Chapter 8: The Name on the Screen
Ava stared at the name until the letters seemed to blur.
She knew the person listed on the access record.
Not well enough to call them a friend.
Not well enough to trust them with a secret.
But well enough to remember their face, their voice, and the way they had looked at her in the hospital corridor three months before the divorce.
“Can you confirm that this person accessed my file?”” Ava asked.
Ms. Reynolds shook her head.
“Not yet. The account is associated with that name, but account attribution alone doesn't establish who was using it.””
“Then what can you establish?””
“That the record was viewed at a specific time, that the account had access to the system, and that the access was outside the documented purpose of care. We're investigating how that occurred.””
Simone frowned.
“Could the person have obtained a copy of the ultrasound?””
“We cannot determine that from this log alone.””
Ava pressed her palms against her knees.
She had come to the clinic hoping for a simple answer.
Instead, she had discovered that someone had accessed two separate records, that one document might never have reached her, and that a name from her past had appeared in the investigation.
She looked at Ms. Reynolds.
“I want copies of every record I'm entitled to receive, including the access history.””
“We can arrange that.””
“And I want written confirmation that my information is being protected while you investigate.””
“We can provide that as well.””
Ava nodded.
“Good.””
For the first time since the wedding, she felt something other than fear.
She felt focused.
She could not control who had betrayed her or why. But she could insist that her records be secured, preserve evidence, and refuse to let anyone turn her pregnancy into a weapon against her.
Outside the office, Simone guided her toward a quiet waiting area.
“Do you want to tell me who that person is?””
Ava hesitated.
“Not until I'm sure.””
Simone stopped walking.
“Ava.””
“I know how that sounds.””
“It sounds like you're afraid of saying the name out loud.””
Ava looked toward the window.
“Because if I say it, I have to accept that somebody I once trusted might have been involved.””
Simone softened.
“You don't have to decide what happened today. But you don't have to carry the uncertainty alone, either.””
Ava nodded.
Her phone vibrated.
Daniel's name appeared on the screen.
She almost declined the call.
Then she remembered the ultrasound, the date, and the possibility that someone had manipulated both of them.
She answered.
“What do you want, Daniel?””
His voice sounded strained.
“I need to see you.””
“No.””
“Please. I've been trying to understand what happened.””
“Then talk to your attorney. Talk to your girlfriend. Talk to whoever has been sending you photographs. But stop calling me.””
“I haven't spoken to Vanessa since the wedding.””
“That is not my problem.””
“I know. I'm sorry.””
Ava closed her eyes.
Daniel continued.
“I've been thinking about the night you mentioned. The night you went to the hospital.””
Her eyes opened.
“What about it?””
“I remember that you called me.””
Ava's throat tightened.
“You didn't answer.””
“I know.””
“You didn't call back.””
“I know.””
“You left me alone.””
His breathing grew uneven.
“Yes.””
Ava looked at Simone, who stood silently beside her.
“Why are you bringing this up now?””
“Because I went through my old calendar. I was supposed to meet you that evening.””
Ava frowned.
“What?””
“I had an appointment scheduled with you. I remember putting it in my calendar, but I didn't go.””
She gripped the phone.
“You told me you were working late.””
“I was working late. But I was supposed to leave early enough to meet you first.””
Ava's stomach tightened.
“Why didn't you?””
“I can't remember exactly. I thought I had a client meeting.””
“Daniel, you knew I was at the hospital.””
“I didn't know that until much later.””
“You knew I called.””
“I did.””
“And you ignored me.””
He didn't defend himself.
That silence was more painful than an excuse.
Finally, he said, “I'm not asking you to forgive me. I'm asking whether you remember anything unusual about that night.””
Ava looked down at her hands.
“I remember being scared. I remember asking the nurse to call you. I remember sitting in a room alone.””
“Did anyone else visit you?””
Ava froze.
The visitor badge.
The hospital corridor.
The person standing beside the nurses' station.
“I don't know,” she whispered.
Daniel's voice became urgent.
“Ava, think. Was there anyone who knew you were there?””
She pulled the phone away from her ear for a moment, trying to steady her breathing.
Then she answered.
“I need to go.””
