Chapter 4 - The Woman From the Clinic
Dr. Allison Price had worked at Sterling Reproductive Center for nineteen years.
Highly respected.
Quiet.
Meticulous.
And for more than a decade, one of Evelyn Bennett’s closest friends.
Grant remembered seeing them together after church.
At charity dinners.
At Michael’s funeral.
He had never thought much about it.
Rachel had.
Once the DNA results came back, she contacted the fertility clinic.
At first they insisted no error was possible.
Then she sent the report.
The clinic opened an internal review.
Within forty-eight hours, anomalies appeared.
The embryo assigned to Rachel’s transfer was documented under Grant’s patient number.
But an inventory log from the storage system showed another sample container was accessed that morning.
Michael Bennett’s.
Grant stared at the report.
“Why would anyone access Michael’s sample?”
Rachel said:
“That’s the question.”
Evelyn folded her arms.
“This is all speculation.”
Rachel looked at her.
“No.”
Then she pulled out another page.
Electronic badge records.
Allison Price entered long-term storage at 5:42 a.m.
No scheduled procedures required her there.
At 6:03, she entered the embryology lab.
Rachel’s embryo transfer occurred later that morning.
Grant’s hands shook.
“Did the clinic call police?”
“They reported suspected tampering and record falsification.”
Evelyn scoffed.
“Over paperwork?”
Rachel turned on her.
“My daughter’s conception is not paperwork.”
Grant looked at Maddie.
The toddler had finally stopped crying.
She rested her cheek against Rachel’s shoulder.
Frosting still clung to her hair.
Grant’s shame hit hard.
He had spent months emotionally distancing himself from this child because he believed his mother’s suspicions.
Today he had said it aloud.
She isn’t my child.
Now he knew the truth was much worse.
Maddie had been conceived through somebody else’s deception.
But that didn’t make her less his daughter.
It made her a victim.
Rachel quietly said:
“I’m leaving tonight.”
Grant looked up.
“What?”
“I’m taking Maddie somewhere safe.”
“Rachel—”
“You hit me.”
He closed his eyes.
“I know.”
“Your mother assaulted our baby.”
“I know.”
“And you defended her.”
“I know.”
Rachel’s eyes filled.
“No, Grant. You don’t know.”
She stepped closer.
“You have spent months letting her convince you Maddie was evidence against me.”
Grant couldn’t deny it.
Rachel continued:
“Every time Maddie reached for you, you hesitated.”
He looked down.
“I was confused.”
“She was a baby.”
That broke him.
Evelyn interrupted.
“Oh, please. We have bigger problems.”
Rachel turned slowly.
Evelyn had said exactly the wrong thing.
Rachel nodded toward Maddie.
“No.”
“My daughter is the biggest problem you have now.”
Then Grant’s phone rang.
Sterling Reproductive Center.
He answered.
The clinic director spoke carefully.
“Mr. Bennett, our auditors found one additional document.”
“What?”
“A financial transaction.”
Grant looked at Evelyn.
“Between who?”
May you like
The answer came quietly.
“Your mother and Dr. Price.”
