said something that made the entire room seem to disappear.
"Emily, your grandmother didn't leave you sixty-five thousand dollars.""
She paused.
May you like
"She left you six hundred and fifty thousand.""
And Daniel had known about every single dollar.
