Chapter 4 - THE DOCTOR WHO DISAPPEARED|
Elena read the sentence three times.
The doctor who had confirmed her pregnancy was not Dr. Reed. It had been a private obstetrician recommended by Julian's executive assistant. The appointment had taken place before Elena's regular physician was available.
At the time, she had been thrilled to learn that she was expecting a child. She remembered the doctor's reassuring smile, the ultrasound image, and the way Julian had held her hand.
Now she wondered whether the entire appointment had been manipulated.
"Marcus," she said, "I need you to find the doctor who signed this report."
He took the letter.
"Do you remember the name?"
"Dr. Peter Lang. His office was in Midtown."
Marcus immediately called his attorney.
Within an hour, the family office confirmed that Dr. Lang had closed his practice six weeks earlier. His office phone was disconnected, his apartment had been vacated, and his professional website had vanished.
"That's convenient," Elena murmured.
Marcus stood beside the window, speaking quietly with the attorney.
"Find out whether he received payments from Northstar Advisory. And contact the medical board. I want the original records, not a summary."
After the call, he turned to Elena.
"We're going to find him."
"Why would anyone pay a doctor to sign a pregnancy report?"
"There may be a legitimate explanation."
She stared at him.
"Do you believe that?"
"No," he admitted. "But I won't decide what happened until we have proof."
Dr. Reed returned with the latest results. Elena's blood pressure was responding to treatment, but she remained at risk of complications. The baby was active, and his heart rate was stable.
"We're not out of danger," Dr. Reed explained, "but things are improving. You need rest and as little stress as possible."
Elena nodded.
Then she asked the question she had been afraid to voice.
"Doctor, could someone falsify a pregnancy report?"
"Medical records can be falsified, but a pregnancy confirmed through ultrasound and laboratory testing is not something a single document can establish. Why are you asking?"
Elena showed her the letter.
Dr. Reed's expression tightened.
"I'll review your complete medical record. Every test, every scan, every result. If something is missing or altered, we'll document it."
After she left, Marcus's phone rang.
His attorney had found a payment from Northstar Advisory to Dr. Lang's former practice. The payment was labeled as a consulting fee, but the amount was unusually large.
There was another discovery.
Dr. Lang had signed a second report six weeks later, stating that Elena's pregnancy required a specialized insurance arrangement. The report had been used to justify moving money into the private trust.
"Was the pregnancy ever in doubt?" Elena asked.
Marcus shook his head.
"The later scans confirm it. Leo is your child. There's no reason to question that."
"Then what was the first payment for?"
"We don't know."
Elena looked down at her stomach.
She did not doubt that Leo was real. She felt him move. She had seen his tiny hands on the ultrasound screen. But the letter suggested someone had been using her pregnancy to move money, and she could not imagine what that meant.
That afternoon, Julian requested permission to visit.
Elena refused.
He sent flowers. She asked the nurses to remove them.
He sent a handwritten apology. She placed it unopened in a drawer.
Finally, he called her room.
"Please, Elena. Just five minutes."
She answered because she wanted to hear whether he would tell the truth without being forced.
"Why did you change the trust?"
"To protect you."
"From what?"
A long silence followed.
"From my family."
Elena gripped the phone.
"Which member of your family?"
Julian's voice dropped.
"My father wasn't the only person who knew about the trust. My mother knew too. She died before we met, but she left instructions that I was supposed to follow if you ever became pregnant."
Elena went still.
"Your mother has been dead for twelve years."
"I know."
"Then how could she have left instructions about me?"
May you like
Julian inhaled shakily.
"Because she knew your name long before I did."
