You Lost Me, Desmond Vaughn

and forgiving, but Geneviev

face at the party, heard his voice announcing another woman's pregnancy,

lse. Something that had plante

and stared at the message

three years. I have documents; proof of what she did to you. Please, if you want th

dozen times. The wo

what she d

already destroyed Genevieve's marriage, humiliated her publicly,

lse was

he clock read 11:30 AM, two

his mystery woman and she would

her in the dining room

like you di

didn

o talk a

have to go out. I n

row furrow

ne who says they have inf

ately. "Then I'm

hand. "The message

, this coul

to know the truth. I've lived in the da

t. Then he nodded. "Fine. Take my c

all, fragile smi

nassuming café tucked between a bookstore and a vintage bouti

She ordered tea and sat in a

:00 PM, a wom

vous hands. Her clothes were simple, practical. She c

pproached cautiously, her ga

r voice was quiet,

ed to the seat across from her. "You

ill clutched to her chest. "Thank you for coming. I

vieve said flatly. "But I'm h

for Isabella Vaughn for three years. I was her personal assistant. I saw ever

t was pounding. "

n there but I need to warn you, once you see these doc

ive years," Genevieve said

nd pulled out a photocopy of a medical report-G

l test. The one that w

trembling hands. She r

ty within normal range. Pat

caught. "T

ts." She pulled out a second document-a photocopy of the altered version. "Hormo

," Clara continued. "She wanted you to be grateful for wha

as spinning. All those years of shame, guilt,

whispered. "She knew

from the beginning. She

Ho

rsonal account to a doctor at St. Catherine's Medical Center. Fifty th

e the documents. I knew what I was doing. I knew it was wrong but I was scared, M

e room tilted. She gripp

ng me this now? Aft

t the party. I saw her destroy you and I realized if I didn't speak u

uments; proof of Isabella's manipulation, proof of her own inn

she finally whispered. "I don

ything tonight. Just take the documents, read them, proce

gathered the documents and pla

abella is not done with you and when she finds out

you b

know. But I had to do this. I

he café and disappea

ned to Alain's m

oss the bed. Her original fertility test. The altered versio

n but the truth was clear. Is

pe Clara had mentioned. "There's more," Cl

e had placed the sealed envelope-"

it, pulled back

't ready.

ld face anything, endure everything, if it meant dis

ment, her fingers hovering over it. The weight of ever

hide from the

eath, she tore t

mond Vaughn – Male Fertility Evaluation." Her eyes scanned t

oligos

en a normal range was 15 to 200 million. Motility was severely impair

hands began

it again.

this

lla had looked at her with pity and contempt. The endless fertility treatments they had

never

one who couldn'

cause their family was obsessed with perfection and maintaining their flawless image, he had joined his mother in the lie. They had pinned everything

to her mouth, tears blur

out of her spiral. It was Clara's number. A messag

t ignored

rrible instinct made he

mage l

was

Her body was slumped against a brick wall in a dark alley, throat slashed open, blood soaking h

ne flew from her hands and

ing violently against her ribs. Nausea surged th

ody heaving with shock and horror. Unable to look away from t