Chapter 1: The Screen That Changed Everything
Chapter 1: The Screen That Changed Everything
The room fell silent.
I couldn't breathe.
The only sound was the steady heartbeat echoing from the ultrasound machine.
The doctor looked at me first.
Then at Daniel.
"Have either of you ever heard of a condition called superfecundation?" she asked carefully.
Daniel frowned.
"I don't care about medical terms," he snapped. "Just tell me if that baby is mine."
The doctor folded her arms.
"Actually... babies."
Daniel blinked.
"What?"
She turned the monitor toward us.
"There are twins."
My heart skipped.
Twins.
I had been carrying two babies without knowing.
Before I could process the news, the doctor continued.
"They're developing differently."
She pointed to the measurements on the screen.
"One fetus is about three weeks older than the other."
Daniel let out a bitter laugh.
"There! I knew it!"
He looked at me with triumph.
"You cheated."
"I didn't!" I cried.
"I've never been with another man."
The doctor didn't react.
Instead, she quietly reached for my medical file.
"Mrs. Carter underwent fertility treatment six weeks before conception."
I nodded.
We had struggled with infertility for nearly four years.
Daniel had begged me to try one final round of treatment.
The doctor continued.
"In extremely rare cases, a woman undergoing fertility treatment can release eggs at different times. Both can become fertilized during separate ovulation events."
Daniel crossed his arms.
"So?"
"So," the doctor said firmly, "the only way to determine paternity is through DNA testing after birth."
His confidence returned instantly.
"Fine."
He smirked.
"When that test proves I'm not the father..."
"...you'll never see another penny from me."
He walked out.
Without another glance.
Without asking whether I was okay.
Without caring that I was carrying his children.
As the door closed behind him, the doctor squeezed my hand.
"I've seen frightened mothers."
"I've seen difficult husbands."
"But I've never seen someone so eager to abandon his own family."
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Neither had I.
That was the day my marriage truly ended.
