Chapter 6: What She Brought in Her Purse
Vanessa entered the bridal suite without removing her red designer heels.
She looked as though she had spent the last hour trying to maintain an appearance that no longer fit her. Her makeup remained immaculate, but her fingers were trembling around the gold clasp of her purse.
Simone stood between Vanessa and Ava.
“You have two minutes.””
Vanessa glanced at her.
“This is between Ava and me.””
“Then you shouldn't have brought her private medical information into a ballroom full of people.””
Vanessa lowered her eyes.
“I know.””
Ava stood beside the window, one hand resting against her belly.
“Why are you here?””
Vanessa looked at her.
“Because I owe you an explanation.””
“Then explain.””
Vanessa opened her mouth, hesitated, and looked toward the door.
Ava's patience snapped.
“Stop looking for an exit. You came here because you wanted to say something. Say it.””
Vanessa took a shaky breath.
“I didn't know about the pregnancy when Daniel and I first started seeing each other.””
Ava stared at her.
“That wasn't my question.””
“I know.””
“Then answer the question I asked in the ballroom. How did you get my ultrasound?””
Vanessa sat down slowly on the edge of a velvet chair.
For several seconds, she studied the clasp of her purse.
Then she looked up.
“I received it in an envelope.””
“From whom?””
“I can't tell you that.””
Simone let out a disbelieving laugh.
“Then why are you here?””
“Because I need Ava to understand that I didn't create this situation.””
Ava's expression hardened.
“You had the photograph. You brought it to a wedding. You knew it was mine. You stood there while Daniel questioned me in front of everyone.””
“I was trying to get him to understand that there was more to the story.””
“What story?””
Vanessa looked at the ultrasound photograph lying on the table.
“The date. What it means.””
Ava felt a chill travel down her spine.
“What do you think it means?””
Vanessa shook her head.
“I don't know.””
“Then you know nothing.””
“I know that somebody wanted Daniel to see that photograph.””
Ava stepped closer.
“And you decided to help them?””
Vanessa flinched.
“I didn't know what else to do.””
“That's not an excuse.””
“No,” Vanessa whispered.
“It isn't.””
For the first time, Ava saw something other than calculation in Vanessa's face.
There was fear.
Not the fear of being embarrassed in public, but the fear of someone who had followed instructions without fully understanding the consequences.
Ava pulled out the appointment receipt.
“Do you recognize this?””
Vanessa looked down.
The moment she saw the handwriting, her face changed.
She reached for the paper, then stopped herself.
“Where did you get that?””
Ava pulled it away.
“Answer me.””
Vanessa swallowed.
“I've seen that handwriting before.””
“Whose is it?””
“I don't know the person's full name.””
Simone stepped forward.
“That's convenient.””
Vanessa turned toward her.
“You think I'm lying about everything. I understand why. But I am trying to tell you what I know.””
“Then stop speaking in riddles.””
Vanessa looked at Ava.
“The person who sent me the ultrasound told me that it would prove Daniel had been kept in the dark about something important.””
Ava's stomach tightened.
“Did they say anything about my pregnancy?””
“They said the date would matter.””
“Who sent it?””
“I received the envelope through a courier.””
“From where?””
“I don't know. It was delivered to my office.””
Ava shook her head.
“You expect me to believe that you received a private medical document from a stranger, put it in your purse, and brought it to my wedding without asking a single question?””
Vanessa's eyes filled.
“No. I expect you to believe that I made a terrible decision because I was afraid of what would happen if I ignored it.””
Ava looked at her for a long moment.
“Afraid of what?””
Vanessa's lips trembled.
“That Daniel would find out I had known something about his marriage that he hadn't.””
The room went silent.
Simone's eyes narrowed.
“What exactly had you known?””
Vanessa looked down at her hands.
“I knew Ava had visited the clinic before the divorce.””
Ava felt as though the floor had shifted beneath her.
“How?””
“The envelope included a date.””
