Chapter 4
I filed a formal complaint with Brookside Fertility Center the following Monday.
My attorney, Rachel Hayes, sat beside me when we met with the clinic's legal representative.
I had brought copies of every document.
The old medical results.
The forged authorization.
The correspondence Patricia had kept.
And the letter indicating that donor embryos had been created during my marriage.
Rachel placed the documents on the table.
“My client disputes signing several of these forms.”
The clinic representative adjusted his glasses.
“We take allegations of unauthorized consent extremely seriously.”
I looked at him.
“Then tell me why my name appears on documents I never signed.”
He hesitated.
“We'll need to examine the original records.”
Rachel leaned forward.
“That's why we're here.”
I felt exhausted.
For three nights, I had barely slept.
Every time I closed my eyes, I remembered Adrian asking whether I had used the embryos.
The question made no sense.
My children had been conceived years after our divorce.
I had met their father long after leaving Adrian.
There was no biological connection between my children and the embryos Adrian had arranged.
Yet he had looked at Isaiah as though he feared something.
Perhaps he was simply terrified that my children proved he had lied.
Or perhaps he had become so tangled in his secrets that he couldn't distinguish one lie from another.
The representative opened a file.
“We have located records showing a proposed donor embryo program under Adrian Mitchell's account.”
I sat forward.
“Proposed?”
“Yes.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means the arrangement may not have advanced as far as certain documents suggested.”
My stomach tightened.
“Were embryos actually created?”
He paused.
“We're still verifying that.”
I stared at him.
“You told me records existed.”
“Records can contain incomplete or inaccurate entries.”
Rachel raised her hand.
“We need the full audit trail.”
He nodded.
“We're preserving it.”
I looked down at my hands.
For years, I believed Adrian stole my chance to become a mother.
Now I had three beautiful children.
But learning that my name had been used without my permission reopened wounds I thought had healed.
I wanted answers.
Not revenge.
Not public humiliation.
Answers.
After the meeting, Rachel walked me to my car.
“Serena, there's something important I want you to remember.”
“What?”
“The fact that Adrian lied about his fertility doesn't automatically prove every other allegation.”
I nodded.
“We need the records.”
“Exactly.”
I appreciated her honesty.
My anger was real.
But I wasn't going to make the same mistake Adrian made.
I wasn't going to twist facts because they served my emotions.
That evening, Danielle came over with dinner.
The children were playing in the living room.
Amara had lined up her dolls beneath the coffee table.
Noah was building a tower.
Isaiah sat beside me, reading.
Danielle placed a plate in front of me.
“Eat.”
I smiled weakly.
“You sound like my mother.”
“Somebody has to.”
I took a bite.
Then she sat beside me.
“Have you heard from Vanessa?”
I shook my head.
The wedding had ended before the vows.
Vanessa had left the ballroom with her sister.
Adrian remained behind, surrounded by furious relatives and embarrassed guests.
I had received several messages from people who wanted to discuss what happened.
I answered none of them.
I didn't want my life to become entertainment.
I wanted the truth handled properly.
Danielle looked at me.
“Do you regret going?”
I thought for a moment.
“I regret bringing the children into that confrontation.”
She nodded.
“But do you regret confronting him?”
“No.”
I looked toward Isaiah.
“He needed to know he couldn't keep lying.”
Danielle squeezed my hand.
“You're allowed to be angry.”
“I know.”
“But don't let him take over your life again.”
I looked at her.
That was exactly what frightened me.
I had rebuilt myself.
I had a career.
A home.
Three children.
And a man who loved us.
My husband, David Carter, was a pediatric physical therapist.
He had met me at a community fundraiser eight years earlier.
He had never treated my past as something shameful.
When I told him I might not be able to have children, he didn't look disappointed.
He simply said, “Then we'll decide together what family means for us.”
Two years later, Isaiah was born.
Noah followed.
Then Amara.
The doctors never found any significant fertility problem in me.
I had told David about Adrian's lies long before our marriage.
He knew why I wanted to confront my ex-husband.
He supported me.
But he had insisted the children deserved to be protected from the conflict.
I wished I had listened more carefully.
As if summoned by my thoughts, David walked through the door carrying groceries.
“Where are my favorite people?”
The children shouted.
“Daddy!”
They ran toward him.
He dropped his bags on the counter and opened his arms.
I watched him hug them.
My heart softened.
David looked at me.
“How was the meeting?”
I sighed.
“Complicated.”
He kissed my forehead.
“Tell me when you're ready.”
Later that night, after the children were asleep, I told him everything.
He listened without interrupting.
When I finished, he took my hand.
“Serena, I'm proud of you for asking questions.”
I shook my head.
“I feel like I'm losing control.”
“You're not.”
I looked at him.
“I brought our children into a public confrontation.”
He was silent for a moment.
Then he said gently, “That part wasn't fair to them.”
Tears filled my eyes.
“I know.”
“But you can repair that.”
“How?”
“Tell them the truth at a level they can understand. Let them know they didn't cause any of this.”
I nodded.
He pulled me close.
“You are not the woman Adrian abandoned eleven years ago.”
I rested my head against him.
“I know.”
“Then don't let him convince you otherwise.”
The next morning, I received an unexpected call.
Vanessa.
Her voice sounded exhausted.
“Serena?”
“Yes.”
“I hope I'm not bothering you.”
“You're not.”
She hesitated.
“I need to ask you something.”
I sat down.
“What?”
“Did Adrian ever mention a woman named Melissa Grant?”
I frowned.
“No. Why?”
Vanessa exhaled.
“Because I've been looking through the paperwork he gave me before the wedding.”
My stomach tightened.
“What paperwork?”
“Fertility treatment forms.”
I sat forward.
“What did you find?”
“Her name appears on some of them.”
“Who is she?”
“I don't know.”
A long silence followed.
Then Vanessa whispered, “Serena, I think Adrian was planning to use embryos connected to another woman's medical file.”
I closed my eyes.
Another woman.
Another secret.
Another life he might have manipulated.
“Are you sure?”
“No.”
She sounded frightened.
“But I found a note attached to the file.”
“What does it say?”
Vanessa swallowed.
“It says, 'Do not contact original intended parent without legal approval.'”
My heart began pounding.
“Vanessa, photograph everything.”
“I already did.”
“Send it to my attorney.”
She hesitated.
“Serena?”
“Yes?”
“I think Adrian has been doing this for years.”
I stared at the wall.
May you like
Then she added something that made my blood run cold.
“And I think Melissa knows.”
