CHAPTER 7 — THE WOMAN WHO KNEW BEFORE I DID
The message stayed on my screen.
“Ask Daniel why Chloe had access to your daughter’s birth records before you did.”
I read it again.
Then again.
Because my mind refused to accept what my eyes were seeing.
Chloe.
The woman who had been secretly involved with my husband.
The woman Daniel claimed was just someone who needed help.
The woman he defended even after destroying our marriage.
She had access to something that belonged to me.
Something that belonged to my daughter.
My hands tightened around my phone.
“Daniel.”
My voice was different now.
Even he noticed.
“What?”
I held up the phone.
“Answer me.”
He looked at the message.
And immediately looked away.
That tiny movement told me more than any confession could.
“You knew.”
Daniel shook his head.
“No.”
“You knew she had access.”
“No, Jennifer.”
“Then why did you react like that?”
He opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
Because Daniel had always been terrible at hiding the truth once someone stopped believing his lies.
Rachel stepped forward.
“Mr. Carter, I think you should answer the question.”
Daniel looked at her.
“This is a private family issue.”
Rachel’s expression remained calm.
“No.”
She glanced at the documents.
“This stopped being private when another person gained unauthorized access to medical information.”
Daniel became defensive.
“You don’t know what happened.”
“Then explain.”
Again.
Silence.
That was the thing about Daniel.
He always had words.
Until the truth demanded them.
His mother looked at him.
“Daniel.”
Her voice was softer this time.
Almost pleading.
“What did Chloe do?”
Daniel looked toward the ballroom.
Hundreds of people were still inside.
His reputation was collapsing.
His perfect image was destroyed.
But he seemed less worried about the crowd now.
He was worried about me.
“I never wanted this to happen.”
I stared at him.
“That’s what you say when you get caught.”
His eyes met mine.
“No.”
His voice cracked.
“I mean it.”
I shook my head.
“You had months to tell me.”
“I was afraid.”
“Of what?”
He looked away.
“Of losing everything.”
I laughed quietly.
“You mean losing control.”
He didn’t answer.
Because that was exactly what he feared.
Not losing love.
Not hurting me.
Losing control.
I looked down at Lily sleeping peacefully in my mother’s arms.
My daughter.
The one person in this entire situation who deserved honesty.
“I want the truth.”
Daniel swallowed.
“All of it.”
He remained silent.
So I continued.
“Start with Chloe.”
His face changed.
“She wasn’t supposed to be involved.”
“But she was.”
“Yes.”
“How?”
Daniel closed his eyes.
“When I received the call from the hospital about the records…”
He paused.
“I panicked.”
I waited.
“I didn’t know what to do.”
“So you called Chloe.”
“Yes.”
The answer hurt.
Even though I expected it.
“You called her before me.”
Daniel looked ashamed.
“I didn’t want to scare you.”
“No.”
I shook my head.
“You didn’t want to deal with my reaction.”
He didn’t deny it.
Because I was right.
“What did she do?”
Daniel hesitated.
“She helped me understand the documents.”
I stared at him.
“Why would she understand medical documents?”
Another silence.
Rachel looked at him carefully.
“That is a very important question.”
Daniel rubbed his forehead.
“She worked in healthcare administration.”
I felt something shift.
Because suddenly, pieces of the puzzle started connecting.
Chloe didn’t just appear.
She had information.
Access.
A reason to position herself as someone Daniel needed.
“She told you she could help.”
Daniel nodded.
“Yes.”
“And you believed her.”
“Yes.”
I looked at him.
“You trusted another woman with our daughter’s information.”
His face fell.
“I made the wrong choice.”
“No.”
My voice became colder.
“You made many choices.”
I turned away.
Because I could no longer look at him.
Then Rachel spoke.
“Jennifer.”
I looked at her.
“There is something you need to know.”
She opened her folder.
“The access logs show Chloe didn’t just view the records.”
My stomach tightened.
“What else?”
Rachel looked serious.
“She requested changes.”
The hallway went completely silent.
Daniel immediately looked shocked.
“What?”
Rachel turned toward him.
“You didn’t know?”
“No.”
For the first time that evening, Daniel looked genuinely surprised.
Not afraid.
Not guilty.
Confused.
Rachel handed me another document.
“This is a request submitted through the hospital system.”
I read the name.
Chloe Bennett.
My heart sank.
“She tried to change Lily’s records?”
Rachel nodded.
“We don’t know what changes she intended.”
Daniel stepped forward.
“That’s impossible.”
I looked at him.
“Why?”
“Because Chloe would never do that.”
The words came automatically.
And I saw it.
Even now.
Even after everything.
A part of him still protected her.
I slowly looked at him.
“You still believe her.”
Daniel became quiet.
Because he realized what he had said.
Then his phone rang.
Everyone looked.
Not Chloe this time.
A hospital number.
Daniel stared at the screen.
Rachel noticed.
“Answer it.”
Daniel hesitated.
Then accepted the call.
“Hello?”
His expression changed after only a few seconds.
“What?”
He walked away slightly.
“No, that can’t be right.”
My heart started racing.
Because whatever the hospital was telling him…
It was changing his entire understanding.
Daniel’s face became pale.
He looked at me.
Then at Lily.
Then back at the phone.
“Are you sure?”
A long pause.
Then he whispered:
“I understand.”
He ended the call.
Nobody spoke.
I watched him carefully.
“What happened?”
Daniel didn’t answer.
“Daniel.”
He slowly lowered the phone.
His voice was almost broken.
“The hospital found something.”
My chest tightened.
“What?”
He looked at Lily.
Then at me.
“The records were changed.”
Rachel stepped closer.
“When?”
Daniel looked at the document in my hand.
“Before Lily was born.”
The world seemed to stop.
I felt my fingers go cold.
“Who changed them?”
Daniel looked terrified.
Because he already knew the answer.
But he didn’t want to say it.
“Daniel.”
Finally, he whispered:
“The request came from Chloe.”
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
The woman he had protected.
The woman he had sacrificed our marriage for.
The woman he believed needed saving.
Had been changing information about my daughter before I even held her in my arms.
I looked at Daniel.
And for the first time…
I saw something I never thought I would see.
Not guilt.
Not fear.
Betrayal.
Because Daniel was finally realizing the same thing I had learned months ago.
May you like
He had trusted the wrong person.
And now we both had to discover why.
