{"id":27731,"date":"2026-10-02T13:24:28","date_gmt":"2026-10-02T13:24:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=27731"},"modified":"2026-10-02T13:24:28","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T13:24:28","slug":"part-13-richards-missing-contingency-file-revealed-he-had-planned-for-failure-long-before-jessica-ever-became-pregnant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=27731","title":{"rendered":"PART 13 \u2013 Richard\u2019s Missing Contingency File Revealed He Had Planned for Failure Long Before Jessica Ever Became Pregnant"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Dana refused to let anyone go to Richard&#39;s house that night.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAbsolutely not,\u201d she said when I told her what Carter had found. \u201cYou are not walking into a private confrontation with a man who has spent years concealing unauthorized medical decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe asked Carter to bring the files.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen Carter doesn&#39;t go either.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRichard may destroy Protocol B.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe may already have.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat isn&#39;t a reason to wait.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is exactly a reason not to behave recklessly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stood in Rachel&#39;s kitchen with one hand pressed flat against the counter. Outside, rain clicked lightly against the window. Upstairs, Chloe and Emma had finally fallen asleep.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen what are we doing?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPreserving evidence through lawful channels. Counsel is preparing emergency filings. Oakfield and Sterling Family Holdings are receiving expanded preservation notices. Carter should secure whatever copies he has somewhere Richard cannot access.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd Richard?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf he wants to explain himself, he can do it with lawyers present.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I hated how sensible she sounded.<\/p>\n<p>Sense moved more slowly than fear.<\/p>\n<p>I wanted Protocol B before Richard had time to burn it, shred it, encrypt it, or hand it to one of the discreet professionals who had made a career out of protecting men like him.<\/p>\n<p>Dana lowered her voice.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLauren, I understand why you want answers tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo, you understand evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat&#39;s not the same thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She was quiet for a moment.<\/p>\n<p>Then she said, \u201cYou&#39;re right.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That surprised me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut evidence is how we turn what happened to you from a family secret into something nobody can bury again.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That landed.<\/p>\n<p>I sat.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat should Carter do?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMake digital copies of everything remaining. Give physical originals to independent counsel. Do not transport them to Richard.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI&#39;ll tell him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe needs to understand this isn&#39;t about choosing you over his father.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don&#39;t care what he thinks it&#39;s about.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI do, because frightened people make poor witnesses.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There was the lawyer again.<\/p>\n<p>Practical.<\/p>\n<p>Cold when necessary.<\/p>\n<p>Useful.<\/p>\n<p>I called Carter.<\/p>\n<p>He answered immediately.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAre you going?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He exhaled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNeither are you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLauren.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDana says not to.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat isn&#39;t her decision.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is if you want her helping preserve evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He went quiet.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI already copied most of the archive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMost isn&#39;t enough.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere are the originals?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn my office.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCan your father access it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMove them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI&#39;ll take them to company counsel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCompany counsel represents the company.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Silence.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou need someone independent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Carter swore quietly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don&#39;t have an independent lawyer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGet one.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is insane.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He stopped.<\/p>\n<p>That was another change.<\/p>\n<p>Months earlier, Carter would have argued until the conversation bent around him.<\/p>\n<p>Now he seemed to recognize that calling any part of this insane was merely descriptive.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRichard texted again,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat now?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe says I&#39;m making a mistake.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat kind?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe didn&#39;t specify.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid he mention Protocol B?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAsk.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDirectly?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat tells him we know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe already knows you found the index.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou told him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen don&#39;t assume.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Carter hesitated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDad knew somebody had been in the archive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause files were moved?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cProbably.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cProbably isn&#39;t enough.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI&#39;ll ask.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo. Wait until Dana says.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He sighed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFine.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnything else in the index?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA reference number.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I straightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat number?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He read it.<\/p>\n<p>I wrote it down.<\/p>\n<p>It was formatted differently from the Oakfield codes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAny initials?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cL.V.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVale?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLikely.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnything after that?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPediatric longitudinal review.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGrace.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cProbably.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cProtocol B was created after she was born.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd linked to pediatric review.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I thought of Marianne saying Grace had been monitored.