Chapter 10 The Child He Never Knew
1110 Words
The silence in the office felt suffocating.
Adrian Blackwood was still staring at Vanessa.
Like the world had suddenly shifted beneath his feet.
A miscarriage.
Sophia’s words echoed in his mind again.
“You already lost one baby with him.”
Vanessa couldn’t move.
Couldn’t breathe.
For three years she had buried that memory so deeply she convinced herself it didn’t exist anymore.
And now—
Sophia had just ripped it open.
Adrian’s voice came out low.
“…Is it true?”
Vanessa’s throat felt tight.
She didn’t answer immediately.
But the silence itself was already an answer.
Adrian looked away first.
His hand moved slowly to the edge of the desk.
A rare crack in the calm control he always carried.
“…When?”
The question was quiet.
Almost fragile.
Vanessa swallowed.
“Three years ago.”
Adrian’s head lifted immediately.
“Three years?”
His voice sharpened.
“That was right after we got married.”
Vanessa nodded once.
“Yes.”
Daniel stood awkwardly near the door, unsure if he should leave.
But neither of them noticed him anymore.
Because the room now held something far heavier than corporate drama.
This was personal.
Painfully personal.
Adrian’s voice dropped again.
“…Why didn’t you tell me?”
Vanessa laughed softly.
But the sound held no humor.
“You weren’t there.”
Adrian frowned.
“What does that mean?”
Vanessa finally met his eyes.
“You were in London.”
Adrian’s chest tightened slightly.
He remembered that trip.
A massive acquisition deal.
Three weeks of nonstop meetings.
He hadn’t returned home even once.
Vanessa continued quietly.
“I started bleeding in the middle of the night.”
The words felt heavy in the air.
Adrian’s jaw tightened.
Vanessa looked away toward the window.
“The doctor said the pregnancy was already unstable.”
She placed a hand unconsciously against her stomach.
“There was nothing they could do.”
The memory felt painfully clear now.
The hospital lights.
The cold room.
The empty silence afterward.
Adrian spoke again.
“…And you never told me?”
Vanessa’s eyes flickered slightly.
“I tried.”
Adrian froze.
“What?”
Vanessa looked back at him.
“I called you.”
Adrian’s mind raced.
He tried to remember.
London.
Meetings.
Phone calls.
Then suddenly—
A memory surfaced.
One missed call.
Late at night.
He had ignored it.
Because he was preparing for a negotiation the next morning.
Adrian’s chest felt suddenly heavy.
“…I didn’t answer.”
Vanessa nodded.
“No.”
The quiet confirmation hit harder than anger would have.
Adrian looked down briefly.
For the first time since Vanessa had known him…
Adrian Blackwood looked regretful.
But the moment didn’t last long.
Because Sophia’s voice suddenly came through the phone again.
“Well.”
She sounded pleased.
“That clears up the mystery.”
Adrian’s eyes darkened instantly.
“You knew about this.”
Sophia didn’t deny it.
“Of course I did.”
Vanessa’s head snapped toward the phone.
“You had access to my medical records?”
Sophia laughed softly.
“You forget how powerful money can be.”
Adrian’s voice turned icy.
“You violated hospital confidentiality.”
Sophia scoffed.
“Please.”
She sounded bored.
“I only confirmed what I already suspected.”
Vanessa’s chest tightened.
“Suspected what?”
Sophia’s tone sharpened.
“That you were hiding something.”
The room went quiet again.
Sophia continued speaking.
“You told Adrian the surgery made pregnancy difficult.”
She paused.
“But you never told him the real reason.”
Vanessa clenched her hands slightly.
“That was none of your business.”
Sophia laughed.
“Oh, but it was.”
Adrian’s voice cut in.
“Sophia.”
She ignored him.
“You wanted Adrian to believe you couldn’t have children.”
Her voice dripped with accusation.
“So that when you finally got pregnant again…”
She paused dramatically.
“…you could trap him.”
Vanessa’s patience finally snapped.
“That’s ridiculous.”
Sophia didn’t sound convinced.
“Is it?”
She lowered her voice.
“You conveniently got pregnant right after the divorce.”
Vanessa’s anger rose.
“I didn’t plan anything.”
Sophia scoffed.
“That’s exactly what someone who planned it would say.”
Adrian slammed his hand lightly against the desk.
“Enough.”
His voice cut through the tension immediately.
Then he turned toward Vanessa.
“…Why didn’t you tell me about the miscarriage afterward?”
Vanessa hesitated.
Then answered honestly.
“Because it didn’t matter.”
Adrian frowned.
“How could it not matter?”
Vanessa’s eyes softened slightly.
“Because you never wanted a child.”
Adrian froze.
Vanessa continued quietly.
“You told me once.”
Her voice dropped.
“That children complicate business.”
The memory surfaced clearly.
One dinner.
One conversation.
One careless comment.
Adrian suddenly remembered it too.
And realized how much damage those words had done.
Vanessa sighed softly.
“So when the baby was gone…”
She looked away again.
“I decided it was easier not to tell you.”
The silence that followed felt heavy.
Daniel finally cleared his throat nervously.
“Sir…”
Adrian glanced toward him.
“What?”
Daniel hesitated.
“There’s something else in the hospital report.”
Adrian frowned.
“What now?”
Daniel looked down at his phone again.
“The hacker didn’t just download the records.”
Vanessa’s heart skipped.
“They altered something.”
Adrian’s voice hardened.
“What did they change?”
Daniel swallowed.
“The maternity record.”
Vanessa felt the blood drain from her face.
“What record?”
Daniel looked directly at her.
“…Your current pregnancy file.”
Adrian straightened instantly.
“What about it?”
Daniel spoke slowly.
“They changed the expected conception date.”
The room froze.
Vanessa’s mind raced.
“That’s impossible.”
Daniel shook his head.
“The hospital confirmed it.”
Adrian’s eyes darkened.
“What date did they put?”
Daniel looked down again.
Then read the number.
The moment he said it—
Vanessa felt the world tilt beneath her feet.
Because the date the hacker inserted…
Was two weeks earlier than the truth.
Which meant something terrifying.
Anyone who saw that record would believe—
The baby couldn’t possibly be Adrian’s.
The silence in the office stretched dangerously long.
Adrian looked slowly at Vanessa.
And for the first time since the pregnancy reveal—
The doubt in his eyes returned.
Because the hacked medical record now told a completely different story.
And someone out there…
Had just turned the entire situation into a ticking bomb.
- Writer
