Kenneth did not let me confront Connor.<\/p>\n
He did something much worse.<\/p>\n
He made Connor answer questions under oath.<\/p>\n
The emergency discovery conference happened two days later because the disputed assets from our divorce gave Kenneth a legitimate path into the financial records.<\/p>\n
Connor arrived with a new attorney.<\/p>\n
His old divorce lawyer was nowhere to be seen.<\/p>\n
That alone told me something had changed.<\/p>\n
Connor sat across the conference table wearing a navy suit I remembered buying with him before his promotion. He looked older than he had at the hospital.<\/p>\n
He did not look at me.<\/p>\n
His attorney did.<\/p>\n
\u201cDr. Sinclair\u2019s presence is unnecessary.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kenneth answered before I could.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe is the party whose marital assets were concealed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe dispute that characterization.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen producing the records should be painless.\u201d<\/p>\n
Connor finally looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cKirsten, this has gone far enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kenneth turned toward him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ll address questions through counsel.\u201d<\/p>\n
Connor\u2019s attorney touched his sleeve.<\/p>\n
For the first time in our marriage or divorce, someone else was telling Connor when he could speak.<\/p>\n
I expected satisfaction.<\/p>\n
Instead I felt tired.<\/p>\n
The first hour concerned money.<\/p>\n
Accounts.<\/p>\n
Transfers.<\/p>\n
Property valuations.<\/p>\n
Investment statements Connor had failed to disclose.<\/p>\n
The numbers were worse than I had expected.<\/p>\n
More than seven hundred thousand dollars had moved through accounts I had never known existed.<\/p>\n
Some of the money predated our separation.<\/p>\n
Some predated the affair I knew about.<\/p>\n
Then Kenneth reached Westbridge.<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Fleming, did you receive treatment at Westbridge Reproductive Medicine?\u201d<\/p>\n
Connor\u2019s attorney objected.<\/p>\n
Kenneth remained calm.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe payments came from marital funds.\u201d<\/p>\n
The objection dissolved.<\/p>\n
Connor swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSeveral times.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBeginning?\u201d<\/p>\n
He stared at the tabletop.<\/p>\n
\u201cMay.\u201d<\/p>\n
May.<\/p>\n
Before Noah\u2019s likely conception.<\/p>\n
Before Connor claimed our marriage was merely struggling.<\/p>\n
Before Melinda had supposedly become anything more than my friend.<\/p>\n
\u201cMay of which year?\u201d<\/p>\n
Connor gave the year.<\/p>\n
My fingernails pressed into my palm.<\/p>\n
\u201cWas Dr. Sinclair aware of these appointments?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy not?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted another opinion.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnother opinion about what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy fertility.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kenneth opened a folder.<\/p>\n
\u201cSpecifically your diagnosis of severe male-factor infertility?\u201d<\/p>\n
Connor looked toward his attorney.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou may answer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The word was barely audible.<\/p>\n
Kenneth did not react.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Westbridge confirm the diagnosis?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid they tell you natural conception was impossible?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHighly unlikely?\u201d<\/p>\n
Connor hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I remembered the hospital.<\/p>\n
His smirk.<\/p>\n
His one-year-old son.<\/p>\n
Proof.<\/p>\n
That was what he had wanted Noah to be.<\/p>\n
Kenneth continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cWas Melinda Travis present at any Westbridge appointment?\u201d<\/p>\n
Connor\u2019s face changed.<\/p>\n
His attorney interrupted.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need a break.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Connor said.<\/p>\n
The attorney stared at him.<\/p>\n
Connor looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room went still.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t remember.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kenneth opened another page.<\/p>\n
\u201cWas she present June 19?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn what capacity?\u201d<\/p>\n
Connor\u2019s jaw moved.<\/p>\n
\u201cSupport.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kenneth waited.<\/p>\n
Connor shifted.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor a procedure.\u201d<\/p>\n
My heartbeat became audible in my ears.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat procedure?\u201d<\/p>\n
Connor\u2019s attorney objected again.<\/p>\n
Kenneth pushed the financial authorization across the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis document lists Mr. Fleming as responsible party and Ms. Travis as patient participant.\u201d<\/p>\n
Connor closed his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were considering options.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat options?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving a child.\u201d<\/p>\n
I did not move.<\/p>\n
Kenneth\u2019s voice remained perfectly level.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were still married to Dr. Sinclair.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were separated emotionally.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat wasn\u2019t my question.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were legally married.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLiving in the same residence?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAttending marriage counseling?\u201d<\/p>\n