<\/p>\n<p>Richard called her a control.<\/p>\n<p>Not emotionally.<\/p>\n<p>Functionally.<\/p>\n<p>He had used the female embryo to observe whatever hereditary issue concerned him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat was he measuring?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don&#39;t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFind every pediatric invoice.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI already started.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSend them to Dana.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI will.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>After the call, I searched the documents Carter had sent earlier.<\/p>\n<p>Northlake.<\/p>\n<p>Hospital.<\/p>\n<p>Pediatric group.<\/p>\n<p>Specialty laboratory.<\/p>\n<p>One name appeared twice.<\/p>\n<p>Halcyon Genomics.<\/p>\n<p>I forwarded it to Dana.<\/p>\n<p>Her response came quickly.<\/p>\n<p>Already checking.<\/p>\n<p>At 11:18, she called.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHalcyon specialized in early genetic screening.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor inherited disease?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Grace have tests there?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe invoices suggest so.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat kind?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe don&#39;t have reports yet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCan we subpoena them?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAlready underway.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I leaned back in the chair.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCould Protocol B mean another embryo transfer if the male one failed?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere were only four embryos.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCorrect.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTwo became Chloe and Emma. One became Grace. One became Jessica&#39;s pregnancy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo there was no fifth embryo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot from that cycle.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The qualification caught me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere could have been genetic material preserved separately.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I went still.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEggs?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSperm?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAdrian&#39;s?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe don&#39;t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I felt sick.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHis consent was one cycle.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCould Richard have stored his sample anyway?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTechnically possible. Legally, it depends on the consent documents.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhich may have been altered.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stared toward the dark hallway.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow many contingency plans does a man need for one grandson?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dana did not answer.<\/p>\n<p>At 11:46, Carter called again.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI found the pediatric invoices.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat do they say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMost are just codes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSend them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI did.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My phone buzzed.<\/p>\n<p>A photograph arrived.<\/p>\n<p>Several rows.<\/p>\n<p>Dates.<\/p>\n<p>Billing descriptions.<\/p>\n<p>I scanned them until one phrase stopped me.<\/p>\n<p>CARDIAC SCREEN \u2014 PED GEN PANEL.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCarter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou saw it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAdrian said his mother died of cardiomyopathy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI remember.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRichard was screening Grace&#39;s heart.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt looks like it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen Protocol B may have been about disease risk.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut why call it contingency?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don&#39;t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A second photograph arrived.<\/p>\n<p>This one showed an internal memo.<\/p>\n<p>Typed.<\/p>\n<p>No letterhead.<\/p>\n<p>At the top:<\/p>\n<p>Continuity Protocol B \u2014 Trigger Conditions.<\/p>\n<p>My heartbeat accelerated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere did you get this?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBehind the invoice sheet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou said the folder was gone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis page wasn&#39;t in the folder. It was misfiled.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I read the first line.<\/p>\n<p>Trigger if viable male embryo is medically unsuitable for transfer, implantation fails, or postnatal genetic outcome threatens continuity objectives.<\/p>\n<p>I read it twice.<\/p>\n<p>Then a third time.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does postnatal outcome mean?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Carter whispered, \u201cA child.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The next line was worse.<\/p>\n<p>Preserve alternative paternal-line options.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat alternative options?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don&#39;t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cKeep reading.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He did.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaintain access to A.M. genetic material subject to prior donor documentation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Adrian.<\/p>\n<p>My hand went cold.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey kept his sperm.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLooks like it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWithout renewed consent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another line:<\/p>\n<p>Identify compatible maternal source if original maternal source unavailable or non-cooperative.<\/p>\n<p>I stopped breathing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOriginal maternal source.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd non-cooperative.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Carter said nothing.<\/p>\n<p>I looked at those words.<\/p>\n<p>That was how Richard had classified me.<\/p>\n<p>Not mother.<\/p>\n<p>Not person.<\/p>\n<p>Maternal source.<\/p>\n<p>Cooperative or non-cooperative.<\/p>\n<p>Disposable according to utility.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRead the rest.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Carter&#39;s voice shook.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPriority remains legitimate male issue genetically traceable to Sterling paternal line.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat&#39;s the trust.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnything else?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne line is blacked out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn the original?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCan you see through it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPhotograph it in different light.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI&#39;ll try.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I called Dana and forwarded the memo.<\/p>\n<p>She remained silent for nearly a minute.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis matters.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo kidding.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe language suggests intent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIntent to do what?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaintain unauthorized reproductive options beyond the original IVF cycle.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMeaning another woman.