Distraught, Alex started searching through his own medical archives from their marriage. He eventually recovered an early diagnostic report from their first fertility specialist that had been misplaced and never given to him.
The original laboratory results showed that Alex had also experienced significant fertility complications.
And Beatrice had known all along.
PART 3
That old medical report completely changed the direction of the truth.
It did not mean Alex was entirely infertile, but it showed that his initial health metrics were just as compromised as Elena’s and required further testing. Later panels showed improvement, but Beatrice had made sure that first report was quietly shelved. For years, Alex had allowed Elena to bear the crushing guilt and shame surrounding their inability to conceive—burdens that had never belonged solely to her.
The doctor’s signature at the bottom was familiar: Dr. Julian Vance.
Elena recognized the name immediately when Alex showed her the document. “He managed our entire fertility protocol.”
