Chapter 6
The day Diane showed up at my workplace, I nearly lost my composure.
I was still on maternity leave, but I'd stopped by the hospital to submit paperwork and speak with my supervisor.
Ava was home with Tasha.
I had been inside for less than twenty minutes when my phone started buzzing.
A coworker texted me.
"Nia, your mother-in-law is downstairs."
My stomach dropped.
Then another message appeared.
"She's telling people you're under investigation."
I hurried toward the lobby.
Diane stood near the information desk, surrounded by several hospital employees.
She was speaking loudly.
"I'm concerned about the kind of person they're allowing to care for patients."
My face burned.
"Diane."
She turned.
For one brief second, surprise crossed her face.
Then she smiled.
"There she is."
I stopped several feet away.
"What are you doing here?"
"I'm trying to get some answers."
"About what?"
"About whether this hospital knows you have been accused of falsifying paternity information."
A receptionist looked uncomfortable.
I felt my pulse racing.
"You need to leave."
Diane folded her arms.
"People have a right to know."
I looked at the receptionist.
"Would you please contact security?"
Diane laughed.
"Calling security on your own mother-in-law? How classy."
I kept my voice steady.
"You are harassing me at my workplace."
She stepped closer.
"I raised that boy to be a successful man. I will not sit back and watch you destroy him."
I stared at her.
"You tried to convince him that his daughter wasn't his."
"Because I had concerns."
"You used a fake medical report."
Her expression hardened.
"Careful, Nia."
"No. You need to be careful."
My supervisor, Dr. Melissa Grant, came into the lobby.
She was a woman I'd worked with for five years.
She knew my professionalism.
She also knew how much I loved being a nurse.
"Mrs. Carter?" she asked calmly.
Diane turned toward her.
"Finally. Someone in charge."
Dr. Grant looked at me.
"Are you okay?"
I nodded, although tears were gathering in my eyes.
Diane immediately began talking.
"I believe your employee has been involved in serious dishonesty."
Dr. Grant held up a hand.
"Ma'am, personal allegations do not belong in this lobby."
Diane looked offended.
"I'm trying to protect this institution."
"Then please stop disrupting it."
Two security officers approached.
Diane's face flushed.
"You people are making a mistake."
One officer stepped forward.
"Ma'am, we're going to ask you to leave."
She pointed at me.
"This isn't over."
My heart pounded.
But I didn't back down.
"You're right," I said. "It isn't."
After she left, Dr. Grant took me into her office.
I finally broke down.
I told her about the false DNA report.
The social media posts.
The ongoing legal investigation.
She listened patiently.
Then she handed me a tissue.
"Nia, you've been an excellent nurse for years."
I wiped my face.
"She's trying to ruin my reputation."
"I understand."
"Will this affect my job?"
Dr. Grant shook her head.
"Unverified accusations from an outside family member are not proof of professional wrongdoing. We will document the incident and handle any workplace security concerns."
I started crying harder.
Not because I was frightened.
Because someone had finally judged me by what she actually knew about me.
When I returned home, Marcus was waiting.
Tasha had already told him what happened.
His face was tight with anger.
"She came to your hospital?"
I nodded.
"She tried to get me fired."
Marcus grabbed his keys.
"I'm going to talk to her."
"No."
He stopped.
"Nia—"
"No more confrontations that accomplish nothing."
He stared at me.
I took a breath.
"Your mother enjoys chaos. Every time we argue with her, she gets another chance to twist the story."
"What do you want me to do?"
"Help me protect our daughter. Work with the attorneys. Tell the truth."
He slowly put down his keys.
"Okay."
That evening, Elaine contacted Diane's attorney with a formal demand concerning the false public statements and harassment.
Rebecca continued the trust accounting review.
Marcus arranged for independent legal advice about the old loan guarantee.
For the first time, we were taking organized action instead of simply reacting.
Two days later, Vernon provided documents through his attorney.
The evidence was disturbing.
There were emails discussing the design of the fake report.
There was a payment from a company associated with Diane.
And there was a message instructing Vernon to use language that would make the document appear medically authoritative.
But the most important evidence was an email sent three days before Ava was born.
Diane had written:
"Once the baby arrives, Marcus will be too emotional to question the document."
I read the sentence three times.
My daughter hadn't even taken her first breath.
And her grandmother was already planning to use her against me.
I felt physically ill.
Marcus stood beside me.
"I can't believe she did this."
I looked at him.
"She knew you'd believe her."
He swallowed.
"Yes."
"That's why she did it."
His face crumpled.
I didn't comfort him.
Some realizations have to hurt before they can change a person.
That night, Marcus came into the nursery while I was feeding Ava.
He stopped at the doorway.
"Can I sit with you?"
I nodded.
He sat on the floor beside the rocking chair.
For several minutes, neither of us spoke.
Then he whispered, "When my father was dying, he told me that being a husband meant protecting my wife, even when it was uncomfortable."
I looked at him.
"I remember you telling me that."
"I thought I understood."
His voice broke.
"I didn't."
Ava moved softly in my arms.
Marcus watched her.
"I want to become the father she deserves."
I swallowed.
"Then become a man who believes the truth even when your mother tells him something easier."
He nodded.
"I will."
The next morning, Rebecca called with an update.
The independent accountant had traced several payments to a property development account controlled by Diane.
Financial records had been preserved for further investigation.
And Diane's authority to approve certain trust transactions was being challenged.
I thought that might finally stop her.
I was wrong.
That afternoon, Marcus received a letter from Diane's attorney.
She was demanding temporary control over the financial administration connected to Ava's trust interests.
Her reason?
She claimed I was an unstable new mother who might misuse my daughter's inheritance.
I stared at the letter.
May you like
Diane had failed to prove Ava wasn't Marcus's child.
So now she was trying to prove I wasn't fit to protect her.
