The Price of a Lie
1649 Words
When the doctor walked into Daniel’s room, Gabriel stood up immediately.
This was it.
Three days of waiting. Three nights of silent fear. Three mornings of pretending everything would be fine.
Gabriel expected an envelope in the doctor’s hand. Or at least a serious look.
Instead, the doctor smiled.
Not wide, but calm.
“Daniel is recovering well,” he said first.
Gabriel let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding.
Prisca’s shoulders dropped slightly.
“But,” the doctor continued gently, “that doesn’t change the fact that he still needs the blood transfusion.”
The word still felt heavy.
Gabriel nodded quickly. “Of course. Yes. We understand.”
The doctor adjusted his glasses.
“I have found a possible match for Daniel. Once I complete the final checks on the blood samples, we can call the donor and proceed with the transfusion.”
Gabriel’s face lit up.
“A match?” he repeated. “You found someone?”
“Yes,” the doctor said. “But I am handling everything carefully. I just came from surgery. I want to be sure before we move forward.”
Gabriel stepped closer and shook the doctor’s hand firmly.
“Thank you. Thank you so much.”
The doctor gave a small nod.
“Please be patient, Mr. Gabriel. I will compile your results properly. When I am done, the nurses will bring you and your wife to my office.”
Gabriel nodded again.
“Yes. Take your time. We appreciate it.”
The doctor gave Daniel one last look and then left the room.
The door clicked shut.
Silence returned.
For a moment, hope filled the room. It felt lighter.
Gabriel sat back down beside Daniel’s bed. His son was awake now, quietly sipping water.
“You see?” Gabriel said softly. “Everything will be okay.”
Daniel smiled weakly.
Prisca forced a smile too.
But her hands were cold.
A match.
So the blood transfusion would happen.
But what about the DNA?
The doctor had said he would compile the results.
Compile.
That word echoed in her mind like a slow drumbeat.
A minute passed.
Then another.
Prisca suddenly pressed her hand to her stomach.
“I… I need to use the restroom,” she said quickly. “I’ve been having running stomach since morning.”
Gabriel looked at her, distracted.
“Okay. I’ll stay with Daniel.”
She nodded too fast.
And left.
The moment the door closed behind her, her breathing changed.
Faster.
Shallow.
She walked down the hallway, not toward the restroom.
But after the doctor.
She saw him ahead, turning a corner toward his office. She slowed her steps, keeping distance. When he reached his door, she paused behind a wall, watching him unlock it and go inside.
Her heart pounded in her ears.
This was her chance.
If she didn’t act now, everything would fall apart.
She waited a few seconds.
Then stepped forward and knocked.
“Come in,” the doctor’s voice called.
She opened the door.
The doctor looked up from his desk, surprised.
“Mrs. Gabriel? Is everything okay? Where is your husband?”
“I just wanted to talk,” she said quickly.
The doctor studied her face for a moment, then gestured to the chair.
“Sit.”
Prisca sat down, but her hands wouldn’t stop shaking.
“Go ahead,” the doctor said calmly.
She swallowed.
Her throat felt dry.
“Doctor,” she began, her voice cracking, “how much will it cost?”
The doctor frowned slightly. “Cost for what?”
She looked at the door to make sure it was closed.
Then leaned forward.
“How much can I pay you… to make Daniel’s result match Gabriel’s?”
The room went still.
The doctor blinked.
“I know,” she rushed on, her words tumbling over each other. “I know he is not Daniel’s biological father. But he has raised him. He loves him. Daniel loves him. I can’t let this destroy them.”
The doctor stared at her.
“I made a mistake,” she whispered. “Years ago. One stupid mistake. I thought it would never matter. I thought no one would ever find out. Please… just adjust the result. Make it show that he’s the father.”
The doctor leaned back slowly in his chair.
“Mrs. Gabriel,” he said carefully, “are you trying to bribe me?”
Tears rolled down her face.
“I’m begging you.”
His expression hardened.
“I cannot do that.”
She shook her head quickly. “Please. You don’t understand. If my husband finds out—”
“If your husband finds out the truth,” the doctor interrupted, “then he deserves to know.”
