Chapter 4: The Photograph on Her Phone
Marcus stared at the photograph on Nia's phone.
At first, he couldn't make sense of it. The image was slightly blurred, taken beneath the bright lights of what appeared to be a hotel lobby. A man stood near a reception desk with his back partially turned toward the camera. Beside him was a woman in a dark coat, her face obscured by the angle.
But Marcus recognized the man.
He recognized the navy travel bag beside his feet, the silver watch on his wrist, and the small scar near his left thumb.
It was him.
His stomach tightened.
“When was this taken?”” he asked.
Nia gripped the phone so tightly that her knuckles turned pale.
“I don't know.””
Marcus looked at her.
“Vanessa just sent you a photograph of me, and you don't know when it was taken?””
“I said I don't know!””
Her voice cracked across the room.
Dr. Carter paused beside the counter but remained silent.
Marcus held out his hand.
“Let me see it.””
Nia hesitated.
“Please, Marcus. Not right now.””
“Not right now?”” He gave a short, incredulous laugh.
“Your sister has been accusing you of lying about our baby, and now she's sending you pictures of me from overseas. When exactly is the right time?””
Nia lowered her eyes.
Marcus slowly withdrew his hand.
“Fine. Keep it.””
“That isn't fair.””
“Then tell me what I'm looking at.””
Nia stared at the photograph again.
The woman beside Marcus was wearing a dark coat and carrying a cream-colored handbag. Her face remained hidden behind a column, but something about the scene made Nia's breathing grow uneven.
Marcus noticed.
“You recognize her.””
“No.””
“You just looked at that picture like you've seen it before.””
“I haven't.””
“Then why are you shaking?””
Nia placed the phone on the bed.
“Because you're looking at me like I'm a stranger.””
Marcus rubbed both hands over his face.
“I'm trying to understand why my name is suddenly part of a secret you and Vanessa apparently share.””
“We don't share a secret.””
“Then why did she tell you not to speak?””
Nia had no answer.
Dr. Carter stepped closer.
“Both of you need to take a breath. Nia has been through a frightening medical episode, and we still need to complete the review of her pregnancy records. Whatever this photograph means, it cannot replace that medical assessment.””
Marcus nodded stiffly.
“You're right, Doctor. I'm sorry.””
“There's no need to apologize to me. Just remember that we don't have enough information to draw conclusions.””
Nia looked grateful for the interruption, but Marcus could barely look at her.
He moved toward the window and stared at the bright parking lot below.
His mind had returned to his overseas assignment eighteen weeks earlier.
He had been sent to London for a series of meetings. He remembered the exhausting schedule, the long dinners with clients, the calls home to Nia, and the final night when he had barely slept before his early flight.
He remembered everything about that trip.
Or at least, he had thought he did.
His phone vibrated.
A message from Vanessa appeared.
You saw the picture.
Another followed.
Now ask Nia what she knows about that night.
Marcus typed a response.
*What are you trying to tell me?*
The answer arrived almost immediately.
I'm trying to stop you from making the same mistake everyone else in this family made.
Marcus frowned.
He called her.
Vanessa answered on the second ring.
“What?”” she said.
“Explain yourself.””
“Not while you're with Nia.””
“Don't tell me when I can talk to my own wife.””
“Then ask her what happened before you left for London.””
Marcus looked across the room.
Nia had turned toward the wall, her shoulders shaking as she cried silently.
“What does London have to do with our baby?””
Vanessa sighed dramatically.
“Marcus, I gave Nia a chance to tell you herself.””
“You humiliated her in front of the entire family.””
“Because she wouldn't listen.””
“You smashed her ultrasound picture!””
“And you still haven't asked the right question.””
Marcus tightened his grip on the phone.
“I'm asking you now.””
For several seconds, Vanessa said nothing.
Then she spoke in a quieter voice.
“Do you remember the last night before you flew home?””
“Yes.””
“Do you remember who called you?””
Marcus frowned.
“My wife called me.””
“Before that.””
He tried to recall the evening.
A hotel lobby. A delayed dinner reservation. An unexpected phone call from a number he hadn't recognized.
He remembered answering because the caller had insisted it was important.
But the conversation itself was strangely difficult to reconstruct.
“Someone from the office,” he said.
Vanessa made a small sound.
“That's what you think?””
“What are you talking about?””
“Ask your wife about the call.””
Marcus turned toward Nia.
She was watching him now.
Her expression was filled with fear.
“Vanessa,” he said, “if you have something real to tell me, tell me.””
“I will. But not until you understand why Nia has been lying to you.””
The call ended.
Marcus stared at the screen.
Then he looked at Nia.
“Did you call me that night?””
She nodded slowly.
“Yes.””
“Did something happen during that call?””
Nia pressed a hand to her mouth.
“I don't remember everything.””
Marcus felt a cold sensation spread through his chest.
“You don't remember everything?””
“I was upset. We had argued earlier that week.””
“About what?””
“Marcus, please.””
“About what, Nia?””
She looked down at her stomach.
“About having a baby.””
He stared at her.
“What?””
Nia wiped her face.
“You wanted us to start trying immediately. I wanted to wait a little longer. My promotion had just come through, and I was scared I wouldn't be able to handle everything.””
Marcus remembered the argument. He remembered apologizing, promising that they could wait, and telling her that their marriage mattered more than a timeline.
But he also remembered something else.
During that overseas trip, Nia had called him late one night, crying so hard he could barely understand her.
He had asked what was wrong.
She had told him she missed him.
Now he wondered whether there had been more.
“Why didn't you tell me you were still worried about having a baby?”” he asked.
“Because I thought you would be disappointed in me.””
“I told you we could wait.””
“I know.””
“Then why keep it from me?””
Nia looked at him through wet eyelashes.
“Because by the time I realized I might be pregnant, everything had already changed.””
Marcus stopped moving.
“What do you mean, by the time you realized?””
She looked away.
Before he could ask another question, Dr. Carter returned with a printed report.
“Nia, I've located the details from the examination we performed today. We still need the previous clinic's report to compare the measurements accurately.””
Nia accepted the paper with trembling fingers.
Marcus glanced at it.
A date was printed near the top.
He recognized it immediately.
It was the date of his return from London.
His mouth went dry.
He looked at Nia.
“Is that the day you found out you were pregnant?””
She didn't answer.
The silence stretched between them.
Then she whispered, “Yes.””
Marcus stared at the paper.
For the first time, he understood that the questions in the hospital room were not only about the number on the screen.
May you like
They were about everything that had happened while he was thousands of miles away.
And somewhere outside that room, Vanessa was waiting for the truth to come out.
