That day, Gwendolyn, Carney, and James accompanied Briony to the hospital.
Screening for abnormalities with twins is much more complicated than with a single pregnancy.
It took a full half hour before the ultrasound was finished,
“All done. Here’s the report–please show it to Dr. Warren,” the technician atd.
“Thank you,” Briony replied, taking the printout and stepping out of the room.
The moment she emerged, the three waiting outside hurried to meet her.
Gwendolyn was the first to speak. “Bryn, what did the doctor say?”
Briony shook her head. “She didn’t say much, just told me to let Dr. Warren take a look.”
“Let’s not wait–let’s see Dr. Warren right away,” Carney said, already moving down the hall.
The four of them made their way to Dr. Warren’s office and handed over the report.
Dr. Warren scanned the results, then smiled reassuringly. “From what I see here, both babies are developing perfectly.”
Briony finally felt the tension in her body slip away.
“That’s wonderful!” Gwendolyn pressed a hand to her chest in relief. “As long as the babies are healthy, that’s all that matters.”
Carney turned to Dr. