Chapter 5: The Clinic
Darius didn't remember driving.
He remembered the mansion disappearing behind him.
He remembered Marcus sitting in the passenger seat.
He remembered Simone standing in the doorway, crying.
And he remembered refusing to look back.
Twenty minutes later, the car stopped outside a private medical building.
Marcus pointed toward the entrance.
“She went here.””
Darius stared at the building.
“When?””
“Before the wedding.””
“Why?””
Marcus looked away.
“Because she thought something was wrong.””
“With the baby?””
“With everything.””
Darius shut off the engine.
“Start talking.””
Marcus rubbed his hands together.
“I met Simone six months before your wedding.””
Darius's eyes narrowed.
“You were dating?””
Marcus hesitated.
“Yes.””
Darius laughed once.
It wasn't amusement.
It was disbelief.
“How long?””
“About four months.””
“And she left you for me?””
“No.””
Marcus looked at him.
“She didn't tell me she was leaving.””
Darius stared.
“What happened?””
“She disappeared.””
“Then married me.””
“Yes.””
Darius looked through the windshield.
“That makes no sense.””
“It didn't to me either.””
Marcus pulled a small envelope from his coat.
“I found out she was pregnant after she stopped answering my calls.””
Darius's hands tightened around the steering wheel.
“You're saying the baby is yours?””
Marcus immediately shook his head.
“No.””
Darius turned.
“No?””
“I don't know.””
Silence.
“That,” Marcus continued, “is why the DNA test exists.””
Darius pulled out the second phone.
“Then why does the message say DNA results ready?””
“Because Simone wanted to know.””
“Whether the baby is mine.””
Marcus nodded.
Darius stared at the screen.
“Why hide it?””
Marcus looked down.
“Because she was terrified of what you'd do if you found out she had been with me.””
Darius's voice became quiet.
“What did you do to her?””
“Nothing.””
“Then why was she terrified?””
Marcus looked directly at him.
“Because she knew you would think the worst.””
Darius opened the car door.
“I'm going inside.””
Marcus followed.
The clinic lobby was almost empty.
A receptionist looked up.
“Can I help you?””
Darius placed the second phone on the counter.
“I'm here about Simone Carter.””
The receptionist's expression changed.
“Are you family?””
“Her husband.””
Marcus stood behind him.
The receptionist looked between them.
“I'm sorry, sir. I can't discuss patient information.””
Darius leaned forward.
“She came here before our wedding.””
“I can't confirm that.””
“Then tell me why this number keeps sending messages to this phone.””
The receptionist glanced at the screen.
Her face tightened.
Darius noticed.
“You recognize it.””
She immediately looked away.
“I need to call my supervisor.””
“Do that.””
The receptionist picked up the phone.
Marcus whispered, “There's something else.””
Darius turned.
“What?””
“Ask about the second sample.””
Darius stared.
“What second sample?””
Marcus's face was pale.
“Simone wasn't the only one tested.””
Darius's stomach dropped.
“Who else?””
Before Marcus could answer, a door opened behind the reception desk.
An older Black woman in a white coat stepped into the lobby.
She stopped when she saw Darius.
Then Marcus.
Her eyes widened.
“Why are you two here?””
Darius stepped toward her.
“You know us?””
She looked at Marcus.
“Marcus, you shouldn't have brought him.””
Darius's expression hardened.
“Brought me where?””
The doctor looked toward the hallway.
Then lowered her voice.
“Your wife asked us to keep this confidential.””
Darius felt his heartbeat in his throat.
“Confidential from me?””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
The doctor hesitated.
“Because she believed you were not the biological father.””
Marcus closed his eyes.
Darius stared at him.
Then at the doctor.
“Did the test prove it?””
The doctor didn't answer.
Darius stepped closer.
“Did it?””
She finally spoke.
“The test wasn't the only reason Simone was afraid.””
“What else?””
The doctor's face became solemn.
“She received another result that same day.””
Darius's voice dropped.
“What result?””
The doctor looked at Marcus.
Marcus whispered, “Tell him.””
The doctor slowly nodded.
“Simone discovered that the pregnancy wasn't the only secret.””
Darius's phone vibrated.
He looked down.
A message from the unknown number appeared.
*DON'T TRUST MARCUS. HE ISN'T THE MAN YOU THINK HE IS.*
Darius looked up.
May you like
Marcus was already staring at the screen.
His face had gone white.
