Part 2
Nobody did.
The next morning, Emily called again.
This time, the clinic's administrator agreed to meet with her.
His name was Michael Grant.
He was a calm, middle aged man who had worked at the clinic for more than fifteen years.
He listened without interrupting as Emily explained everything.
When she finished, he looked at her.
“There is something you need to understand.”
“What?”
“Your treatment records show that your case was unusually complicated.”
“I already know that.”
“No,” Michael said quietly. “I don't think you know the entire story.”
Emily's hands tightened around her purse.
“What aren't you telling me?”
Michael opened a folder.
“There was an administrative inquiry into your file several years ago.”
“Why?”
“Someone contacted the clinic claiming that a serious documentation error had occurred.”
“Who?”
Michael hesitated.
“Your mother in law.”
Emily felt the room go silent.
“Margaret contacted the clinic?”
“Yes.”
“What did she claim?”
“She claimed there had been a mistake involving your treatment records and that your family had been given incorrect information.”
Emily stared at him.
“Was there a mistake?”
“Not according to our investigation.”
“Then why was she asking?”
Michael looked uncomfortable.
“She insisted that the genetic history associated with your embryo was not what your family had been told.”
Emily slowly stood.
“Did she say why?”
“No.”
“Did she mention Eleanor Blake?”
Michael's expression changed.
That was enough.
“You know the name.”
“I know that name appeared in an older confidential file.”
“What file?”
Michael shook his head.
“I can't disclose another person's private records.”
“Then tell me this. Is Eleanor connected to my treatment?”
Michael remained silent.
Emily looked directly into his eyes.
“Please.”
Finally, he said, “There was a donor arrangement associated with an earlier treatment cycle. But the information was sealed.”
Emily's mouth went dry.
“Earlier treatment cycle?”
“Yes.”
“Mine?”
Michael did not answer immediately.
Then he said, “You should speak to an attorney before asking anyone else about this.”
Emily left the clinic with more questions than answers.
But for the first time, she had a direction.
She needed to find out who Eleanor Blake was.
That night, Daniel came home and found Emily sitting in the living room.
There was a folder on the table.
He immediately recognized it.
His face changed.
“You went to the clinic.”
“Yes.”
“Emily…”
“Who is Eleanor Blake?”
Daniel stopped.
His silence was immediate.
It was different from his usual hesitation.
This time, he looked frightened.
Emily stood.
“Who is she?”
Daniel rubbed his forehead.
“I don't know.”
“Don't lie to me.”
“I am not lying.”
“You recognized her name.”
Daniel looked away.
Emily stepped closer.
“You knew about her.”
“I heard the name once.”
“From whom?”
Daniel said nothing.
“From your mother?”
Still nothing.
Emily's voice became quieter.
“That is what I thought.”
Daniel finally sat down.
“My mother told me there was an issue with the donor information.”
“What issue?”
“She said the clinic had made a mistake.”
“Did you believe her?”
“At first.”
“And then?”
Daniel looked at his hands.
“Then I stopped asking questions.”
Emily felt anger rising again.
“You stopped asking questions because you were afraid of your mother.”
Daniel did not deny it.
“She always had a way of making everything seem like my responsibility.”
Emily stared at him.
“She made you believe protecting her was more important than protecting me.”
Daniel closed his eyes.
“I know.”
“No. You don't.”
Emily picked up the folder.
“You don't know what it feels like to realize that the person you trusted most knew something was wrong and chose silence.”
Daniel looked at her.
“I am sorry.”
Emily shook her head.
“I don't need you to apologize.”
“What do you need?”
“The truth.”
Daniel swallowed.
“I don't know the whole truth.”
“Then help me find it.”
For several seconds, he said nothing.
Then he nodded.
That was the first time Daniel chose Emily over his fear of his mother.
Together, they began searching.
Margaret had always been extremely organized.
That was one of the things Emily had once admired about her.
She kept every receipt.
Every letter.
Every appointment card.
Every old photograph.
Every important document was stored somewhere.
The problem was finding where.
Daniel remembered that Margaret had an old filing cabinet in the basement.
They searched it while she was away visiting a friend.
At first, they found nothing unusual.
Tax records.
Insurance documents.
Old bank statements.
Family photographs.
Then Daniel discovered a locked drawer.
“I've never seen this before,” he whispered.
Emily looked at him.
“Can you open it?”
Daniel tried.
The key was taped beneath the bottom of the drawer.
Inside were dozens of envelopes.
Most were years old.
Some had medical center logos.
Others had handwritten dates.
And one envelope had Emily's name written across the front.
Emily froze.
Daniel slowly handed it to her.
She opened it.
Inside was a photocopy of a document from the fertility clinic.
The document contained information about an embryo that had never been transferred into Emily.
At the bottom was another name.
Eleanor Blake.
Emily read the page twice.
Then a third time.
She finally understood.
Margaret had spent years obsessed with a particular donor connection.
But why?
Why would she care so much about an embryo that had never belonged to her family?
Daniel found another document.
This one was a letter.
It was addressed to Margaret.
The sender was Eleanor Blake.
The letter was dated fourteen years earlier.