Prisca’s eyes widened.
“You don’t know what this will do to my family.”
The doctor’s voice stayed calm.
“And you think lying again will protect them?”
She had no answer.
He folded his hands on the desk.
“What happens when your husband decides to repeat this test in another hospital?” he asked quietly. “What happens when the result is different? Do you understand what that will mean? For you? For me? For this hospital?”
She wiped her tears.
“He won’t check again.”
“You don’t know that.”
“He trusts me.”
The doctor gave a small, sad smile.
“He trusted you before, didn’t he?”
That hit her like a slap.
Prisca looked away.
“You are asking me to risk my career, my license, my reputation,” the doctor continued. “Your husband is a well-known man. If this ever comes out, it will destroy more than just your marriage.”
She shook her head desperately.
“I’ll pay you anything.”
“This is not about money.”
“Then what is it about?”
“It’s about truth.”
Her shoulders slumped.
“You can’t hide the truth forever,” the doctor said gently. “Sooner or later, it will come out. It always does.”
Prisca began sobbing openly now.
“I can’t lose him.”
The doctor’s voice softened slightly.
“Then you should have thought about that before.”
She pressed her hands over her face.
“I was young. I was stupid.”
“And now your son is paying the price.”
That sentence crushed her.
Silence filled the room.
After a moment, the doctor stood.
“I am sorry, Mrs. Gabriel. But I will not change the result.”
She looked up, panic flooding her eyes.
“Doctor, please—”
“No.”
His tone was firm now.
“You need to tell your husband the truth yourself. Before he hears it from me.”
She felt like the walls were closing in.
Just then, her phone vibrated in her hand.
A message.
She looked down.
Where are you? Why haven’t you come back? — Gabriel.
Her heart skipped.
Time was running out.
She stood up quickly.
“Please,” she whispered one last time.
The doctor shook his head.
“I will call you when the results are ready.”
She wiped her tears roughly, smearing her makeup. Then she turned and walked out of the office before her legs could give out.
The hallway felt colder now.
Her ears rang.
Karma.
That was the word that came to her mind.
She had always believed she was clever, careful, and In control.
Now she felt like someone standing at the edge of a cliff, waiting to be pushed.
She walked slowly back toward Daniel’s ward.
Each step heavier than the last.
Inside the room, Gabriel was laughing softly at something Daniel had said.
The sound made her chest ache.
She paused outside the door for a second, watching them.
This.
This was what she was trying to protect.
Or maybe what she was trying to keep for herself.
She took a deep breath, fixed her face, and walked in.
Gabriel looked up immediately.
“What took you so long?” he asked.
“Stomach pain,” she replied weakly.
He nodded, not questioning further.
Daniel waved at her.
“Mummy!”
She forced a smile.
“I’m here, baby.”
She walked over and kissed his forehead.
Her hands were still shaking.
Gabriel noticed.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes,” she said quickly. “Just tired.”
He studied her face for a moment longer than usual.
As if searching for something.
She looked away.
Minutes passed.
Then a knock came at the door.
Both of them turned.
A nurse stepped in.
“Mr. and Mrs. Gabriel? The doctor would like to see you in his office.”
Prisca felt her knees weaken.
Gabriel stood up immediately.
“Okay.”
He looked at Prisca.
“Let’s go.”
She swallowed.
This was it.
The nurse smiled politely and stepped aside for them to walk out.
As they followed her down the hallway, Prisca felt every heartbeat in her throat.
Gabriel walked beside her, calm but tense.
He reached for her hand briefly.
“It’ll be fine,” he said quietly.
She almost broke right there.
Because she knew—
Fine was no longer an option.
They stopped in front of the doctor’s office.
The nurse knocked.
“Come in,” the doctor’s voice called again.
Gabriel pushed the door open.
Prisca stepped in behind him.
The doctor sat at his desk.
An envelope lay in front of him.
He looked at both of them.
His expression was serious now.
No smile, no softness. Just the weight of silence.
“Please sit,” he said.
Gabriel sat down.
Prisca lowered herself slowly into the chair beside him.
Her hands twisted together in her lap.
The doctor picked up the envelope.
And the room fell silent.
- Writer
