{"id":23824,"date":"2026-09-28T14:42:53","date_gmt":"2026-09-28T14:42:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=23824"},"modified":"2026-09-28T14:42:53","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T14:42:53","slug":"part-16-claras-forgotten-genetic-test-pointed-to-a-secret-about-leo-and-julian-risked-everything-to-keep-me-from-seeing-the-result","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=23824","title":{"rendered":"PART 16 \u2013 Clara\u2019s Forgotten Genetic Test Pointed to a Secret About Leo, and Julian Risked Everything to Keep Me From Seeing the Result"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>For several seconds, I misunderstood Clara.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA genetic panel for what?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She kept looking at Leo.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAfter the miscarriage.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe doctor suggested screening.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor me first.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat kind of screening?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCarrier testing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That sounded ordinary enough.<\/p>\n<p>Except nothing about the blue folder had been treated as ordinary.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did it show?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t remember everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cClara.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m serious.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She rubbed her forehead.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was three years ago. I had just miscarried. The doctor ordered a broader reproductive panel because of family history.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat family history?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy father\u2019s side had several pregnancy losses.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I had known that vaguely.<\/p>\n<p>Never in detail.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat result mattered?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was a carrier for something.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She closed her eyes, thinking.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAn inherited clotting condition. And there was another marker they wanted to compare with a partner if we tried again.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid I ever get tested?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou didn\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Of course.<\/p>\n<p>Another consequence of the secret pregnancy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does this have to do with Julian?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCould Leo have inherited something?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Fear hit immediately.<\/p>\n<p>Not corporate fear.<\/p>\n<p>Not betrayal.<\/p>\n<p>Something simpler and worse.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDoes Dr. Bennett know?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot about that old panel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen we tell her now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I was already moving.<\/p>\n<p>Clara caught my wrist.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWait.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause the panel might not mean what we think.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat is why doctors exist.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re panicking.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The admission stopped both of us.<\/p>\n<p>I looked at Leo.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe stopped breathing tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor seconds.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat was enough.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Clara softened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Bennett came within fifteen minutes.<\/p>\n<p>We explained what little Clara remembered.<\/p>\n<p>Her reaction was calm.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCarrier status can matter, but it does not automatically explain premature delivery or apnea.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCan you test him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf we know the specific condition.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCan we retrieve Clara\u2019s records?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes, with consent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Clara gave it immediately.<\/p>\n<p>The clinic was in Chicago.<\/p>\n<p>The hospital could request medical records.<\/p>\n<p>I also contacted Nina.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI need the blue folder.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo do we.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo. I need what\u2019s inside medically.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re working on Daniel\u2019s box.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot fast enough.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI understand.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo, you understand evidence. I\u2019m talking about my son.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nina\u2019s voice softened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI understand that too.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stopped.<\/p>\n<p>She continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe traced Daniel\u2019s movements after the bus terminal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe met someone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUnknown. Camera angle poor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe drove toward Rockford. Car abandoned.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBlood?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSmall amount.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHis?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTesting pending.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAny sign of struggle?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCould he have staged it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo you think he did?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think Daniel uses fear strategically.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat sounds like his brother.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat about the real box?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStill missing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd Julian?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStill at Mercer headquarters.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt midnight?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe has not left.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLawyers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPolice?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot yet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat are we waiting for?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEnough evidence tied to specific crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe stole forty-six million dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have structures suggesting it. We are still proving control and intent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe fabricated my divorce.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat may be criminal depending on jurisdiction and method, but we need records.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe intercepted communications.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd tried moving twenty-eight million.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhich he describes as authorized liquidity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I hated law.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo he sits in my building.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat is he doing?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHis counsel requested access to board materials.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDenied.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHas he contacted Catherine?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot through known channels.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFind her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re trying.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I ended the call.<\/p>\n<p>Clara watched me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou want to go to Chicago.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat was fast.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI want Julian out of my building.