Chapter 3 - The Severed Bond
Three days passed in a blur of monitors, specialized neurological tests, and agonizing waiting. Daniel did not return to the hospital, blocked by a temporary restraining order Claire’s lawyer, Marcus Vance, had swiftly filed. Instead, Daniel spent those three days trapped in a different kind of hell at the apartment of his mistress, Vanessa Reed.
"He’s going to be fine, Daniel, kids are resilient," Vanessa said, pacing the living room while Lily played quietly with blocks on the floor. Lily’s asthma attack had been managed within two hours of their arrival; she had been discharged before sunrise that first night. "You did what any good person would do. Lily couldn't breathe."
Daniel sat on the edge of the sofa, his head buried in his hands. The scent of Vanessa's perfume—the same scent that had lingered on his shirt at the hospital—now made him feel physically sick.
"I lied, Vanessa," Daniel groaned, his voice hollow. "The nurse asked who arrived first. I looked at Claire holding Noah, and I lied. I put your child before my own flesh and blood."
"Because you love me! Because we are a family now!" Vanessa argued, kneeling in front of him. "Claire was always dramatic about Noah's fevers. How were you supposed to know?"
Daniel looked at Vanessa, really looked at her, and felt a sudden, terrifying wave of revulsion. The illusion of their passionate, secret romance vanished, replaced by the stark, ugly reality of what it had cost him. His phone buzzed on the coffee table. It was a text from his attorney.
May you like
Claire is filing for sole legal and physical custody, citing criminal negligence and child endangerment. The hospital handed over the security footage to her legal team. Daniel... it looks incredibly bad.
Daniel dropped the phone. The gravity of his choice was crushing him. He had traded his loyal wife and his beautiful son for a fantasy, and the bill had just come due.
