The Test That Broke Them
Chapter 02 - The Test That Broke Them
Nurses entered within seconds. Dr. Ward adjusted the monitor and asked Mara to breathe slowly. The baby’s heartbeat had dropped, recovered, then dropped again.
“We may need to deliver today,” the doctor said.
Mara’s fear erased everything else. Adrian stood beside the bed, pale but steady.
“What do you need from me?”
“For now, keep her calm.”
While the staff prepared more tests, Adrian told Mara the rest. After leaving, he stayed in a hotel and tried to convince himself that walking away was honorable. But the dates on the report bothered him. The sample was supposedly processed on a Sunday, when the laboratory was closed. Evelyn dismissed it as a clerical error.
Then Adrian learned his mother had received a copy before he did.
He hired an investigator. Phone records led to Vanessa Price, a former technician who had suddenly paid off a large debt. She denied everything until Adrian showed her a transfer from a company controlled by Evelyn.
“She said my mother told her the lie would only delay our marriage,” Adrian said. “She claimed no one would be hurt permanently.”
Mara stared at him. “No one?”
“I know.”
“No. You know now. I lived it.”
After he left, Mara lost more than a husband. Evelyn called the school board and hinted that Mara’s “personal scandal” could embarrass the district. Her contract was not renewed. Friends avoided choosing sides. Mara moved into a small apartment and attended every appointment alone.
Adrian listened without defending himself.
“I can prove the report was forged,” he said. “Vanessa signed a statement. My attorney has the bank records. But proof doesn’t erase what I did.”
“Why did your mother need us apart?”
“The Cole company is close to bankruptcy. She arranged an engagement between me and Celeste Warren. Her father promised to invest if I married her.”
Mara looked at his bare hand. “Were you going to?”
“No.”
“But you let me believe you might.”
Dr. Ward returned with the scan results. The placenta was beginning to separate too early, placing the baby under stress. Waiting could become dangerous.
“We recommend an emergency delivery,” she said.
Mara’s breath caught. “Is my baby going to be okay?”
“We caught it early. That matters.”
A nurse handed Mara a consent form. Her hand shook too badly to sign.
Adrian reached for the pen, then stopped. “May I help?”
Mara looked at the man who abandoned her and the man who returned carrying the truth. They were the same person, which made forgiveness difficult.
May you like
She placed the pen in his hand.
“Help me save our child,” she said. “Everything else comes later.”