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDifferent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy aren\u2019t you going?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at Leo.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause this is where I\u2019m needed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She went quiet.<\/p>\n<p>Then asked, \u201cWould you have said that a week ago?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It was not flattering.<\/p>\n<p>It was true.<\/p>\n<p>We stayed beside Leo until nearly two in the morning.<\/p>\n<p>Eventually, Clara had to return to her room.<\/p>\n<p>I walked beside the wheelchair.<\/p>\n<p>At her door, she said, \u201cYou can sleep here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI already have.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI mean properly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat chair and I have history now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou snore when your neck bends.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t snore.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re recovering from blood loss. Hallucinations happen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She smiled.<\/p>\n<p>For a moment, we were us.<\/p>\n<p>Not married.<\/p>\n<p>Not divorced.<\/p>\n<p>Something more fragile.<\/p>\n<p>Then the smile faded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLiam.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happens if the genetic panel says something serious?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe deal with it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat isn\u2019t what I meant.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I waited.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat if it says something about Leo?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen we deal with that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She looked frustrated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou still don\u2019t understand.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cExplain.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat if that\u2019s what Julian wanted hidden because it changes something about you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat could it change?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen we don\u2019t invent possibilities.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou invented twenty-seven before breakfast yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m improving.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She looked down.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere was one reason I avoided the genetic follow-up.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe doctor said partner testing might reveal unexpected biological relationships.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I frowned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe was explaining generally. Misattributed paternity. Related parents. Things people don\u2019t expect.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stared at her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRelated parents?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDistantly. Sometimes people discover shared ancestry.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My mind immediately went to the family tree that had exploded in forty-eight hours.<\/p>\n<p>Julian.<\/p>\n<p>Elise.<\/p>\n<p>My father.<\/p>\n<p>Catherine.<\/p>\n<p>Helena.<\/p>\n<p>But Clara?<\/p>\n<p>No.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat are you thinking?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNothing useful.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A secure hospital notification arrived.<\/p>\n<p>Clara\u2019s old clinic had responded.<\/p>\n<p>Records transfer in progress.<\/p>\n<p>Fifteen minutes later, Dr. Bennett returned with preliminary information visible through the medical exchange.<\/p>\n<p>She sat instead of standing.<\/p>\n<p>That made me nervous.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did you find?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cClara\u2019s carrier panel included a thrombophilia marker. That could be relevant to pregnancy complications.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Clara\u2019s face tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCould that be why Leo came early?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPossibly contributory. We would need your obstetric team to review.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd the other marker?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Bennett looked at Clara.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere was an expanded genetic relationship note.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My pulse accelerated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe lab flagged something unusual in the ancestry markers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Clara looked confused.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t remember that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt appears the clinic requested a repeat sample.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid I give one?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did it show?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Bennett hesitated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe record is incomplete.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Of course it was.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat\u2019s missing?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe final interpretive report.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt may not have transferred.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCan we get it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe requested it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I asked, \u201cWhat was unusual?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She looked uncomfortable.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMr. Mercer, without the final report, I don\u2019t want to speculate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDon\u2019t speculate. Read what exists.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She turned the tablet.<\/p>\n<p>One line had been copied into the chart.<\/p>\n<p>Possible close-kinship signal if compared with partner sample. Recommend counseling before reproductive planning.<\/p>\n<p>I stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat doesn\u2019t say anything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCorrect.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen why would Julian care?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Bennett looked confused.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho is Julian?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLong story.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Clara touched my arm.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe need my partner sample.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou never gave one,\u201d Dr. Bennett said.<\/p>\n<p>I shook my head.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaybe someone did.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Clara looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCompany health screenings.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I had undergone annual executive medical testing for years.<\/p>\n<p>Bloodwork.<\/p>\n<p>Genetic risk panels some years.<\/p>\n<p>All arranged through Mercer\u2019s executive health program.<\/p>\n<p>Who administered part of that program?<\/p>\n<p>Elise.<\/p>\n<p>And who had access to improperly gathered health information?<\/p>\n<p>Julian.<\/p>\n<p>My stomach turned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCould someone compare Clara\u2019s sample to mine without either of us knowing?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Bennett looked disturbed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot ethically.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat wasn\u2019t my question.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTechnically, if samples or genetic data were accessible, yes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Clara closed her eyes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat would close kinship mean?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt depends on the markers and quality of testing. Again, we should not assume.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I thought of my father\u2019s affairs.<\/p>\n<p>My unknown siblings.<\/p>\n<p>Family lines hidden by money.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Clara looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt can\u2019t be us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat can\u2019t?