I forwarded the photograph to Dana before doing anything else.<\/p>\n
Then I sent her the billing code Jessica had given me.<\/p>\n
Her response came almost immediately.<\/p>\n
Do not contact Richard. I am calling counsel in his state and law enforcement if needed.<\/p>\n
Law enforcement.<\/p>\n
The phrase looked excessive until I remembered that Richard had apparently found a frightened pregnant woman who was actively avoiding him.<\/p>\n
I called Jessica again.<\/p>\n
Voicemail.<\/p>\n
Carter called while I was trying.<\/p>\n
I answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you send your father after her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJessica.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe found her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe sent me a photograph.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is she?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSend it to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLauren.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCall your father.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI have been.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe isn't answering.\u201d<\/p>\n
That frightened him.<\/p>\n
I heard it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was their relationship?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard and Jessica.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy dad barely tolerated her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat isn't what she says.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did she tell you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEnough.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLauren, don't trust her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't.\u201d<\/p>\n
That stopped him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't trust you either.\u201d<\/p>\n
He exhaled.<\/p>\n
\u201cFair.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was the first time Carter had accepted criticism without defending himself.<\/p>\n
That worried me more than anger would have.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did my father do?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTell me what she said.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said Richard met with her before the transfer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carter went silent.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you know he paid more than storage fees?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are other charges.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat charges?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat dates?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBeginning after Emma was born.\u201d<\/p>\n
I heard him move.<\/p>\n
\u201cLauren, send me the code.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause every time I give a Sterling information, somebody starts cleaning up.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat isn't fair.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFair stopped being relevant.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI'm trying to help now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou had years.\u201d<\/p>\n
That silenced him again.<\/p>\n
I continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did your father want that embryo so badly?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know why.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe trust?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat's not enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMillions explain greed. They don't explain years of secrecy before anyone knew whether you'd leave me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carter said nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy tell me the embryos were destroyed instead of simply asking me to keep them stored?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou would have said no.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou told me you were done.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo Dad thought\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour father thought he had authority over my genetic material?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen finish the sentence.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carter didn't.<\/p>\n
I ended the call.<\/p>\n
At 12:41, Dana called.<\/p>\n
\u201cI identified the billing code.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel and I were both in the kitchen now.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt's an abbreviated internal laboratory code.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGenetic screening.\u201d<\/p>\n
My throat tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat type?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPotentially several types. The code is old.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan you narrow it down?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe're working on it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas it testing the embryos?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt appears connected to the embryo storage account.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter Emma was born.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel crossed her arms.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would they screen embryos they supposedly planned to destroy?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dana heard her.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat's one of the questions.\u201d<\/p>\n
I thought about what Richard valued.<\/p>\n
Male lineage.<\/p>\n
Inheritance.<\/p>\n
Blood.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat kind of genetic screening determines inheritance eligibility?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dana was quiet.<\/p>\n
\u201cLauren.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt's a question.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTrusts don't generally require laboratory testing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGenerally.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI need evidence before we go further.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course.<\/p>\n
Dana lived inside evidence.<\/p>\n
I was beginning to understand why.<\/p>\n
Evidence was the only solid thing left.<\/p>\n
At 1:03, Jessica called again.<\/p>\n
I answered before the first full ring.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you safe?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her voice was shaky.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is Richard?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe found me at a motel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI used a Sterling corporate card.\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cJessica.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn't thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, you weren't.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he threaten you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he touch you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen what did he want?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe folder.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you give it to him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere are you now?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSomewhere else.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStop using cards.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know that now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you contact Dana?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica breathed slowly.<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard told me something.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe says the baby cannot inherit the trust.\u201d<\/p>\n
That surprised me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said everything has changed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause the transfer is being investigated?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wouldn't say at first.\u201d<\/p>\n
I pulled the envelope with the billing code closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cJessica.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI recorded him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel looked up sharply.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI started recording before he came into the room.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you still have it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSend it to Dana immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen tell me what he said.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe kept asking who I'd spoken to.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout the embryo?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you tell him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat I called you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I muttered something under my breath.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had to.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou didn't have to tell Richard.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe already knew somehow.\u201d<\/p>\n
That disturbed me.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cContinue.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe told me this could be fixed if I stopped talking.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFixed how?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said the clinic would take responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor forged consent?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said records could be clarified.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sounds like records could disappear.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought that too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe asked for the blue folder.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou refused.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said I didn't understand what was at stake.\u201d<\/p>\n
A familiar line.<\/p>\n
Men like Richard always assumed other people misunderstood stakes when what they really meant was obedience.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was at stake?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said Carter could lose everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe trust?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMore than that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cControl of the company.\u201d<\/p>\n
