Chapter 4. Truth unravel

The silence in the house felt crushing. Bella sat curled on the kitchen floor, her back against the cabinet, staring at the spot where Nathaniel had stood moments before. The ghost of his words hung in the air like smoke.

’This isn't mine.’

Her hand trembled as she reached for her phone. The screen blurred through her tears,but she managed to scroll to Dr. Martinez number. Three rings. Four.

“Dr. Martinez’s office, this is Sarah.”

“I need… I need to speak with the doctor. It's urgent.” Bella's voice cracked.

“Mrs. Delgado? Is everything alright?”

“Please. Just,... please.”

Twenty minutes felt like hours. Bella paced the living room, her bare feet silent on the hardwood. When the phone finally rang, she nearly dropped it.

“Bella? What's wrong?”

Dr. Martinez was kind. She'd been Bella's physician for three years, had seen her through many health stages, had held her hand through her depressed moments.

“The baby,” Bella whispered.

“Sweetheart, your last appointment showed perfect development. Healthy heartbeat, proper growth markers.”

“Yes, but….”

“What's this about, Bella?”

The words tumbled out. Nathel's reaction. His certainty. His accusations. Dr. Martinez listened without interruption.

“Bella, honey, take a breath.”

She tried. Failed.

“Your pregnancy is completely normal.”

“But Nathel says he can't…he can't father a child, that he's sterile.”

Silence stretched between them.

“When was gis diagnosis?”

“Years ago. Before we married.”

“Bella, I need you yo listen carefully. Fertility isn't always black and white. Maby factors can affect sperm count and motility. Stress, diet , medication, even time itself.”

Bella's grip tightened on the phone.

“What are you saying?”

“I'm saying diagnosis can change. Bodies heal. Condition improve.” Dr. Martinez's voice grew gentler. “And sometimes, patient don't fully understand what they're told. There's a big difference between ‘sterile’ and ‘reduced fertility.’”

The room seemed to tilt.

“what do you mean?”

“Sterile means impossible. Reduced fertility means difficulty, but not impossible. I think you need to see the actual medical records.”

“I don't have access to that.”

“Bella, if he's refusing to get retested, if he's absolutely certain this baby can't be his, then maybe you need to find out exactly what his diagnosis really said.”

After hanging up, Bella stood in the hallway outside Nathel's study. She'd never gone through his things. Never questioned, never doubted, never invaded his privacy.

But he'd invaded hers. Shattered hers.

The doors creaked as she pushed it open. His desk was immaculate as always, everything in its place. But she knew his filing system, had organized it herself when they'd first moved in together.

Medical records. Third drawer, manilla folder marked with his initials.

Her hands shook as she opened it.

Insurance forms . Prescription history. Dental records. And there, near the bottom, a folder marked ‘Reproductive health - 2018.’

Inside , a single report from Dr. Harrison Chen. Reproductive Endocrinologist.

She read it once. The word swam.

She read it again.

‘ Nathaniel Blackwood ‘

‘Date: March 15, 2018’

‘DIAGNOSIS: Oligoasthenozoospermia - severely reduced sperm count and motility’

‘PROGNOSIS: Natural conception significantly reduced but not eliminated. Estimated conception probability: 15-20% within 12 months of regular unprotected intercourse.’

‘RECOMMENDATIONS: Lifestyle modifications (diet, exercise, stress reduction). Fertility treatments available if desired. Follow-up testing recommended in 6-12 months to assess improvement.’

‘NOTE: Patient counseled that while conception is less likely, it remains possible. Condition may improve with time and lifestyle changes.’

The paper fluttered from her hands to the floor.

Fifteen to twenty percent chance. Not zero. Not impossible.

‘Significantly reduced but not eliminated.’

‘Remains possible.’

He'd told her he was sterile. Completely sterile. No chance at all.

‘ I can't father a child, I'm sterile.’ his words play in her mind.

But the report stated otherwise. Difficult, yes. Unlikely, yes. But impossible.

She picked up the paper with trembling fingers and read it a third time. The words didn't change.

Nathel had lied to her, he'd gave her the impression that he couldn't father a child.

And now claim the pregnancy is illegitimate and not responsible for it

.

Let her think she'd betrayed him.

When the truth was right here in black and white.

The baby could be his.