You don’t get to change roles because you’ve finally understood the dates.”
He stopped.
Madison looked at me then, really looked at me, and I saw something uncomfortable move behind her eyes.
She had known about me when the affair started.
I had no illusions about that.
She had answered my emails during the day and met my husband at night.
She had helped him hide hotel reservations and calendar gaps.
She wasn’t innocent.
But Brandon had apparently edited parts of the story for her too.
That was what men like Brandon did best.
They gave every person a different version of the truth and trusted that those people would never stand in the same room.
Now we were standing in the same room.
“You said she refused to continue treatment,” Madison said quietly.
Brandon’s jaw moved.
“That’s not what happened,” I said.
He turned toward me sharply.
“Claire.”
I met his eyes.
“You wanted honesty five minutes ago.”
Madison went still.
I told her only what belonged to my story.
The final treatment had gone forward.
Brandon had signed the forms.
The embryo transfer had taken place.
Twelve days later he announced he was leaving.
Two weeks after that I learned I was pregnant.
I did not tell her every cruel sentence he’d ever spoken to me.
I didn’t need to.
The dates did enough.
Brandon began pacing beside the window.
“This proves nothing biologically,” he said.
“Clinics make mistakes.
Things happen.”
“Then request a DNA test.”
He stopped pacing.
I had expected the demand.
So had my attorney.
“I will,” he said.
“Good.”
The answer irritated him more than resistance would have.
He had come expecting fear, denial, maybe a confession that the baby belonged to someone else.
He hadn’t expected me to agree immediately.
Madison’s phone began ringing now.
She looked at the screen.
“My mother.
Again.”
Brandon rubbed both hands across his face.
“Tell them we’re delayed.”
Madison stared at him.
“Delayed?”
“I need to deal with this.”
“This?”
She looked at my daughter.
Something in Brandon’s expression told him he’d chosen the wrong word.
“That’s not what I meant.”
“You left our wedding because your ex-wife said she’d had a baby.
