Of Love and Deception (30 page)

The information kept niggling at Daniella. She’d felt sick before she ever had the Artificial Insemination. Meg had been acting strange, and secretive too. The missing letters from Blake in her year book… at the cabin. Meg.

Patting her belly, Daniella said, “You’re not going anywhere little one. I’ll keep you no matter what. Cruz’s or… it doesn’t matter. You’re mine. All mine.” Tears trickled down her cheeks. She grieved, ashamed of herself for wanting to give up this baby, sad for the adopting parents, but they could find another. She’d figure out how to deal with Blake once she had the results, confirming he was absolutely not the father.

Five days had passed since the ultrasound. She needed to do some shopping, but feared she’d see that stupid black SUV outside, waiting. Waiting for that one moment she exited and then? She shivered at the thought of what Blake would do to her and the baby.

~~~

Daniella wondered how much longer it would take to get detailed results from the specialists. It was already Friday and she didn’t want to go all weekend waiting.

The apartment was spit shine clean by midafternoon, and she had all of her designs and contracts in check. She really needed to go shopping for baby stuff and promised herself she’d find a way once the doctor called to give her any results.

A ringing cell phone startled her. “Hello?”

“Hello, Daniella. Dr. Mark, here.”

Finally!
“Hello.”

“We have the final results. Would you mind coming down here to discuss them? We could do a phone consult, but I think it’s best that you come to the clinic. There is a whole team of Radiologists and specialists who are ready to answer questions, if you should have any, here in the clinic.”

“As long as Cruz isn’t going to be there, I’ll come.”

“I guarantee he and his lawyer will not be here. They’ve already contacted me. They’ll meet with me and the team later this afternoon.”

“Oh. Okay. Well, when can I come?” Daniella started to shake.

“Your lawyer will be here shortly. Can you come now?”

“I’m on my way.” She ended the call, grabbed her purse and keys, and then headed out to her car. Deep within the very core of her existence, she already knew the results. The insemination and this whole mess nearly made her retch. She inserted the key into the ignition.

“Huh!” She gasped and inhaled something—a horrible chemical that burned her nose and throat. She clawed at the massive hand pressed hard against her nose and mouth, but suddenly went limp. Her vision dimmed, faded into a dark abyss.

23 - Hush Little Baby

There were blurry flashes of streetlights and rocky walls whizzing past the windows as she fought through the haze and tried to comprehend where she was. She turned her head to catch the digital display on the dashboard.

What happened?

The muffled sounds of voices closed in. It was getting louder as the vibrating motion stopped.

Back seat of a car. It smells like… leather.

A face popped in front of her. “Meg,” she mumbled. She felt a pinch at the crease of her elbow and then a burning sensation traveling up her arm.

Oh no! What did she inject into my vein?

“Well, well, weh—” Meg’s voice faded.

Time evaded her. Brief moments of wakeful periods, though hazy, never lasted long. The only thing Daniella had been certain of was that she had been in the backseat of this car for much too long—two, maybe three days at the very least.

~~~

Daniella woke in a panic. Her breathing turned rapid and wild when she tried to sit up, only to discover she’d been tied down to a… hospital bed? She writhed and twisted, but only caused the throbbing pain in her head to intensify.
No. No, no, no, no, no!

A shrill cry erupted from her chest. She glanced in all directions, taking in what she could of her surroundings with the small amount of sunlight filtering into the room. All of the walls, including the ceiling, were made of logs.
A log cabin. Meg and Falcon’s cabin?
In the far left corner, a figure sat in a recliner staring directly at her.

“MMeg? Is that… you?”

“No. It’s the president of the United fucking States.” She uncrossed her legs and stood.

“Wh-what’s ggoing on?”

Meg cleared her throat. “Let’s start off with a little history lesson, shall we?”

Terrified, Daniella could only stare at her.

“SHALL WE?”

“Okay,” Daniella whispered.

“History: I dated Cruz in High School. He broke up with me because he couldn’t handle the attention other men gave me. But over the years, all those issues had resolved. And that is your history lesson for the day.

“Current Events:
YOU
entered the scene. Make no mistake, Cruz still loves me, but now you’re in the way. And I want revenge against the both of you.

“Fact: I have no choice but to get rid of you. It’s what’s best.” She had the audacity to smile. “FYI: Just to be clear, so you know, we, meaning Cruz and I, will be proud parents of that little baby in there. It will bring us back together.” She tapped Daniella’s belly. “Thought you should know.”

