Chapter 4 - Cracks in the Facade
While I was building an ironclad legal case, David’s new life was already beginning to crumble.
According to Eleanor’s sources—and a very talkative mutual friend—Peyton’s mask was slipping. Now that she had her hands on the money, she was becoming controlling and volatile. She demanded David sell his car to buy her a new SUV. She threw tantrums when he wanted to visit his family. But the biggest crack in their relationship came from a single, undeniable truth: the baby.
David couldn't stop thinking about the ultrasound. The mathematical impossibility of his accusations was eating him alive. He tried to call me twice, but Eleanor had instructed me to block his number. All communication was to go through her.
One evening, I experienced a sharp, terrifying cramp in my lower abdomen. Panic seized me. I drove myself to the emergency room, my hands shaking on the steering wheel, terrified I was losing the one thing that mattered to me.
Due to a clerical error, the hospital still had David listed as my emergency contact. They called him.
Later, I learned from a nurse what had happened. David had rushed to the hospital, desperate to see me. But Peyton had physically blocked him in the parking lot. She had screamed at him, creating a massive public scene, demanding he choose between her and "the lying ex-wife."
David realized, perhaps for the first time, the monster he had tied himself to. Peyton didn't care about his feelings or the potential loss of his child. She only cared about maintaining control over him—and his wallet.
Fortunately, my baby was fine. It was just a minor scare. When I was discharged, I walked out of the hospital to find David sitting on a bench near the entrance, looking utterly defeated, his clothes wrinkled and his eyes bloodshot. Peyton was nowhere to be seen.
He stood up as I approached, tears brimming in his eyes. "Lauren... is the baby okay?"
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I looked at the man I had once loved with all my heart. He looked pathetic.
"My baby is perfectly fine, David," I said coldly, stepping around him. "Speak to my lawyer."