I sat straighter.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe didn't explain.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he mention the testing?\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cJessica?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room seemed to narrow.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI asked him about the old laboratory charges.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe got angry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExactly what did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe asked where I found them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you tell him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn archived billing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said those tests were none of my concern.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat tests?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wouldn't say.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you ask whether they were genetic?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said, \u2018Everything involving the embryos was genetic.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel and I exchanged a look.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you ask?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe told me to forget I saw the charges.\u201d<\/p>\n
I wrote down every word.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why did he say the baby couldn't inherit?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I told him I wasn't giving him the folder unless he told me why he was panicking.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said the trust language is more complicated than Carter knows.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course it was.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat language?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said the beneficiary must be a legitimate male descendant.\u201d<\/p>\n
I frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe baby is biologically Carter's.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI said that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did Richard say?\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica's voice lowered.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said biology isn't the only requirement.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said legitimacy depends on lawful parentage.\u201d<\/p>\n
The forged consent.<\/p>\n
The unauthorized embryo transfer.<\/p>\n
A child conceived through a potentially illegal process.<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard thinks the transfer could jeopardize inheritance.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
That explained some of his panic.<\/p>\n
Not all.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why keep the embryo secretly for years?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI asked him.\u201d<\/p>\n
My fingers tightened around the pen.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said Carter had failed to understand his obligations.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sounds like Richard.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen I asked why he paid for genetic testing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica hesitated so long I thought the call had dropped.<\/p>\n
\u201cJessica.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said he needed to know what he was preserving.\u201d<\/p>\n
A chill moved through me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat exactly did he test?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe didn't say.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cSend me the recording.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can't. Dana told me to send everything only to her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood. Listen to Dana.\u201d<\/p>\n
That answer seemed to surprise her.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou're not angry?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI am angry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
She was quiet.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut anger doesn't make evidence less important.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another silence.<\/p>\n
Then she whispered, \u201cI'm sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
Not because I accepted it.<\/p>\n
Because I believed she meant it.<\/p>\n
Those were different things.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou'll have to live with what you did,\u201d I said. \u201cSo will I.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cKeep the baby safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI will.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd stop telling anyone where you are.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI will.\u201d<\/p>\n
After we ended the call, I checked on the girls.<\/p>\n
Chloe was asleep on her side.<\/p>\n
Emma had kicked off her blanket.<\/p>\n
I covered her.<\/p>\n
In the dim room, their faces looked younger.<\/p>\n
My daughters had begun as embryos in the same laboratory.<\/p>\n
Someone had tested those embryos after Emma was born.<\/p>\n
Not all embryos necessarily.<\/p>\n
Perhaps only the male one.<\/p>\n
Why?<\/p>\n
I returned downstairs.<\/p>\n
Dana had sent a message asking whether I was awake.<\/p>\n
I called.<\/p>\n
\u201cI've heard the recording.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJessica's account is accurate.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan you identify the genetic test?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat else did Richard say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEnough to support preservation orders.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat isn't what I'm asking.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDana.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe made several statements suggesting he knew the transfer occurred without your direct participation.\u201d<\/p>\n
I sat.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo he knew I hadn't consented.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe did not explicitly say that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut that's a reasonable interpretation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the trust?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe appears primarily concerned that litigation could make the child ineligible.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPrimarily?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dana paused.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was another comment.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen Jessica asked why he had paid for testing, Richard said he had \u2018already made one mistake trusting appearances.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
I frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat appearances?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe didn't explain.\u201d<\/p>\n
A thought formed.<\/p>\n
Then another.<\/p>\n
Neither made sense.<\/p>\n
\u201cWas he talking about Carter?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout the embryos?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat mistake?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need the laboratory records.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow soon?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe're seeking them now.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at the time.<\/p>\n
1:47 a.m.<\/p>\n
\u201cDana, was the genetic testing ordered under my name?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat's another complication.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMeaning?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe billing account is linked to your embryo storage file.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe ordering physician is not the doctor who treated us.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDr. Leonard Vale.\u201d<\/p>\n
I searched my memory.<\/p>\n
Nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn't expect you to.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wasn't an Oakfield reproductive specialist.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was he?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dana paused.<\/p>\n
\u201cA geneticist.\u201d<\/p>\n
The word felt heavier than it should have.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat kind?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHereditary disease and kinship analysis.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stopped breathing.<\/p>\n
\u201cKinship.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLike paternity?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPotentially.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel stared at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would Richard pay to test the embryos for paternity?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dana's answer was cautious.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don't yet know that he did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut that specialty matters.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
A memory surfaced so abruptly that I gripped the edge of the table.<\/p>\n
Emma's birth.<\/p>\n
Richard standing outside my hospital room.<\/p>\n
Not holding his granddaughter.<\/p>\n
Arguing quietly with Carter.<\/p>\n
I had been exhausted and medicated.<\/p>\n
I remembered only fragments.<\/p>\n
Richard's voice.<\/p>\n
Carter saying, \u201cShe's mine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard replying, \u201cThat's not what I'm asking.\u201d<\/p>\n
At the time I thought they were arguing about something else.<\/p>\n
Now the memory returned with terrible clarity.<\/p>\n
I whispered, \u201cDana.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think Richard doubted something after Emma was born.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
But Carter might.<\/p>\n
And for the first time that night, I understood that the hidden tests might not have been about the male embryo at all.<\/p>\n
They might have been about us.<\/p>\n
I forwarded the photograph to Dana before doing anything else. Then I sent her the billing code Jessica had given me. Her response came almost immediately. Do not contact Richard. … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":27718,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27724","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\/27724","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=27724"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27724\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27759,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27724\/revisions\/27759"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/27718"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=27724"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=27724"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=27724"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}