Chapter 3
I left the hospital without donating blood. Genesis's phone call had shattered whatever illusion remained about her innocent victim act, and the nurse's revelation about my being a "backup blood supply" made my skin crawl. But I needed answers—real answers—about just how deep this betrayal ran.
Dr. Sarah Mitchell's office felt smaller than I remembered, her diplomas and awards crowding the walls like silent witnesses. She'd been our family physician for three years, had seen me through pregnancy complications and recovery. If anyone knew the truth about Lucian's absences during my medical crises, it would be her.
"Serenity," she said warmly, rising from behind her desk. "I wasn't expecting to see you today. How are you feeling?"
"I need to ask you about my childbirth complications two years ago." I sat across from her, my hands folded tightly in my lap. "The hemorrhaging incident."
Her smile faded slightly. "Of course. What specifically did you want to know?"
"Where was my husband?"
Dr. Mitchell's pause stretched too long. She adjusted her glasses, a nervous habit I'd noticed during difficult conversations. "Serenity, I'm not sure that's—"
"Please." My voice came out steadier than I felt. "I need to know."
She sighed, her professional composure cracking. "We couldn't reach him for hours. Your mother-in-law was frantic, calling everyone she could think of. The bleeding was severe—we needed to move quickly."
"How long were you unable to reach him?"
"Eight hours." The words fell between us like stones. "From the time you were admitted until after the emergency transfusion was complete. We had to put out an emergency call for O-negative donors. Three strangers came in to save your life while your husband was..."
"Was what?"
Dr. Mitchell's jaw tightened. "His assistant finally reached him at some resort upstate. A weekend retreat, she said. With his secretary."
The room tilted slightly. I gripped the arms of my chair, forcing myself to breathe. "A retreat."
"I'm sorry, Serenity. I assumed you knew. When he finally arrived, you were stable but unconscious. He seemed genuinely shocked by how serious it had been."
Genuinely shocked. Of course he was. He'd been too busy with Genesis to care about his wife bleeding out on an operating table.
"There's something else," I said quietly. "Last year. The miscarriage."
Dr. Mitchell's face went pale. "Serenity..."
"He wasn't there either, was he?"
She closed her eyes briefly. "You came in alone. Said you'd been cramping for hours but didn't want to worry anyone. By the time we confirmed the miscarriage, it was too late to save the pregnancy."
"I tried calling him."
"I know. You kept asking the nurses to try his number. It went straight to voicemail every time." Her voice grew softer, more careful. "The next day, I saw in the society pages that he'd attended some birthday celebration at the Ritz. For his secretary."
Genesis's birthday. I remembered now—she'd posted photos on social media. Champagne toasts, designer dress, Lucian's arm around her waist as she laughed at something he'd whispered in her ear. While I'd been losing our second child alone in a sterile hospital room.
"Did anyone in his family know?" I asked.
"You made me promise not to tell them. Said you didn't want to ruin the celebration." Dr. Mitchell leaned forward, her eyes filled with something between pity and anger. "Serenity, no woman should have to protect others from her own grief."
I stood slowly, my legs unsteady. Two medical emergencies. Two times when I'd needed my husband most. Two times he'd chosen Genesis over me, over our children, over basic human decency.
"Thank you for telling me the truth," I said.
As I reached the door, Dr. Mitchell called my name. "Serenity? For what it's worth, you're the strongest woman I've ever treated. You deserved so much better than this."
I drove home in silence, my mind cataloging each revelation. The weekend retreat during my hemorrhaging. The birthday party during my miscarriage. The convenient blood type matching. The public humiliation I'd been enduring for months as Genesis paraded around on Lucian's arm.
My phone buzzed with a notification from Instagram. Genesis had posted a new photo—herself at the annual Carter Foundation charity gala, wearing a stunning emerald necklace I recognized immediately. It had belonged to Lucian's mother, a family heirloom I'd never been allowed to touch.
The caption read: "Grateful for this beautiful evening and the man who makes every moment special. ✨ #Blessed #ChartiyGala #Carter Foundation"
Sixty-three comments already, all gushing about how radiant she looked, how lucky she was. I scrolled through them, each heart emoji and fire symbol another small cut.
I was supposed to be at that gala. As Lucian's wife, as a board member of the foundation. Instead, I was sitting in my car outside a doctor's office, learning about my husband's betrayals while his mistress wore his dead mother's jewelry to the event I'd helped plan.
One hundred and three.