Chapter 6: The Lie That Recruited My Mother
I stared at Natalie.
“What did you just say?””
She wiped her cheeks with the sleeve of her sweater.
“Eric told your mother you were seriously ill.””
I felt as though the room had suddenly become too small.
“My mother saw me every week.””
“I know.””
“She came with me to the clinic.””
“I know.””
“She watched me go through every treatment.””
Natalie nodded.
“Eric told her the doctors had discovered a complication. He said you might not be able to carry a pregnancy, and that you had agreed to let someone else use the embryo.””
I shook my head.
“That is insane.””
“He told her you didn't want to discuss it because you were ashamed.””
Richard placed the agreement on the table.
“Mrs. Bennett, when did your mother sign this?””
Natalie looked at the date.
“Six months ago.””
Richard checked his notes.
“Was Claire present?””
“No.””
“Did your mother speak to her before signing?””
Natalie hesitated.
“I don't think so.””
I stood and walked toward the window.
My mother.
The woman who had sat beside me through childhood illnesses, broken relationships, and the heartbreak of infertility.
The woman who had cried at every failed treatment.
Eric had apparently convinced her that I was too ill to carry a child.
And my sister had helped him.
“Why would my mother believe him?”” I whispered.
Natalie looked down.
“Because he showed her medical documents.””
I turned.
“What documents?””
“Copies of your fertility reports. Some of them had notes about complications.””
Richard's eyes narrowed.
“Were those genuine medical records?””
Natalie nodded.
“Yes.””
“Who provided them?””
“Eric.””
I stared at her.
He had taken my medical records, selected the information that supported his story, and used it to convince my mother that I had agreed to something I had never even discussed.
“Did he tell her I was dying?””
Natalie nodded.
“He said the doctors were worried about a serious reproductive condition.””
I laughed once.
It wasn't funny.
It was the sound of something inside me breaking.
“And you let him tell her that?””
Natalie covered her mouth.
“I didn't know he would take it that far.””
“You knew he was using my embryos.””
“I thought you had agreed!””
“You knew I was still trying to have a baby!””
She started crying harder.
“I was pregnant, Claire. I was scared. Eric kept telling me everything was legal.””
I turned to Richard.
“I want my mother here.””
He checked the time.
“Let me call her.””
Within twenty-five minutes, my mother arrived.
She entered the living room carrying her handbag and wearing the blue cardigan she always wore when she was nervous.
“Claire, what's happened?””
I pointed to the chair.
“Sit down, Mom.””
She looked at Natalie.
Then at Richard.
“Why is she here?””
“Because she has something to explain.””
My mother sat slowly.
I placed the agreement in front of her.
“Do you recognize this?””
She picked it up.
Her face changed.
“Oh.””
“Did you sign it?””
She nodded.
“Yes.””
“Why?””
She looked at Natalie.
“I thought it was a medical authorization.””
I felt my chest tighten.
“Mom, what did Eric tell you?””
She folded her hands.
“He said you were having complications. He said you had become very depressed and didn't want anyone discussing your fertility treatment.””
“That's not true.””
“I know that now.””
“No, Mom. Listen to me. I was never told I couldn't carry a pregnancy.
I was never told my embryos had to be transferred. I never gave permission for Natalie to use them.””
My mother began crying.
“He said you had agreed.””
“Did you ask me?””
She shook her head.
“Eric said you would be upset if I brought it up.””
I stared at her.
“And you believed him?””
“He was your husband, Claire.””
The words hurt more than I expected.
“He was my husband, not my doctor.””
My mother looked down.
“I thought I was helping you.””
I sat opposite her.
“Mom, did Eric tell you I was dying?””
She nodded slowly.
“He said your condition was serious. He told me there was a risk you might not survive another pregnancy.””
I closed my eyes.
It was almost unbelievable.
Eric had used my infertility to create a false medical emergency.
He had convinced my mother to sign a document she didn't understand.
And he had used my sister as the recipient.
Richard spoke carefully.
“Mrs. Bennett, did you receive any money for signing this agreement?””
My mother looked up, shocked.
“No.””
“Did Eric offer you anything?””
She shook her head.
“He said he wanted to make sure Claire was protected.””
I almost laughed.
Protected.
That word had become a joke.
Richard turned to Natalie.
“Did Eric tell you the same story?””
Natalie nodded.
“He said Claire was sick and didn't want the baby.””
I stared at her.
“Did you ever ask me?””
“No.””
“Did you ever think to call me?””
She shook her head.
I leaned back.
For the first time, I could see how carefully Eric had arranged the lies.
He hadn't simply hidden the affair.
He had created different versions of the truth for everyone.
To Natalie, he was a husband trapped in a failing marriage.
To my mother, he was a devoted man trying to protect a sick wife.
To me, he was a man who still wanted a family.
And to the bank, the clinic, and the trust administrator, he had apparently made himself the person authorized to speak for me.
My phone rang.
Richard glanced at it.
“It's the clinic's legal department.””
I answered.
“Hello?””
A woman introduced herself as the clinic's compliance director.
“Mrs. Bennett, we have completed an initial review of your complaint.””
“And?””
“We have identified multiple irregularities in the consent process.””
I gripped the phone.
“Have you located the original embryo transfer authorization?””
“Yes.””
“Is it signed by me?””
A pause.
“No.””
My mother covered her mouth.
The woman continued.