“You just said you didn't know anything about my pregnancy.””
“I knew there had been an appointment. I didn't know what happened during it until I saw the photograph.””
Ava's voice dropped.
“You're telling me someone gave you my medical records, and you decided to use them to confront me?””
Vanessa began to cry.
“I know how it sounds.””
“It sounds like a violation.””
“I know.””
“No, Vanessa. You don't know what it feels like to discover that somebody has been moving pieces of your life around while you're trying to survive it.””
Vanessa wiped her cheek.
“I didn't think it would hurt you like this.””
Ava stared at her.
“You didn't think?””
The question hung in the room.
Vanessa had no answer.
Ava turned away, pressing her fingertips against the windowsill.
For months, she had believed that the worst part of the divorce was losing the future she had imagined with Daniel.
Now she wondered whether she had ever understood what had happened around her.
Had someone been watching her?
Had someone accessed her records?
And why had they chosen Vanessa to deliver the photograph?
Simone touched Ava's shoulder.
“Take a breath.””
Ava inhaled slowly.
Then she turned back.
“I want the envelope you received.””
Vanessa hesitated.
“I don't have it anymore.””
“Where is it?””
“I threw it away.””
“When?””
“Several weeks ago.””
Ava's expression hardened.
“Then show me the message or email that came with the photograph.””
“There wasn't one.””
“Vanessa.””
“I swear.””
Ava looked at the purse beside Vanessa's chair.
“Do you still have the ultrasound?””
Vanessa nodded.
She opened the purse and removed the photograph, holding it by the edges.
Ava didn't take it.
“Keep it there for now. I want you to leave it untouched until the clinic tells me what to do.””
Vanessa stared at her.
“You believe me?””
“No. I believe that you know more than you're saying.””
Vanessa lowered the photograph.
“That's fair.””
Ava took out her phone.
“I'm contacting the clinic again. They'll decide how this is handled.””
Vanessa's eyes widened.
“Please don't involve the police.””
Ava went completely still.
Simone's expression changed.
“Why not?””
Vanessa looked between them.
“I didn't mean—”
“You brought up the police before anyone else did,” Simone said.
“Why?””
Vanessa stood abruptly.
“Because I know how this looks! I made a mistake, and I don't want it to destroy my life.””
Ava stared at her.
“What about mine?””
Vanessa's shoulders dropped.
“I know.””
“No. You keep saying that, but you keep talking about what this could do to you. You haven't once asked what it did to me.””
Vanessa looked down.
Ava continued.
“You don't get to decide whether this is reported. You don't get to decide what information I receive about my own medical records. And you certainly don't get to decide what Daniel deserves to know.””
Vanessa's voice broke.
“I never wanted to hurt you.””
“But you did.””
The words were simple.
That made them final.
Vanessa picked up her purse.
Before she reached the door, she turned around.
“There's one more thing.””
Ava's eyes narrowed.
“What now?””
“The person who sent me the photograph said that if Daniel ever saw it, I was supposed to ask him one question.””
Simone folded her arms.
“What question?””
Vanessa looked directly at Ava.
“Whether he remembered the night you went to the hospital three months before the divorce.””
Ava stopped breathing for a moment.
Daniel had not been at the hospital that night.
She remembered the fluorescent lights, the nurse asking her to confirm her emergency contact, and the empty chair beside the examination bed.
She remembered calling Daniel twice.
He hadn't answered.
She had gone home alone.
But Vanessa couldn't possibly know about that night unless someone had told her.
Ava's voice came out barely above a whisper.
“Who told you about the hospital?””
Vanessa shook her head.
“The same person who sent the ultrasound.””
“What happened that night?””
“I don't know.””
“Then why bring it up?””
“Because they said Daniel would remember.””
Ava felt a wave of nausea.
She sat down quickly, one hand pressing against her belly.
Simone knelt beside her.
“Are you okay?””
Ava nodded, though her face had gone pale.
“Just give me a second.””
