Chapter 4: The Second Name on the Birth Certificate
For several seconds, I couldn't understand what Daniel had said.
Lily wasn't the only child involved.
The words repeated themselves in my head.
I looked at Rachel.
Then at Dr. Harris.
Neither of them appeared surprised.
That was when I realized they had known something else.
Something they hadn't told me.
“What does he mean?”” I asked.
Rachel took a slow breath.
“Claire, there were two embryos.””
“I know.””
“Both were viable.””
“Yes.””
“Only one was supposed to be transferred.””
I stared at her.
“Supposed to be?””
She nodded.
“The records indicate that two embryos were thawed during the same procedure.””
My heart began pounding.
“Where is the second one?””
Dr. Harris moved toward the window.
“That's still under investigation.””
I turned to Daniel.
“You know.””
He shook his head.
“Not everything.””
“Stop lying to me.””
He looked toward the ceiling.
“I know where the second child is.””
I gripped the edge of the desk.
“Where?””
He hesitated.
Then he said, “With Vanessa.””
I felt the room tilt.
“What?””
“Vanessa is carrying the second child.””
I stared at him.
The pregnant woman in the photograph.
The blue balloons.
The invitation.
The message written in his handwriting.
Come and see what you could never give me.
I suddenly understood why he had wanted me there.
He wasn't simply celebrating a pregnancy.
He was displaying something he believed he had taken from me.
“You used both embryos?””
Daniel looked irritated.
“I didn't steal anything.””
“You forged my signature.””
“That hasn't been proven.””
“Then why did you invite me?””
He spread his hands.
“Because I wanted you to understand that life didn't end when our marriage did.””
I looked at him in disbelief.
“You used embryos from my body without permission, and you're telling me this is about moving on?””
He stepped closer.
“You signed the original paperwork.””
“I signed disposal authorization.””
“You signed the original consent forms.””
“Not for you to use them after our divorce!””
He raised his voice.
“Those embryos were mine too!””
Rachel interrupted.
“Not without the required joint authorization.””
Daniel turned on her.
“You've done enough damage.””
“I'm not the one who signed her name.””
Melissa had been standing silently near the door.
Now she stepped forward.
“Daniel, is Vanessa actually pregnant with the second embryo?””
He looked at her.
“Yes.””
“Does she know whose egg it came from?””
He didn't answer.
Melissa covered her mouth.
I turned toward Rachel.
“Is that true?””
Rachel nodded.
“Vanessa was told the embryo came from an anonymous donor.””
I felt sick.
“Why would anyone tell her that?””
“Because Daniel wanted to avoid explaining the original consent issue.””
I looked at the doctor.
“Did you know?””
Dr. Harris sat down heavily.
“I was not involved in the transfer itself.””
“That's not what I asked.””
He lowered his head.
“Yes.””
My chest tightened.
“You knew?””
“I discovered the discrepancy afterward.””
“And you did nothing?””
“I reported it internally.””
Rachel laughed bitterly.
“You reported it to the same administrators who approved the transfer.””
Dr. Harris closed his eyes.
“Rachel.””
“No. She deserves the truth.””
I looked between them.
“What happened to the second embryo?””
Rachel picked up another document.
“This is the transfer report. The second embryo was transferred into Vanessa's uterus during a later procedure.””
I looked at the date.
It was less than two years ago.
“How far along is she?””
“Thirty-two weeks.””
I felt a strange numbness spread through my body.
Thirty-two weeks.
A baby was growing inside Vanessa.
A baby created from an egg I had provided four years earlier.
And nobody had told me.
“Does she know about Lily?””
Rachel nodded.
“She found out three weeks ago.””
I looked at Daniel.
“That's why she looked at me like that.””
He sighed.
“Vanessa has been under a lot of stress.””
“Because you lied to her.””
“She understands the situation.””
“Does she?””
He didn't answer.
I looked toward the door.
“I want to speak to her.””
Daniel immediately shook his head.
“No.””
“I'm not asking.””
