Chapter 4: The Voice on the Phone
“Hello?””
Lily's small voice carried through the ballroom.
Marcus lunged forward, but I caught his arm before he could reach the phone. His cuff link scraped against my fingers as he tried to pull free.
“Hang up, Lily,” he said.
“Right now.””
She pressed the phone closer to her ear.
A woman's voice answered.
“Marcus? Is that you?””
The caller sounded breathless, as though she'd been crying. Behind her words, I heard the faint beep of hospital equipment.
Lily frowned.
“I'm Lily. Who are you?””
Silence.
Then the woman whispered, “Oh, God.””
My stomach tightened.
“Who is this?”” I demanded.
Marcus grabbed my wrist.
“Don't.””
I looked down at his hand.
He released me immediately.
On the other side of the ballroom, Vanessa had backed against the champagne table. A waiter quietly removed a tray of glasses from beside her, apparently afraid she might knock them over.
The caller spoke again.
“Where is your father, sweetheart?””
“Right here,” Lily answered.
“But he doesn't want Mommy to see his phone.””
Marcus closed his eyes.
The woman began to cry.
“Please,” she whispered.
“Put your mother on.””
I took the phone from Lily.
“This is Nia.””
For several seconds, all I heard was breathing.
Then the woman said, “Mrs. Bennett, my name is Denise Walker. I work in patient coordination at St. Catherine's Women's Medical Center.””
I glanced at Marcus.
He had gone completely still.
“What does a patient coordinator want with my husband's phone?””
“I wasn't supposed to call this number.””
“Then why did you?””
“Because someone changed the contact information on a file this morning, and I thought your husband might know why.””
I felt a cold sensation spread through my chest.
“What file?””
Denise hesitated.
“I can't discuss patient information over an unsecured phone.””
“Then don't discuss private medical information. Tell me why you called.””
A sharp exhale came through the speaker.
“Because your name is on an insurance authorization, Mrs. Bennett. And the person who submitted it isn't you.””
The ballroom seemed to tilt.
I gripped the edge of the cocktail table.
“What authorization?””
“I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that much.””
“Then tell me who submitted it.””
“I can't.””
“Can you at least tell me whether my husband submitted it?””
There was a pause.
“Your husband was listed as the authorized representative.””
I turned toward Marcus.
He shook his head, but the movement was frantic now.
“Nia, that doesn't mean what you think it means.””
I raised the phone again.
“Ms. Walker, was Vanessa Reed involved?””
I heard a sharp intake of breath.
Then the line went dead.
For several seconds, I stared at the screen.
Marcus reached for the phone.
I pulled it away.
“You knew about the authorization.””
“I knew there was paperwork.””
“What paperwork?””
“It's complicated.””
“Then simplify it.””
He glanced at the guests, who were now openly watching us. A few had gathered near the ballroom entrance. Someone whispered to the event coordinator, who stood uncertainly beside the stage.
Marcus lowered his voice.
“Nia, I need you to trust me.””
A laugh escaped my throat, brittle and unfamiliar.
“You secretly met Vanessa in a hotel. You hid your phone. You wrote a note telling yourself to keep something away from me. Now a medical center is calling about an insurance authorization in my name, and you want me to trust you?””
“I never said I didn't make mistakes.””
“Did you file something using my name?””
His silence lasted a fraction too long.
My hand moved instinctively to my stomach.
“Marcus?””
“I didn't forge your signature.””
That wasn't an answer.
It was a confession carefully trimmed to sound like a defense.
Vanessa suddenly pushed away from the champagne table.
“Stop lying to her.””
Marcus turned on her.
“You have no idea what you're talking about.””
“I know exactly what I'm talking about!”” Vanessa shouted.
“You told me the paperwork was legitimate. You told me Nia had already agreed.””
“I told you to keep your mouth shut.””
“And I did! For months!””
Her voice cracked on the last word.
The guests stirred.
I stared at her.
“Agreed to what?””
Vanessa covered her face with both hands.
“I can't do this.””
“You already did,” I said.
“Whatever you helped him do, you already did it.””
She lowered her hands.
“I never wanted you to get hurt.””
“Then you should have told me the truth.””
Her eyes filled with tears.
“I tried.””
Marcus stepped between us.
“No, you didn't.””
Vanessa looked at him with naked contempt.
“I sent you three messages telling you to stop. I told you I wouldn't participate anymore. You said if I walked away, everything would fall apart.””
“What would fall apart?”” I demanded.
Neither answered.
Then Lily tugged at my gown.
“Mommy?””
I turned toward her.
She was staring at the old phone.
“The lady called this number before.””
Marcus's face lost what little color remained.
“When?”” I asked.
“Last night. Daddy was in his office. I heard the phone ring, and he told the lady that everything had to be ready before the baby came.””
The silence that followed was absolute.
I looked at my husband.
He stared at our daughter as if she'd just opened a door he had spent months trying to keep locked.
“Lily,” he said quietly, “you misunderstood.””
She shook her head.
“No, Daddy. You said Mommy couldn't know until after the baby was born.””
My knees nearly buckled.
I caught the table with one hand.
Marcus took a step toward me.
“Nia, please.””
I raised my palm.
“Don't come near me.””
He stopped.
Across the ballroom, Vanessa began sobbing.
And from somewhere near the entrance, a man's voice cut through the silence.
“Mrs. Bennett?””
A middle-aged man in a charcoal suit stood beside the event coordinator. He carried a leather document case and looked as though he'd run into the building.
“My name is Daniel Price,” he said.
“I'm the attorney representing the insurance company.””
He looked at the phone in my hand.
Then at Marcus.
“I need to speak with you immediately about the maternity claim.””
May you like
His gaze dropped to my stomach.
“Because if the documents we received are accurate, someone has been preparing for your baby's birth in a way that could put your entire family at risk.””