There was a very long silence. Meg stared, tilted her head from side to side, as if she were pondering over what might be going on in Daniella’s head.

“Haven’t you got anything to say?” Meg sounded agitated.

“Why. Why are you doing this?”

Meg did a one-eighty. “What? Don’t act like you don’t know. I had to do what I had to do to split you two up. You might still live if you hadn’t tried so hard and got yourself knocked up before the procedure. Ah. If all had worked out as planned, you, my dear friend, would be sharing your life with Blake—having his kid. You do know he still loves you, right?”

Daniella shook her head in denial. “But… but all those pregnancy tests were negative.”

“Holy fuck. Do you have absolutely no medical knowledge? Shit. I have to spell it all out for you. Very simply put, Daniella, those tests I gave you were duds. Yes, duds, as in negative controls. Oh, and all the bloodwork? Yeah, I just swapped your samples with mine. Now you know, so don’t go flipping the fuck out and racking your pissy little pea brain.”

But… you’re pregnant, too?
She stared at Meg, dumbfounded, and then she noticed a familiar sparkling diamond on Meg’s ring finger.

Meg glanced at her hand, a smile stretched ear to ear. “Do you like it?” She lifted her hand and admired her ring finger. “This ring was really meant for me, not you, Daniella. I bet you’re wondering how I ended up with the ring, huh? Well, too bad I’m not going to tell you. But I must say, it stood out nicely in that little hidden video of me and Blake. You were too easy to blackmail. I did tell you I was fucking him, didn’t I? Oh, the hotel. Remember my little invite, Daniella?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Yes, well. So happens Blake rented the room. Yes, and you left your wedding ring on the table and you didn’t even miss it! Silly fool. That musty smell you complained of,” Meg sniggered. “Blake and I had sex before you got there. Yes, it was on video. But then you left your ring, and so after you headed to the pool room, oh the tape was a rolling! I made sure to flash your ring by digging my nails into his tight little ass. Damn. It was so easy… and… climactic.”

Daniella’s stomach twisted in remembrance of the smell, the thought, and the pure evil behind the perpetrators. Hearing it from Meg almost had her heaving. She took several deep, cleansing breaths and tried to force the images out of her head.

Meg admired the ring and shot a look at Daniella, and then gave a wicked little laugh as she covered her lips momentarily. “Did… did you like that video clip? I must say, it came together nicely. It was really too simple. All I had to do was make sure it was dark enough in the room, and then keep most of my body and face hidden under Blake.”

Stretching out a finger, Meg traced it over Daniella’s belly. She pulled the gown to one side, exposing the rounded flesh and leaned over. Lightly pressing her lips above the navel, she said, “If she hadn’t gone and stopped the adoption, then it wouldn’t have to end like this for her. She was smart to bypass the amniocentesis, which really pissed your daddy off, your real daddy, not Blake. He was quick to believe you weren’t his… well, technically you are; she was stupid for the ultrasound, but pushed her fate, presumably learning the truth. We couldn’t have your daddy find out. No. That would keep us apart. Yes, little seed of Cruz, she could have went through with it, handed you over to the stage parents and then you’d fall into my arms and the world would believe you were mine.

“Cruz will take me back because the DNA will prove you’re his. Oh, and mine. Yes, I covered my tracks. If, for some reason, they require me to provide a sample, I’ve got one. I’ll just use the saliva I harbored from your… biological mother while she was ten-sheets-to-the-wind. I’ll saturate my mouth with it the day they ask for my sample.” She had the grin of a devil as she lightly traced an arrow toward Daniella’s heart.

Meg’s head flicked up and she was instantly nose-to-nose with Daniella, glaring into her eyes. “Right after that ultrasound, you changed your mind and called the agency, called off the adoption. Of course the stage parents called me A.S.A.P. Now see what a horrible fucking mess you’ve made out of this? See why you deserve to die?  ’Cause now my only option is to deliver the baby and dispose of you. Yes. Then tell everyone I had a home delivery. I’ve got it all worked out perfectly. Cruz will be back in my arms knowing I gave him a child… even if it was from an… oh, say accidental specimen swap. Poor Tiffany. I believe… I believe I set it up so she’d somehow take the rap for that little mistake. Mislabeling Cruz’s specimen for Falcon’s.”

