Chapter 10: The Price of an Unborn Child
For several seconds, nobody moved.
The agreement trembled in my hands.
Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars.
That was the price Vanessa had placed on the child she was carrying.
I looked at Adrian.
“You were going to buy my baby?””
Adrian's face tightened.
“That's not what happened.””
I held up the document.
“Then explain it.””
He glanced at Vanessa.
She was gripping the hospital blanket, her breathing uneven.
“Marcus, don't listen to him,” she whispered.
Adrian laughed bitterly.
“Now you want me to be the villain?””
“Shut up!””
“You promised me a son, Vanessa.””
The room went silent.
The doctor immediately stepped forward.
“Mr. Cole, I need you to leave the room.””
Adrian ignored him.
“You said the baby would be mine. You said Marcus would never know.””
Vanessa started crying.
“I never said that.””
“You signed it!””
Adrian pointed at the agreement.
I looked down.
There were two signatures at the bottom.
Vanessa Hayes.
Adrian Cole.
Both dated four months earlier.
My hands began shaking.
Four months.
At that time, Vanessa had been attending prenatal appointments with me. We'd been choosing names, buying furniture, and arguing playfully about whether the nursery should have animals or stars painted on the walls.
While I was planning a future with my wife, she was negotiating the sale of our unborn child.
“Why?”” I asked.
Vanessa looked at me.
“Marcus, please.””
“Why would you do this?””
She wiped her face.
“I was scared.””
“Of what?””
“Of being poor. Of depending on you. Of your mother controlling everything.””
I stared at her.
“My mother didn't control anything.””
“You don't understand what it was like!””
“You had a husband who loved you. A home. A family. And you decided to sell our baby?””
She covered her face.
Adrian stepped forward.
“Don't pretend you're innocent, Marcus. You have no idea what kind of marriage you had.””
I turned toward him.
“Get out.””
He shook his head.
“I have a right to be here.””
“No, you don't.””
He looked toward Vanessa.
“Tell him.””
She said nothing.
“Vanessa, tell him what you promised.””
She shook her head.
Adrian suddenly reached into his jacket and removed his phone.
“Fine. Maybe this will help.””
He played an audio recording.
Vanessa's voice filled the room.
“Once the baby is born, Marcus will sign whatever I put in front of him. He wants to be a father too badly to question anything.””
Adrian's recorded voice answered.
“And if he discovers the truth?””
“He won't. By then, I'll have the money, the apartment, and the custody agreement.””
Then Vanessa laughed.
“And if he doesn't cooperate, I'll tell everyone he abandoned his pregnant wife.””
The recording ended.
I felt something inside me go quiet.
Not anger.
Not sadness.
Something colder.
I looked at the woman lying in the hospital bed.
“Was any of it real?””
Vanessa began crying harder.
“What?””
“Our marriage. The pregnancy. The nights you told me you loved me. Was any of it real?””
She reached toward me.
“Marcus, I did love you.””
“Then why did you do this?””
“I made mistakes.””
I shook my head.
“People make mistakes when they forget an anniversary. They don't sign contracts to sell their children.””
The doctor interrupted.
“I'm sorry, but we need everyone to leave. Mrs. Hayes is experiencing significant contractions.””
Adrian immediately moved toward the bed.
“I'm staying.””
The doctor looked at him.
“You are not the patient's spouse, and she has not identified you as an authorized support person in this situation. We need to clarify her wishes and maintain a safe environment.””
Vanessa looked between us.
“Marcus, please stay.””
Adrian's jaw tightened.
“You said you wanted me here.””
“I know.””
“Then tell him to leave.””
Vanessa began shaking.
“Please stop fighting.””
The nurse called for assistance.
Two hospital staff members entered.
Adrian reluctantly stepped into the hallway.
I followed.
Before the doors closed, I heard Vanessa whisper:
“Marcus, don't let him take my baby.””
I stopped.
The sentence followed me into the corridor.
A hospital administrator met me in a small consultation room twenty minutes later.
Her name was Mrs. Collins.
She explained that the hospital would follow the patient's medical decisions and applicable legal procedures. The private agreement did not automatically establish parental rights or determine custody.
I listened carefully.
Then I showed her the documents.
She examined every page.
“Mr. Hayes, these papers are concerning. I recommend that you preserve the originals and speak with an attorney immediately.””
“Can the hospital keep Adrian away?””
“We can review visitor restrictions based on your wife's wishes and any safety concerns. We cannot decide a custody dispute.””
I nodded.
“Understood.””
When I left the office, Chloe was sitting alone in the hallway.
She looked exhausted.
I sat beside her.
“Why did you keep that agreement?””
She stared at the floor.
“Because I knew Vanessa had gone too far.””
“Why didn't you tell me sooner?””
“I was afraid.””
“Of Vanessa?””
She nodded.
“She has always known how to make people feel guilty. She tells you what you want to hear, then makes you feel cruel for questioning her.””
I rubbed my face.
“Did you know about the money?””
“Yes.””
“The trust?””
“Yes.””
I turned toward her.
“Chloe, how much did you know?””
She began crying.
“Almost everything.””
I stood up.
“Then why did you let me walk around believing my mother was an abusive woman?””
Chloe covered her face.
“I don't have an excuse.””
“No. You don't.””
She lowered her hands.
“But there's one thing I haven't told you.””
I waited.
“Vanessa didn't come up with the idea of selling the baby.””
My stomach tightened.
“Who did?””
Chloe reached into her handbag.
She pulled out another photograph.
It showed Adrian standing beside a woman outside a law office.
The woman was holding a folder.
I recognized her.
It was Vanessa's former attorney, a woman named Melissa Grant.
Chloe pointed to the photograph.
“Melissa introduced Vanessa to a private adoption broker.””
I stared at her.
“An adoption broker?””
“Vanessa told them she was considering placing the baby with another family. But Adrian wanted custody, so they negotiated between themselves.””
“Why would Melissa help?””
Chloe shook her head.
“I don't know. But I have a message where Vanessa thanks her for finding a buyer.””
My phone vibrated.
An unknown number.
I opened the message.
Mr. Hayes, my name is Melissa Grant. We need to speak before your wife gives birth. There is a second agreement you haven't seen.
I looked at Chloe.
Then another message arrived.
Your wife's signature is not the only one on that document.
A photograph followed.
I enlarged it.
At the bottom of the page were three signatures.
Vanessa.
Adrian.
And a third name.
*Evelyn Hayes.*
May you like
My mother.
I stopped breathing.
