Chapter 11 - Eighty-Seven Thousand Dollars
David didn't get far.
Authorities located him in Utah after his credit card was used at a hotel.
Inside his vehicle investigators found $87,000 in cash and several encrypted drives.
Those drives contained hundreds of stolen medical records.
My name was among them.
So was Ethan's.
So was Rebecca's.
Suddenly our family drama became part of a much larger criminal investigation.
News vans appeared outside the courthouse.
Neighbors whispered.
People online speculated.
I hated it.
I didn't want to be famous.
I wanted to be pregnant in peace.
So Ethan and I left Denver for several weeks and stayed with my sister near Boulder.
There, away from Linda's house and police interviews, we finally talked about our marriage.
Ethan apologized without excuses.
“I kept telling myself Mom would eventually respect boundaries if I explained them gently enough.”
“She never had to respect them,” I said. “Because there were never consequences.”
He nodded.
“That changes now.”
And it did.
He began therapy.
We attended counseling together.
He stopped asking me to forgive Linda.
He stopped asking me what would make the family comfortable.
Instead he asked what made me feel safe.
For the first time, I saw the man I had originally married returning.
Then Dr. Patel called after another ultrasound.
“Claire, both babies are growing.”
I cried.
May you like
But she wasn't finished.
“And we finally know why one has consistently measured smaller.”