Shock didn’t come close to what Daniella was feeling. She was horrified. “How… huh-how’d you know—”

“The adoption? Oh hell, you made it so easy! I’m really surprised you hadn’t seen me really. You know I’ve been tracking you. I was lucky enough to keep up with you the day you pulled in to the parking lot of the first adoption agency. Was that ever a joy. You gave me my next plan, practically handed it to me.” Meg had a smug smile on her face, obviously recalling the memory. But then she started crying and pressed her palm to her ear. She turned slightly, leaned into the corner of the wall and started babbling. It didn’t take Daniella long to figure out what Meg was doing and what she had done.

Meg sobbed and played out the part, the one of the babbling woman at the first agency. “They… they turned me down!” More fake tears. “BBecause I-I don’t know who the father is! Said it would be a problem later!” She turned to catch the horror playing on Daniella’s face and continued. “WWhat? Oh? You think… Little Miracles? That’s the name? Christian families you say? Yes… the number. Four-five-eight—” She crooned and questioned Daniella. “You get the picture?”

I can’t believe this. Do I get the picture? Yes. I remember the details.
That day came flooding back. A woman stood just inside the entrance of the adoption agency. She was sobbing so hard that Daniella couldn’t help but stop to listen. The woman was crying and telling whoever was on the other line of her cell phone that the agency basically didn’t want her baby, all because she didn’t know who the father was. She babbled something about the other man being African and how they were prejudiced. That was enough to cause Daniella to change her mind. Then the woman prattled off the name of another agency. The one Daniella opted to work with, falling right into Meg’s trap.

It all made sense now. The story was almost too crazy to believe. How did she not figure that one out? Another question came to mind, and Daniella braved to ask. “If you followed me to the agency, how did you get inside before I did, without me seeing you?”

Meg cackled. “It was too easy. All of it. I parked in a spot where only one car sat between us. You held the steering wheel and when you pressed your head against it, I jumped and ran into the corridor. So easy, Daniella. The adoption agency I rattled off is one we recommend for fertility failures. I know practically everyone there. And I’m sure this won’t be a shock for you, but the black market for babies exist within reputable agencies.” She paused and smiled, satisfactorily, obviously proud of her treacherous and traitorous abilities. “Any questions?” she asked in a voice as sweet as pie.

 ”Wha-wha-why wou—”

The wicked witch emerged. “Why? You fucking ask why? Because first I had to fake this pregnancy!” She lifted her shirt, clawed at the foam belly and ripped it away from her perfectly flat stomach. She shook it and then flung it across the room.

Daniella was horrified. “YYou… you weren’t—”

Meg laughed hysterically. “NO. I found out I couldn’t have kids AFTER I tried numerous times to inject Cruz’s sperm into my cervix.” Spit flew from Meg’s mouth. “Don’t look so surprised, Daniella. You thought he was screwing me, didn’t you?”

Daniella nodded.
Oh, god. He never slept with her!

“Don’t get the wrong idea, Daniella. Cruz has too many fucking morals. He won’t do anything with me until you’re divorced. Or dead.” Meg sniggered.

She turned toward the window, threw her arms up and slapped her hands on her head. “All because that stupid fucker, James. He forced me to abort… and the son-of-a-bitch doctor screwed up my uterus.” She spoke as if she were in a different place, speaking to the ghosts of her past.

James?
“But… but I thought you s-said…” Daniella went to raise her arms to rub her forehead, but was instantly reminded of her restraints. “I-I thought—Cruz…”

Meg slowly dropped her hands, turned, and marched toward Daniella. She grabbed the bed railing and shook it. A look of appreciation spread over her face and then she said, “Uh-huh. So you did believe my charade. Damn, I’m good.”

“But I-I didn’t… the adoption. I didn’t cah-call—”

“Put a cork in it. Save it for someone who cares. Oh, I’m sorry. How silly of me. You won’t be around. Darn. Better make better use of your time. Maybe say some prayers or something.” She pointed to Daniella’s swollen belly. “Cherish your last hours with that baby.”

~~~

A door slammed… or more like someone kicked it open. Meg’s head shot up, horror instantly flickered in her eyes as Blake stormed into the room. When did he get here? Has he been here all along or was he not supposed to be here? Did he hear all the things that came out of Meg’s mouth? Because he’d know the baby wasn’t his if he had. And would that upset him?