Chapter 4 - THE SECRET IN THE ULTRASOUND
The investigation required more than just financial records,
it required understanding the true nature of Madison's hold over Grant.
I needed to know if the pregnancy was real,
or if it was another piece of their elaborate scam.
I called my oldest friend,
Sarah,
who worked as an administrator at the private clinic Madison mentioned she attended.
We met at a quiet cafe on the outskirts of the city,
far from the prying eyes of Charleston's elite.
Sarah looked nervous,
clutching her purse as she sat down across from me.
"Claire,
you know I could lose my job for this,"
she whispered,
looking around the room.
"I know,
Sarah,"
I said,
placing my hand over hers,
"and I would never ask if it weren't a matter of my survival."
"I just need to know if she's actually pregnant,
and if the dates align."
Sarah sighed,
reaching into her bag and pulling out a small,
plain manila envelope.
"I didn't print her actual file,
that would leave too much of a digital footprint,"
she said.
"But I took notes from her patient chart."
"Madison Vale visited our clinic last week for an ultrasound."
I opened the envelope,
my eyes scanning Sarah's neat handwriting.
According to the notes,
Madison was indeed pregnant,
but the gestational age was not nine weeks.
It was twelve weeks.
I froze,
the numbers swirling in my head.
"Twelve weeks?"
I asked,
looking up at Sarah.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes,"
Sarah confirmed,
nodding firmly.
"The ultrasound report was very clear."
"The fetus measured twelve weeks,
which puts conception back in late April."
I began to calculate the dates in my head.
In late April,
Grant had been in London for a three-week corporate conference.
I had stayed behind to manage our home,
and Madison had supposedly been in New York.
If Madison was twelve weeks pregnant,
and Grant was in London during the entire window of conception,
then the child she was carrying could not possibly be his.
Unless he had secretly returned,
which was highly unlikely given his public speeches and social media presence during the conference.
Or,
more likely,
Madison was pregnant with another man's child,
and was using the pregnancy to force Grant's hand.
To force him to sign the NDA,
to transfer the money,
and to speed up his divorce from me.
"Is there any mention of a paternity test?"
I asked.
"No,"
Sarah said,
"but she did request a prenatal DNA screen,
which was marked as 'pending private funding.'"
"Which means she wanted Grant to pay for it before she actually ran the test,"
I reasoned,
the puzzle pieces aligning perfectly.
"She's playing him,
Claire,"
Sarah said softly,
her eyes filled with pity.
"She's using a baby that isn't his to steal his fortune."
"No,"
I corrected her,
a cold smile spreading across my face.
"She's using a baby that isn't his to steal our fortune."
"But now,
she's given me the perfect lever."
I thanked Sarah,
promising to keep her name completely out of whatever was to come.
As I drove away,
I felt a strange sense of dark amusement.
Grant,
the brilliant businessman,
the man who prided himself on never being taken advantage of,
was being played by his own mistress.
And he was so blinded by his desire to get rid of me that he couldn't see the trap he was walking into.
But I would not warn him.
I would let him walk right into her trap,
May you like
and then,
I would spring my own.