Connor stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAttempting fertility treatment with your wife?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I nearly spoke.<\/p>\n
Kenneth glanced at me.<\/p>\n
I understood.<\/p>\n
Let him continue.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Dr. Sinclair know you had stopped considering fertility treatment with her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid she believe reconciliation remained possible?\u201d<\/p>\n
Connor\u2019s voice dropped.<\/p>\n
\u201cProbably.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you allow her to believe that?\u201d<\/p>\n
His attorney objected.<\/p>\n
Kenneth rephrased.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you tell her otherwise?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kenneth turned another page.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did you transfer fifty thousand dollars to Ms. Travis?\u201d<\/p>\n
Connor looked genuinely trapped now.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was for expenses.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat expenses?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMedical.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe clinic was paid separately.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOther expenses.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSuch as?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t remember.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou transferred fifty thousand dollars and don\u2019t remember why?\u201d<\/p>\n
Connor leaned back.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was complicated.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kenneth nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s simplify it. Were you paying Ms. Travis to carry a child for you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
The answer came too quickly.<\/p>\n
Kenneth noticed.<\/p>\n
So did I.<\/p>\n
\u201cWere you paying her for eggs?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEmbryo-related treatment?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why was she involved with your fertility clinic?\u201d<\/p>\n
Connor said nothing.<\/p>\n
His attorney requested another break.<\/p>\n
This time Kenneth agreed.<\/p>\n
Connor stood immediately.<\/p>\n
I walked toward the windows.<\/p>\n
Behind me, chairs moved.<\/p>\n
Then Connor said my name.<\/p>\n
\u201cKirsten.\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned.<\/p>\n
His attorney had stepped into the hallway.<\/p>\n
Kenneth remained beside me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou should hear this from me,\u201d Connor said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve heard enough from you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMelinda offered.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOffered what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo help me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith what?\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyes moved toward Kenneth.<\/p>\n
Kenneth said nothing.<\/p>\n
Connor rubbed his forehead.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was angry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBe specific.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the diagnosis.\u201d<\/p>\n
That surprised me.<\/p>\n
For years Connor had behaved as if infertility belonged exclusively to me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI couldn\u2019t accept it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you punished me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t punish you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou watched me blame myself.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was ashamed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd that gave you permission?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
His voice cracked slightly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know that now.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, Connor. You know you\u2019ve been caught now.\u201d<\/p>\n
His face tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cMelinda said there were ways around it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWays involving her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWere you sleeping with her?\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked away.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnswer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The word did not hurt.<\/p>\n
Not anymore.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened at Westbridge?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe discussed donor options.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDonor sperm?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Melinda would carry the pregnancy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe discussed it.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou planned a child with my best friend while you were still coming home to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt wasn\u2019t like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was it like?\u201d<\/p>\n
Connor had no answer.<\/p>\n
Kenneth stepped forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cWas treatment performed?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy not?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMelinda changed her mind.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
Connor looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter she found out she was pregnant.\u201d<\/p>\n
Everything stopped.<\/p>\n
Kenneth\u2019s pen froze.<\/p>\n
