Chapter 2 - The Confrontation in the Corridor
Chloe’s face drained of color so fast she looked like a ghost. She stopped ten feet away, her breath coming in shallow gasps.
“Derek,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “What are you doing here? Why did you let them in?”
Nathan immediately turned on her, his face dark with betrayal. “Chloe! What is going on here? Derek just told us he isn't the father of your baby. He said the hospital called him because of some blood test. Is that true?”
Chloe’s eyes darted wildly around the hallway. She looked at my mother, desperately seeking an ally. “Mrs. Hayes, please. You know me. You know how much I loved Derek. He’s just saying this out of spite because he hates that we moved on!”
“Shut up, Chloe,” Derek snapped, taking a step toward her. The raw fury in his voice made her flinch. “I didn't move on with you. You manipulated a situation, you lied to my face, you lied to Clara’s family, and you tried to trap me with a child that belongs to someone else.”
“That’s a lie!” Chloe shrieked, tears suddenly springing to her eyes—the exact theatrical waterworks she had weaponized against me during our divorce a year ago. “The baby is yours! You know it is!”
“Then why did the nurses just tell me the biological father is currently being tracked down through the state database using the DNA sample from the infant's cord blood?” Dr. Harrison interrupted, stepping forward with a clipboard in hand. He looked sternly at Chloe. “Miss Vance, the hospital ethics board requires an immediate clarification of guardianship. If Mr. Hayes is not the biological father, he has no legal right to authorize medical procedures, and you have committed fraud by listing him on the intake forms.”
The silence that fell over the corridor was absolute.
My mother staggered backward, grabbing onto my father’s arm for support. “Fraud? Chloe, tell me this is a nightmare. Tell me you didn't lie to us.”
Chloe let out a hysterical laugh, wiping her nose with the back of her hand. The sweet, innocent best friend facade was completely gone, replaced by a desperate, snarling stranger.
“I lied!” Chloe screamed at the top of her lungs, throwing her hands in the air. “I lied because Clara always got everything! She got the career, she got the scholarship, and she got Derek! Even when we weren't friends anymore, she still had him! I just wanted a piece of a stable life. I wanted someone to take care of me!”
Nathan stared at her, utterly horrified. “You used us. You used our family gatherings to spread lies about Clara just to make yourself look like the victim.”
“Because your family is gullible!” Chloe wept, her voice cracking. “You wanted to believe she was cold! You wanted an excuse to judge her!”
I stepped forward, closing the distance between us until I was looking right down into her mascara-streaked eyes. “You thought you won when Derek walked out. But you didn't realize that the foundation of our divorce wasn't a lack of love, Chloe. It was your systematic sabotage. And now, the truth is out for everyone to see.”
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Dr. Harrison cleared his throat. “Miss Vance, security is going to escort you to the administrative desk to sort out your paperwork. Furthermore, until the true father is identified and verified, child protective services has been notified regarding the fraudulent hospital registry.”
Two security guards appeared out of nowhere, standing on either side of Chloe. She didn't fight them. She just glared at me with pure, unadulterated venom as they led her away down the hall.