“Claire, she's pregnant.””
“And I am the woman whose genetic material you used without consent.””
He stepped in front of me.
“Don't turn this into something it isn't.””
I stared at him.
“You don't get to decide what this is.””
Then I walked out.
The living room was still full of guests.
Music played softly near the dining room.
Someone was laughing beside the dessert table.
A little boy was running around with a blue balloon tied to his wrist.
Everything looked normal.
That made it worse.
I found Vanessa standing near the garden doors.
She was holding a glass of sparkling water.
When she saw me, she immediately put it down.
“Claire.””
“I need to talk to you.””
She glanced toward Daniel.
He was following me through the hallway.
“Not here,” she whispered.
“Then where?””
She looked toward the garden.
“Come with me.””
We stepped outside.
The afternoon air was warm, and the smell of fresh roses drifted across the patio.
Vanessa sat on a stone bench.
I remained standing.
“Did you know?””
She looked down at her stomach.
“Not when Daniel first told me about the embryo.””
“When did you find out?””
“Three weeks ago.””
I stared at her.
“Who told you?””
“An attorney.””
“Why an attorney?””
She gave a bitter laugh.
“Because someone sent me copies of the original clinic records.””
I sat beside her.
“Did you know about Lily?””
Vanessa nodded.
“They told me there was another child.””
“And you were okay with that?””
Her eyes filled.
“No.””
The answer came immediately.
“I was furious.””
I studied her face.
She looked exhausted.
Not the ordinary exhaustion of pregnancy, but something deeper.
“Why didn't you tell me?””
“Daniel said you already knew.””
I closed my eyes.
“Of course he did.””
“He said you had signed everything away. He said you wanted nothing to do with the embryos.””
I turned toward her.
“I signed for them to be destroyed.””
Vanessa began crying.
“I know that now.””
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then she reached into her handbag.
“I have something for you.””
She handed me a folded piece of paper.
It was a photocopy of a document.
At the top was the name of a fertility clinic.
Below it was a section marked:
*PATIENT CONSENT AND EMBRYO TRANSFER AUTHORIZATION.*
My name appeared beneath it.
But this time, the signature wasn't the forged one from the previous document.
It was Daniel's.
I stared.
“What is this?””
Vanessa wiped her cheek.
“It's a copy of an email attachment he sent to the clinic.””
I read the document.
It contained a handwritten note.
Claire has already approved the transfer. She is no longer interested in pursuing any parental rights. Please proceed.
I looked at Vanessa.
“Did he write this?””
She nodded.
“I found it on his laptop.””
I looked at the date.
Then I noticed something else.
A second page had been attached.
It was a financial statement.
A payment had been made to a company called Whitmore Family Holdings.
The amount was $180,000.
I frowned.
“What's this payment?””
Vanessa looked toward the house.
“I don't know.””
“Who received it?””
“I think it was connected to the surrogate.””
I studied the document again.
Then I noticed the final line.
A handwritten note beneath the payment details.
Two embryos. Two children. One agreement.
I looked up.
“What agreement?””
Vanessa shook her head.
“That's what I've been trying to find out.””
Before I could ask another question, the garden door opened.
Daniel stepped outside.
His smile was gone.
“Vanessa, we need to talk.””
She stood up.
“No.””
He frowned.
“Sweetheart—”
“Don't call me that.””
He glanced at the paper in my hand.
Then his face changed.
“Where did you get that?””
Vanessa stepped closer to me.
“From your laptop.””
Daniel's expression hardened.
“You had no right to go through my things.””
She looked at him.
“You had no right to use her embryos.””
He took a step toward her.
“Let's go inside.””
“No.””
“Vanessa.””
She placed one hand over her stomach.
Then she said something that made even Daniel stop moving.
“There's another reason I invited Claire to meet me today.””
I looked at her.
“What reason?””
Vanessa's eyes filled with tears.
“Because the doctor told me something about the baby I'm carrying.””
May you like
She swallowed.
“And I think Daniel has been lying about the paternity of both children.””