I heard myself ask, \u201cPregnant by whom?\u201d<\/p>\n
Connor\u2019s face went pale.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said it was mine.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said the doctors had been wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter they had just confirmed your diagnosis?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said we had been sleeping together. She said sometimes unlikely things happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you believed her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to.\u201d<\/p>\n
That was the first completely truthful thing he had said.<\/p>\n
Kenneth asked, \u201cDid Ms. Travis tell you about Evan Mercer?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEver?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid she tell you she had another sexual partner during the conception window?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Connor looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen she showed me the test, I thought\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
He stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou thought what?\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyes filled with something I had once mistaken for vulnerability.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat I wasn\u2019t broken.\u201d<\/p>\n
There it was.<\/p>\n
Noah had not been a son first.<\/p>\n
He had been evidence.<\/p>\n
Evidence Connor could use against the diagnosis.<\/p>\n
Against his shame.<\/p>\n
Against me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did the affair begin?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cApril.\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
April.<\/p>\n
A month earlier than Evan had met Melinda.<\/p>\n
She had been sleeping with both men.<\/p>\n
Possibly overlapping them for months.<\/p>\n
Kenneth\u2019s phone vibrated.<\/p>\n
He checked the screen.<\/p>\n
His expression changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
He looked at Connor.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe genetic laboratory has released the preliminary paternity result.\u201d<\/p>\n
Connor stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does it say?\u201d<\/p>\n
Kenneth read silently.<\/p>\n
Then he handed me the phone.<\/p>\n
Probability of paternity for Connor Fleming:<\/p>\n
0.00%.<\/p>\n
I looked at Connor.<\/p>\n
He had stopped breathing.<\/p>\n
His attorney returned at that moment and saw his face.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
Connor whispered one word.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kenneth\u2019s phone vibrated again.<\/p>\n
A second result.<\/p>\n
Evan Mercer.<\/p>\n
I watched Kenneth read it.<\/p>\n
This time he did not hand me the phone immediately.<\/p>\n
Connor gripped the edge of the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs Mercer the father?\u201d<\/p>\n
Kenneth looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Connor sank into the chair.<\/p>\n
Probability of paternity:<\/p>\n
99.9998%.<\/p>\n
Nobody spoke.<\/p>\n
Outside the conference-room glass, office staff walked past carrying folders and coffee as though the world had not changed.<\/p>\n
Connor finally looked at me.<\/p>\n
His expression was devastated.<\/p>\n
And I understood something that would once have seemed impossible.<\/p>\n
I did not enjoy it.<\/p>\n
I did not pity him either.<\/p>\n
I simply saw him clearly.<\/p>\n
A man who had spent years making another person carry his shame had finally been forced to carry it himself.<\/p>\n
But Kenneth was still staring at the report.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
He frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s an attachment.\u201d<\/p>\n
He opened it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat kind?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA court filing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Connor\u2019s attorney stepped closer.<\/p>\n
Kenneth read the first paragraph.<\/p>\n
Then his eyes lifted to mine.<\/p>\n
\u201cMelinda filed an emergency motion this morning.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cProtection of Noah\u2019s financial interests.\u201d<\/p>\n
Connor stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat financial interests?\u201d<\/p>\n
Kenneth turned the document around.<\/p>\n
Attached was a copy of a trust instrument.<\/p>\n
Its date was eleven months earlier.<\/p>\n
Its beneficiary was Noah Fleming.<\/p>\n
Its initial funding was $500,000.<\/p>\n
And the signature authorizing the transfer came from an account that had once been marital property.<\/p>\n
My marital property.<\/p>\n
Connor whispered, \u201cI never signed that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kenneth looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe you.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the first time, Connor and I were staring at the same betrayal.<\/p>\n
Kenneth did not let me confront Connor. He did something much worse. He made Connor answer questions under oath. The emergency discovery conference happened two days later because the disputed … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30496,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30505","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\/30505","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=30505"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30505\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30557,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30505\/revisions\/30557"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/30496"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=30505"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=30505"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=30505"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}