Chapter 6 - The First Thing My Father Noticed
The baby was okay.
That was the first mercy.
Her heartbeat was strong, her movement picked back up during monitoring, and after an ultrasound, the maternal-fetal specialist told me stress was the biggest danger I was facing right then.
No kidding.
My father stayed in the room while the nurse checked my cheek and noted the swelling.
He said very little, which meant he was angrier than I had seen him in years.
When the doctor left, he pulled a chair closer to my bed.
“Do you want the truth,” he asked quietly, “or comfort?”
I laughed bitterly. “I think comfort left the building.”
He nodded once. “Then truth.”
I braced myself.
“I’ve been suspicious of Daniel’s finances for two months.”
That made me look up.
“What?”
Richard folded his hands.
“Not your finances. His. He made two inquiries through one of my legal teams about family-protection structures after birth.”
I frowned. “What kind of structures?”
“Temporary incapacity authority. Emergency asset access. guardianship contingencies.”
My stomach dropped.
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying,” my father replied, “that someone has been asking a lot of questions about what happens if a pregnant woman is declared medically unstable during delivery.”
The room went completely still.
My fingers tightened around the blanket.
“That can’t be Daniel.”
My father held my gaze.
“I hope not.”
Then he added the detail that made my skin go cold.
“When I walked into that corridor, Emily, Vanessa already had your admissions folder in her hand.”
I hadn’t even noticed.
But suddenly, I could picture it.
The folder. The papers. Her confidence.
May you like
This hadn’t just been an affair.
There was a plan.
