Chapter 2 - THE DOOR THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING|
The door swung open.
Harrison stood in front of me, wearing the navy suit I'd bought him for our fifth wedding anniversary. His expression changed from suspicion to surprise, then settled into the familiar smile that had fooled me for years.
"Chloe? What are you doing here?"
Behind him, three men stared at me from around a table covered with half-finished drinks and expensive food.
I recognized two of them from photographs Harrison had shown me. The third, a tall man with silver at his temples, was someone I'd never met.
I forced myself to breathe.
"I came to surprise you."
Harrison's eyes dropped to my hands.
The ultrasound photographs lay on the carpet between us.
For one terrible second, neither of us moved.
Then he bent, collected the pictures, and handed them to me.
"Careful, sweetheart. You shouldn't be standing around for so long."
The tenderness in his voice nearly made me sick.
One of his friends cleared his throat.
"We were just finishing up."
"Of course," Harrison replied. "Gentlemen, this is my wife, Chloe."
He placed a hand on my back, guiding me into the room as if nothing had happened.
"This is Ethan, Robert, and Dr. Bennett."
The doctor.
My gaze snapped toward the silver-haired man.
Dr. Bennett smiled politely.
"Congratulations on the pregnancy."
I stared at him.
"You know about my pregnancy?"
His smile faltered.
Harrison squeezed my shoulder.
"Of course he does. He's a friend of the family."
A friend of the family.
A doctor who had apparently helped my husband turn my body into a secret arrangement.
The abdominal pain returned, sharper this time. I pressed a hand against my stomach.
Harrison noticed immediately.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"You're pale."
"I need to sit down."
He pulled out a chair, then crouched beside me, performing concern for the audience.
"Did you take your medication this morning?"
I nodded.
"Good girl. The doctor said you need to avoid stress."
The words were almost identical to what he'd said when I asked why the fertility clinic had changed my medication schedule without explaining the reason.
Back then, he'd kissed my forehead and told me not to worry.
Now I understood why he had been so eager to keep me from asking questions.
Dr. Bennett stood.
"I should leave."
"Wait," I said.
Everyone looked at me.
My pulse hammered in my ears.
"Doctor, I'd like to ask you something about the embryos."
Harrison's hand tightened on my shoulder.
"What question, sweetheart?"
"The ones we created for our IVF treatment."
His smile remained in place, but his eyes turned cold.
"We've discussed all of that."
"Have we?"
Ethan suddenly became fascinated by his drink.
Robert reached for his phone.
Dr. Bennett's face had gone pale.
I looked directly at him.
"Did you use only embryos created from my eggs and Harrison's sperm?"
Silence.
Harrison rose slowly.
"Chloe, you're tired. You're emotional. This isn't the place for medical questions."
"It's a medical question about my body."
His jaw tightened.
"Let's go home."
I didn't move.
"Doctor?"
Dr. Bennett looked at Harrison, then at me.
"I can't discuss private medical information in front of other people."
"Then let's discuss it privately."
"That's enough," Harrison snapped.
The sudden anger startled even his friends.
He recovered quickly, forcing a laugh.
"My wife has been anxious lately. Triplet pregnancies can be difficult. We need to get her home."
He took my bag and helped me stand.
I hated how automatic the gesture felt. How many times had I mistaken control for care?
At the doorway, I turned back toward Dr. Bennett.
"Please don't destroy any records."
His face changed.
It was brief, but I saw it.
Fear.
Harrison pulled me into the hallway.
"What the hell was that?" he hissed once the door closed.
I looked at the man I'd married.
"I asked a doctor a question."
"You embarrassed me."
"I'm sorry your lunch was interrupted."
His eyes narrowed.
"Don't get clever with me."
The pain in my abdomen intensified. I gripped his arm to steady myself.
For a moment, his anger disappeared.
"Chloe?"
"I need a hospital."
He caught me before I could fall.
And as he shouted for his driver, his phone slipped from his pocket and landed on the carpet.
The screen lit up.
A message appeared from Dr. Bennett.
SHE KNOWS ABOUT THE EMBRYOS. WE NEED TO MOVE THE DELIVERY PLAN FORWARD.
Harrison saw it at the same time I did.
His face went utterly still.
May you like
Then he snatched up the phone, looked at me, and whispered the words that destroyed the last fragile piece of my marriage.
"You're not supposed to know that."