Vanessa took a step forward.
“Do you need help?””
Simone looked up sharply.
“Stay where you are.””
Vanessa stopped.
Ava waited until her breathing steadied.
Then she looked at Vanessa.
“Leave the photograph with me.””
Vanessa hesitated.
“Are you sure?””
“Yes.””
She placed the ultrasound on the table.
Ava slid it into the envelope with the receipt and sealed the flap.
“Now leave.””
Vanessa nodded and walked to the door.
But before she could open it, her phone rang.
She glanced at the screen.
Her face drained of color.
Ava noticed.
“Who is it?””
Vanessa didn't answer.
The phone continued vibrating in her hand.
Simone stood.
“Vanessa. Who's calling you?””
Vanessa finally answered, putting the phone to her ear.
“Hello?””
A voice spoke on the other end, too quiet for Ava to understand.
Vanessa's eyes widened.
“No. I haven't told her anything else.””
She listened.
Then she shook her head.
“You said this would be over after the wedding.””
Another pause.
Vanessa's lips parted.
“But Daniel saw the date.””
Ava stood slowly.
Vanessa looked at her, suddenly realizing she had spoken too loudly.
The voice on the phone became sharper.
Vanessa pulled the phone away from her ear.
“I can't do this anymore.””
She ended the call.
Nobody moved.
Ava stared at her.
“You said you didn't know who sent you the photograph.””
Vanessa gripped her phone.
“I don't know who they are.””
“But you've been talking to them.””
Vanessa closed her eyes.
“Yes.””
Simone's voice was icy.
“Then you've been lying to us.””
Vanessa opened her eyes again.
“I was trying to protect myself.””
Ava stepped closer.
“From whom?””
Vanessa looked down at the sealed envelope on the table.
Then she whispered the words that made Ava's blood run cold.
“From the person who knows what happened at that hospital.””
Ava stared at her.
Outside the bridal suite, the music continued.
Inside, the three women stood beneath bright lights, surrounded by flowers and wedding gifts, while a private history began to unravel in ways none of them could control.
Ava reached for her phone.
“I'm calling my doctor.””
Vanessa nodded, tears sliding down her cheeks.
“That's probably best.””
“And after that, I'm contacting the clinic's patient-relations office.””
Vanessa's face tightened.
“Ava—”
“No more secrets.””
Vanessa lowered her head.
Ava dialed the number.
As the call connected, she looked down at the envelope containing the ultrasound and receipt.
Three months before the divorce.
The night at the hospital.
A person who had known enough to frighten Vanessa into silence.
For the first time, Ava wondered whether the truth about her pregnancy was only one part of a much larger story.
Then the clinic representative answered.
“Patient relations. How may I help you?””
Ava took a steady breath.
“My name is Ava Bennett. I'm calling about the unauthorized access to my medical information.””
The representative asked her to confirm her identity.
Ava answered each question carefully.
Then came a pause.
“I see the review notes on your account,” the representative said.
“Ms. Bennett, there is something we need to discuss with you in person.””
Ava's fingers tightened around the phone.
“What is it?””
“An additional document was accessed during the same period.””
Ava glanced at Vanessa.
“What document?””
The representative lowered her voice.
“Your emergency-room intake record from the night you were admitted three months before your divorce.””
Ava felt the room go silent around her.
The representative continued.
“And according to our access log, the person who viewed that record was not the same person who requested your ultrasound information.””
Ava stared at Vanessa.
“Then who was it?””
The representative paused.
“We can discuss the details when you arrive, but I need you to understand one thing.””
Ava gripped the phone with both hands.
“What?””
“The record contains information that may explain why someone was interested in your pregnancy before you told your former husband.””
Ava's mouth went dry.
She looked at the ultrasound envelope.
May you like
Then at Vanessa, who had begun shaking her head as if she already knew what the representative was about to say.
And Ava realized that the next answer might change everything she believed about the night she had gone to the hospital alone.