“Ava—”
She ended the call.
Simone took her arm.
“What happened?””
Ava shook her head.
“I need to see the visitor record.””
They returned to the patient-relations office. Ms. Reynolds listened carefully while Ava explained that she remembered seeing someone she recognized at the hospital that evening.
“I understand,” the investigator said.
“We can document that recollection, but the hospital would need to address visitor records through its own procedures.””
“Can you help me contact them?””
“Yes. With your authorization, we can coordinate the appropriate request.””
Ava signed the necessary paperwork.
Before leaving, she asked one final question.
“Has anyone tried to access my records since the review began?””
Ms. Reynolds checked the system.
“Not according to the latest information available to us.””
Ava nodded.
“Please contact me if that changes.””
Outside, Simone called a car while Ava stood beneath the clinic's entrance canopy.
The day was bright and ordinary. People crossed the parking lot carrying coffee, talking about appointments and grocery lists. Nobody looking at Ava would have known that she was trying to reconstruct a night that had quietly become the center of her life.
Her phone vibrated again.
A message from Vanessa.
*I know you don't want to hear from me. I found something that may help identify the person who sent the ultrasound. I'm willing to give it to the clinic.*
Ava read it twice.
She showed Simone.
“Do you believe her?”” Simone asked.
“No.””
“Do you think she might have something useful?””
Ava stared at the message.
“Yes.””
“Then let the clinic handle it.””
Ava typed a brief reply.
*Preserve the material. Send it to the investigator through the proper channel. Do not contact me again.*
She sent the message and blocked the number.
That afternoon, Vanessa delivered a digital copy of the original correspondence to the clinic's investigator.
The messages showed that the ultrasound photograph had been sent to her by someone using an anonymous account. The sender had insisted that Daniel needed to see the date before he made any decisions about his future.
There was also a photograph of the envelope as it had arrived.
The return label had been partially torn away, but a shipping reference remained visible.
The investigator contacted the relevant service provider through the appropriate process.
For the first time, the investigation had a concrete lead.
Ava was at home when Ms. Reynolds called her.
“We've received additional material from Ms. Cole,” the investigator said.
“It doesn't establish who obtained your records, but it gives us a way to trace the envelope.””
Ava sat on the edge of her sofa.
“Does it identify the sender?””
“Not yet.””
“Then what does it tell you?””
“The shipping reference appears to have been associated with a business account.””
Ava's fingers tightened around the phone.
“What business?””
Ms. Reynolds read the name.
Ava went silent.
She knew that business, too.
It was connected to a company Daniel had worked with during the final months of their marriage.
The same company he had claimed was responsible for his late nights, canceled dinners, and missed appointments.
Ava stared at the wall.
“Are you saying Daniel sent it?””
“No,” Ms. Reynolds replied immediately.
“We cannot draw that conclusion. The account may have been used by someone else, and we have not established who arranged the shipment.””
Ava exhaled slowly.
“Thank you for clarifying.””
After the call, she sat motionless.
She wanted to call Daniel and demand an explanation.
She wanted to confront Vanessa.
She wanted to believe that there was an innocent reason a company connected to Daniel had been involved in delivering her ultrasound to his girlfriend.
But she had learned the hard way that wanting an explanation did not make someone trustworthy.
She placed her phone on the table.
Then she called her attorney.
By the following morning, a formal request had been submitted to preserve the relevant business records while the clinic continued its investigation.
Daniel received a call from his attorney later that afternoon.
He arrived at the office expecting to discuss the divorce settlement.
Instead, his attorney placed a printed shipping record on the desk.
“Daniel, I need you to answer a question honestly.””
Daniel frowned.
“About what?””
“Did you authorize a shipment containing Ava Bennett's medical information?””
His face went white.
“What?””
His attorney turned the paper toward him.
The business account listed on the record belonged to a company Daniel had worked with during his marriage.
But the signature authorizing the shipment was not his.
It belonged to someone else.
Someone whose name Daniel recognized immediately.
May you like
And when his attorney asked whether he understood the significance of that signature, Daniel stared at the page and whispered the one thing he had been afraid to say since the wedding.
“No. That can't be right.””