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRelated.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cObviously not.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour father?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot connected to Mercers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMother?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen why\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My phone rang.<\/p>\n<p>Nina.<\/p>\n<p>I answered immediately.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe found Daniel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAlive?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Relief hit harder than expected.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA motel near Madison.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBlood?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHis.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe says Julian assaulted him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo you believe him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re verifying.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe box?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe has it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stood.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe real one?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe opened it for my team.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBlue folder?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My chest tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBring it to the hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAlready arranging secure transfer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat\u2019s inside?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMedical records.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPhotographs. Correspondence. A genetic report.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Clara stood despite the pain.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat report?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nina went silent.<\/p>\n<p>Then:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLiam, I think you need to sit.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I did not.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRead it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI want medical professionals to interpret it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRead the result.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She exhaled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe report compares genetic data from Clara and a male sample identified only by executive health code.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My heart pounded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhich code?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLM-01.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cResult?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot close kinship.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Relief came so fast I nearly laughed.<\/p>\n<p>Clara closed her eyes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen what?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nina continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is another comparison.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My relief vanished.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBetween who?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour sample and Julian\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The room went silent.<\/p>\n<p>That only confirmed what we now knew.<\/p>\n<p>Half-brothers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cExpected.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is a third male profile.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUnlabeled.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCompared to whom?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I frowned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat result?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nina paused.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cParent-child probability greater than 99.9 percent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stopped breathing.<\/p>\n<p>Clara stared at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat makes no sense.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I had one child.<\/p>\n<p>Leo.<\/p>\n<p>Born yesterday.<\/p>\n<p>The report was three years old.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhose sample?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nina said, \u201cUnknown.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My mouth went dry.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat says I had a child three years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAccording to the report, the male sample is consistent with being your biological child.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Clara whispered, \u201cLiam.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I could barely hear her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen was the test performed?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nina gave the date.<\/p>\n<p>Two months after Clara\u2019s miscarriage.<\/p>\n<p>My thoughts fractured.<\/p>\n<p>Impossible.<\/p>\n<p>Unless the sample was mislabeled.<\/p>\n<p>Unless someone fabricated the report.<\/p>\n<p>Unless there was a child I had never known about.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did Julian do with this?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe folder contains handwritten notes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhose?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLikely his.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRead them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A pause.<\/p>\n<p>Then Nina read:<\/p>\n<p>LM cannot see this. If Catherine is right, the trust changes.<\/p>\n<p>My stomach dropped.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat trust?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUnknown.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnything else?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another note.<\/p>\n<p>Find the boy before Margaret does.<\/p>\n<p>The boy.<\/p>\n<p>Not a sample.<\/p>\n<p>A child.<\/p>\n<p>My child.<\/p>\n<p>Three years old or older.<\/p>\n<p>Somewhere.<\/p>\n<p>Clara gripped the edge of the bed.<\/p>\n<p>I stared at nothing.<\/p>\n<p>Then Nina said the sentence that changed the direction of everything.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDaniel says Julian found him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I could not speak.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTwo years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLiam\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cChicago.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My voice sounded distant.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd what did Julian do?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nina hesitated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDaniel says Julian paid the child\u2019s guardian to disappear.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Clara covered her mouth.<\/p>\n<p>My knees finally gave enough that I sat.<\/p>\n<p>Leo slept down the hall.<\/p>\n<p>My newborn son.<\/p>\n<p>My first son, I had believed.<\/p>\n<p>But somewhere beyond that hospital, another child carrying my DNA may have existed for years.<\/p>\n<p>And Julian had known.<\/p>\n<p>He had hidden that child too.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=23826\">Click here to continue reading: PART 17: Daniel Knew Where My Hidden Son Had Been Taken, but His Explanation Forced Clara to Question the Loss She Had Mourned for Years<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For several seconds, I misunderstood Clara. \u201cA genetic panel for what?\u201d She kept looking at Leo. \u201cAfter the miscarriage.\u201d My stomach tightened. \u201cWhy?\u201d \u201cThe doctor suggested screening.\u201d \u201cFor you?\u201d \u201cFor &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23789,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23824","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insightdrama"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23824","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=23824"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23824\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23879,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23824\/revisions\/23879"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/23789"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=23824"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=23824"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=23824"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}