“However, there is another matter. The embryo transfer was not the only procedure authorized under the disputed documentation.””
I looked at Richard.
“What do you mean?””
“Your husband also submitted a request to change the genetic parent information in the clinic's records.””
My heart began pounding.
“Was that request approved?””
“No. It was flagged by our medical director.””
“Why?””
“Because the proposed amendment contained a declaration that the embryo had been created using genetic material from a different donor.””
I couldn't move.
“What?””
The compliance director continued.
“We are still investigating, but the declaration appears to have been submitted to avoid disclosing the original embryo's genetic origin.””
Richard took the phone from my hand.
“Can you confirm whether the original genetic records remain intact?””
“Yes. They do.””
“Thank you. Please preserve every version of the file.””
He ended the call.
I looked at him.
“What does this mean?””
He sat down slowly.
“It means Eric may have been trying to erase the connection between you and the embryo.””
Natalie suddenly stood.
“He told me that!””
Everyone turned toward her.
“What?”” I asked.
She was shaking.
“He said the clinic needed to update the records because there were problems with the original donor information.””
I stared at her.
“You knew they were changing the genetic records?””
“I thought it was administrative.””
“You signed the agreement.””
“I know!””
She began crying again.
“He said it was to protect the baby.””
Richard looked at her.
“Did he give you any documents?””
Natalie reached into her handbag.
This time, she pulled out a small USB drive.
“He gave me this.””
“What is it?”” I asked.
“He said it contained copies of the medical records. He told me to keep it somewhere safe in case the clinic questioned the transfer.””
Richard took it carefully.
“Has anyone accessed it?””
“No.””
“Did you open it?””
She shook her head.
“Eric told me not to.””
Richard placed the drive inside an evidence envelope.
“I'll have it examined.””
I looked at Natalie.
“Why bring it now?””
She lowered her head.
“Because last night, Eric called me.””
“What did he say?””
“He told me to leave town.””
My stomach tightened.
“Why?””
“He said the divorce was going to become ugly. He said people might accuse me of fraud, and that I should go somewhere quiet until everything settled.””
“And what did you say?””
“I asked him about the embryo.””
She swallowed.
“He told me to stop asking questions.””
I stared at her.
“What else?””
Natalie hesitated.
“He said if I cooperated with you, he would make sure I never saw the baby again.””
My mother began sobbing.
Richard stood.
“Did he threaten you directly?””
Natalie nodded.
“He said he had documents proving I had agreed to everything.””
For the first time, I looked at my sister without seeing only the woman who had betrayed me.
I saw someone who had finally discovered that Eric had been using her too.
But I wasn't ready to forgive her.
Not even close.
“Did you tell him you were coming here?””
She nodded.
I looked toward Richard.
He immediately reached for his phone.
“Claire, we need to preserve all communications. And I strongly recommend you do not meet Eric alone.””
Before he could finish, my phone vibrated.
A new email had arrived.
The sender was Eric.
The subject line was simple.
*A Message From Your Husband.*
I opened it.
There was no greeting.
No apology.
Just one paragraph.
Claire, I know Natalie has been talking to you. Whatever she told you, remember that she was not supposed to become pregnant. The embryo transfer was part of an arrangement that had nothing to do with you. If you continue digging into this, you'll discover why I had to keep you away from the clinic.
I read it twice.
Then I noticed the attachment.
A scanned document.
At the top was a hospital letterhead.
Below it was my full name.
And beneath that, a diagnosis I had never received.
*Reproductive Complications — Genetic Risk Assessment.*
At the bottom was a doctor's signature.
Dr. Harris.
But the date was from eight months earlier.
Three months before I had even undergone my final fertility treatment.
Richard leaned over my shoulder.
His expression became grave.
“Claire, this changes things.””
“Why?””
He pointed to a paragraph near the bottom.
It stated that the patient had been advised against carrying a pregnancy because of a potentially life-threatening inherited condition.
I shook my head.
“I've never had this diagnosis.””
Richard read the page again.
Then he looked at my mother.
“Has Eric ever told you that Claire's grandmother died from a genetic condition?””
My mother nodded slowly.
“Yes. He said that was why the doctors were worried.””
I felt the blood drain from my face.
My grandmother had died peacefully at eighty-four.
She had never been diagnosed with any inherited reproductive condition.
I looked back at the email.
Eric hadn't just forged my consent.
He had apparently invented a medical diagnosis to justify taking control of my embryos.
And then my phone rang.
This time, the caller ID showed a number I recognized.
Eric.
I answered and put it on speaker.
His voice came through immediately.
“Claire, I know you're with Richard.””
I didn't speak.
He continued.
“Listen carefully. You need to stop looking into the clinic records.””
“Why?””
“Because you don't understand what you're about to uncover.””
I looked at the medical report.
“Then explain it.””
There was a long silence.
Finally, Eric said something I never expected.
“Your grandmother didn't die from natural causes, Claire.””
My mother gasped.
Eric continued.
“And the embryo isn't the only thing your family has been lying about.””
The call disconnected.
I stared at the phone.
Then Richard slowly closed the binder.
“Claire,” he said, “I think we need to investigate your grandmother's estate before we do anything else.””
May you like
Because suddenly, the woman I had trusted most as a child—and the man I had trusted most as an adult—seemed connected by a secret that had existed long before my marriage.
And I was beginning to understand why Eric had been so desperate to get his hands on my grandmother's trust.
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