Chapter 2 - The Woman Before IsabellaMarcus stared at the screen as if the person standing inside my hospital room belonged to a nightmare he could not wake from.
His mother, Evelyn Vale, entered carrying a white envelope.
She closed the door.
She checked the hallway.
Then she walked directly toward my bed.
I remembered that morning.
She had visited me for twenty minutes.
She had kissed my forehead.
She had asked whether the baby was moving.
She had told me to rest.
Now I watched her on the screen, slowly unzip the envelope.
Marcus whispered, “Why was Mom here?”
I had no answer.
The footage continued.
Evelyn removed several documents.
She placed them beside my pillow.
Then she stared at me.
Her face was unreadable.
She reached into her coat and took out a second phone.
She dialed someone.
“We have a problem.”
A pause.
“The dates don't match.”
Marcus frowned.
“What dates?”
The voice on the recording was too faint to hear.
Evelyn continued.
“No. Khloe cannot leave this hospital.”
My fingers tightened around the blanket.
Marcus looked at me.
“Did my mother say that?”
I nodded.
Evelyn leaned closer to my sleeping face.
“If she finds out before delivery, everything falls apart.”
I felt cold.
She touched my stomach.
Not lovingly.
Possessively.
Then she whispered,
“That child belongs to this family.”
The recording ended.
Marcus stepped away from the monitor.
“No.”
He shook his head.
“My mother would never...”
I looked at him.
“You heard her.”
He said nothing.
Security reviewed the files again.
The technician discovered a second hidden camera angle from the hallway.
It showed Isabella arriving less than five minutes after Evelyn left.
The two women crossed paths.
They did not speak.
But Isabella stopped.
She looked at Evelyn.
Evelyn looked back.
Something passed between them.
Then Isabella entered my room.
Marcus slammed his fist against the wall.
“What is happening?”
The room fell silent.
A doctor entered to update us.
“The baby is stable,” she said. “But Khloe needs to avoid stress.”
Everyone looked at her.
No one laughed.
I wanted to cry.
Instead, I asked,
“Doctor, that medication in my IV... what was it?”
She checked the chart.
“Nothing unusual.”
“Can you check it again?”
She did.
Her expression changed.
“I’m going to have pharmacy review the batch.”
Marcus immediately said,
“Do it.”
The doctor left.
A nurse returned ten minutes later.
She looked nervous.
“Mrs. Vale?”
“Yes?”
“There’s something strange.”
She held up the medication chart.
“This IV bag was replaced this afternoon.”
“My bag?”
“Yes.”
“By who?”
The nurse hesitated.
“I don't know.”
Marcus stepped forward.
“You'd better find out.”
“We're checking.”
She left.
Then Isabella spoke.
For the first time since the slap, her voice was calm.
“I can explain.”
Marcus turned sharply.
“Start.”
Isabella looked at me.
“The man on the recording.”
“What about him?”
“He wasn't calling me.”
Marcus frowned.
“You answered the phone.”
“Yes.”
“Who were you speaking to?”
Isabella swallowed.
“I don't know.”
I stared at her.
“That makes no sense.”
“It does if the call came through another phone.”
Silence.
She continued.
“I was contacted through an encrypted number. I was told what to bring. I was told where to stand. I was told what would happen.”
Marcus stared.
“And the red heel?”
Isabella lowered her eyes.
“That wasn't supposed to happen.”
I almost laughed.
“You pressed your heel into my stomach.”
“I panicked.”
“Why?”
Her eyes moved toward the camera.
“Because he told me the camera would expose me.”
“Who?”
She looked at Marcus.
Then at me.
“Your doctor.”
The room went silent.
“My doctor?”
Isabella nodded.
“He knows what happened seven months ago.”
Marcus stepped closer.
“What happened seven months ago?”
Isabella’s lips trembled.
“He knows who the biological father of your child is.”
My heart seemed to stop.
Marcus looked at my stomach.
Then at me.
I opened my mouth.
Nothing came out.
Because seven months earlier, before I had married Marcus, there had been one night I had never told him about.
One night I had buried so deeply inside myself that even remembering it felt like betrayal.
The father of my child was supposed to be Marcus.
At least, that was what I had believed.
Then Isabella whispered,
“And someone has already ordered a DNA test.”
A nurse suddenly ran into the room.
“Mr. Vale?”
Marcus turned.
“The laboratory called.”
“What?”
“They said the prenatal DNA sample has been tampered with.”
Marcus went still.
The nurse looked at me.
“They don't know whether the result was changed.”
May you like
She looked at Marcus.
“Or whether the child was ever registered under your name in the first place.”
Related Stories