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPotentially.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith Adrian&#39;s stored sperm.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPotentially.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd another egg donor if I wouldn&#39;t cooperate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat is how the memo reads.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I walked to the window.<\/p>\n<p>For the first time, I understood why Richard&#39;s plan had never depended entirely on me.<\/p>\n<p>I had simply been the first maternal source.<\/p>\n<p>If I became inconvenient, he intended to replace me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJessica,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat about her?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaybe she wasn&#39;t only useful because she knew Oakfield.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dana paused.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe was also reproductive-age.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd connected to Carter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut the male embryo already existed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUnless it failed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Silence.<\/p>\n<p>Protocol B.<\/p>\n<p>If the male embryo failed, Richard had preserved Adrian&#39;s genetic material and planned to find another maternal source.<\/p>\n<p>Jessica might have been positioned as both facilitator and backup.<\/p>\n<p>I felt ill.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe may not know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe probably doesn&#39;t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDon&#39;t tell her yet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI agree.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>At 12:22, Dana received a response from Halcyon Genomics.<\/p>\n<p>Because Marianne had already authorized release through her attorney, the records could be transmitted quickly.<\/p>\n<p>Dana called me while opening them.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have Grace&#39;s testing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does it say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGive me a second.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Pages clicked.<\/p>\n<p>Then silence.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDana?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe tested positive for a pathogenic variant associated with inherited cardiomyopathy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My heart dropped.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGrace carries a variant linked to elevated risk.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDoes she have disease?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot according to the pediatric notes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow serious is the risk?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe need a cardiologist to interpret it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDoes Marianne know?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe chart indicates she was informed about ongoing monitoring.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDoes she know where it came from?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUnknown.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAdrian?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe need to test him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I sat.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf he carries it, Chloe and Emma might too.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The room narrowed.<\/p>\n<p>All the inheritance games.<\/p>\n<p>All the lies.<\/p>\n<p>Suddenly there was a genuine medical issue touching every child created from those embryos.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJessica&#39;s baby.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGrace.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cChloe and Emma.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stood.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCall Adrian.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCall Jessica.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe need to inform her physician immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dana said, \u201cLauren, this is exactly why we needed the records.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n<p>Richard had done monstrous things.<\/p>\n<p>But buried inside his obsession was one fact that actually mattered.<\/p>\n<p>There had been a hereditary risk.<\/p>\n<p>Instead of telling everyone and allowing doctors to manage it honestly, he had converted medicine into secrecy and control.<\/p>\n<p>He had monitored Grace rather than informing the rest of us.<\/p>\n<p>He had protected the male embryo while using the female one to study risk.<\/p>\n<p>He had treated a child like a trial run.<\/p>\n<p>My phone buzzed.<\/p>\n<p>Carter.<\/p>\n<p>I answered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI got the blacked-out section.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHeld it over a light panel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His voice changed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt says: If A.M. line proves unsuitable, secondary family donor source already identified.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSecondary donor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe name isn&#39;t on this page.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLook for an identifier.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is one.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He read it.<\/p>\n<p>R.S.-2.<\/p>\n<p>I stared at my notes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRichard Sterling second?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnother Sterling.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Then Carter whispered, \u201cLauren, I think I know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy cousin.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhich cousin?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDaniel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I remembered him.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel Sterling.<\/p>\n<p>Richard&#39;s nephew.<\/p>\n<p>Quiet.<\/p>\n<p>Older than Carter by a few years.<\/p>\n<p>Rarely present at family gatherings.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat about Daniel?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe had a son.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat isn&#39;t relevant.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe child died.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My hand tightened around the phone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHeart condition.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The pattern snapped into focus.<\/p>\n<p>Richard had been tracing a genetic disease through the Sterling paternal line.<\/p>\n<p>Adrian&#39;s mother had died of cardiomyopathy.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel&#39;s son had died young of a heart condition.<\/p>\n<p>Grace carried a pathogenic variant.<\/p>\n<p>Richard had not merely been obsessed with lineage.<\/p>\n<p>He was terrified that the lineage he wanted to preserve might be medically compromised.<\/p>\n<p>And instead of telling anyone, he had built a private breeding strategy around the risk.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCarter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour father wasn&#39;t just trying to create an heir.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe was trying to create one without the disease.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Silence.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd he was willing to use children to figure out which branch of the family was safe.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=27732\">Click here to continue reading: PART 14: Grace\u2019s Genetic Risk Forced Everyone Into the Same Room, Where Adrian Learned Richard Had Been Testing His Bloodline for Decades<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dana refused to let anyone go to Richard&#39;s house that night. \u201cAbsolutely not,\u201d she said when I told her what Carter had found. \u201cYou are not walking into a private &hellip; 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