Chapter 2

"Emmy." Alexander's voice cut through my thoughts.

His gaze was so tense that it was almost frightening. "Why didn't Ethan answer?"

I opened my mouth, but no words came out.

"When I got to the scene, I pulled up your call log," Alexander continued, his fingers tapping on his knee. It was a subtle habit he used to restrain his emotions. "You called him three times at 10:53, 10:54, and 10:55.

"He didn't get busy signals or miss the calls by accident. He manually declined every single one."

Ethan had seen my incoming calls, known it was me, and chosen to turn me away three times in a row.

"Ethan was at the Obstetrics Outpatient Department in Riverside General Hospital at 10:52," Alexander added. "He registered Jessica Lane as a patient."

The air in the entire room seemed to vanish in an instant.

I froze in place. "What?"

"Your husband was at the hospital with your best friend for her prenatal checkup at the exact same time you were in that accident," Alexander said, locking eyes with me. "He declined your calls because he was inside the exam room with her."

I tried to speak but couldn't form a single sound.

Jessica had claimed severe morning sickness kept her housebound and asked me to pick up her test results for her. She had gone to the hospital after all, and my own husband had been right there beside her.

"There's one more thing," Alexander said, picking up a clear plastic bag from the side table. Inside were two blood-stained prenatal reports. "These were the prenatal reports you had carried in your bag during the accident."

He opened the bag and laid the two papers side by side in front of me. "There's a key detail on Jessica's report you failed to notice. It's the fetal ABO hemolysis screening."

I focused my eyes on the paper and caught the clear printed line. The maternal blood type was listed as Type A, and the referenced paternal blood type was Type B.

My mind raced as I processed the information.

Lucas had Type O blood. I had seen his blood type records during our family's full physical checkup. He had even joked back then about being a universal donor.

But the report listed the father as Type B instead.

"What's your husband's blood type?" Alexander asked.

I dug my nails into my palm. "Type B."

The room fell so quiet that I could hear the steady dripping of fluid through the IV tube.

Jessica's unborn child was not Lucas's baby. It was Ethan's baby. It was my husband's baby.

I stared at the papers for a long time until my eyes grew dry and sore.

Alexander stayed seated beside me without speaking.

He knew me well enough to know that any comfort right now would be pointless.

"What about the crash?" My throat felt rough and gritty as I forced the question out. "Did you look into it?"

"Yes," Alexander replied. "The truck had fake plates, and the driver fled the scene on foot. Police pulled footage from twelve surrounding traffic cameras and found the vehicle highly suspicious.

"It had been parked at the Riverfront Avenue entrance for twenty minutes before your taxi arrived."

I froze at his words. "So that means..."

"That means someone knew your exact route that day." Alexander finished the thought for me.

Jessica was the only one who knew I'd be taking that route.

She was the one who asked me to pick up the report, and she knew I'd have to take Riverfront Avenue on my way back from the hospital. We lived in the same neighborhood, so she knew my routine better than anyone.

She had lied about staying home sick with morning sickness.

She had gone to the hospital to meet my husband for her prenatal checkup instead.

She stayed far away from me today because she knew a truck would be waiting to run me down on that road.

She later told everyone she was lucky she had stepped out for coffee and avoided riding with me. It was never luck at all.

"Emmy," Alexander said, standing up and walking to the window with his back facing me.

Outdoor light outlined his sharp, rigid silhouette. "What do you want to do next?"

"Do I get to decide?"

"Yes, you do."

I took a deep breath.

My ribs still ached, but that physical pain paled in comparison to another kind of agony.

I had trusted Jessica for three whole years. She had stabbed me in the back, yet stayed beside me and pretended to care enough to ask if I was hurting.

"Don't do anything yet," I said.

Alexander turned, meeting my eyes.

"I want proof. Not guesses, not theories. I want hard evidence," I added.

Alexander stared at me for several seconds before nodding. A faint smile tugged at his lips, the sign he was pleased. He had always hated acting on impulse.

"I've got people looking into the truck driver's background and financial records," he said. "I also retrieved Jessica's prenatal files.

"Every single check-in on her medical records, starting from her first hospital registration, lists a companion with the surname Carter. But the driver's license number in the system didn't belong to Lucas."

"What about Ethan?" I asked.

"It's a perfect match."

I closed my eyes briefly. When I opened them again, all the tears were gone. "When will he get here?"

"Who do you mean?"

"Ethan. My wonderful husband."

Alexander glanced down at his phone. "He texted you thirty minutes ago, saying he has an afternoon meeting and will stop by later."

I let out a bitter laugh that sharpened the throbbing in my ribs. "Then I'll wait for him."

I folded up the medical report and tucked it under my pillow. "You need to leave before he arrives."

Alexander's brow furrowed.

"I don't want anyone to know your identity," I explained. "The timing isn't right."

He was quiet for a few seconds. "I'll be in the room next door."

The door closed, and I was left alone in bed, staring up at the ceiling.

My hand drifted unconsciously to my belly.

I nearly lost my baby today because its dad was off with another woman and her baby.

But it didn't matter. I'd finally seen the truth clearly.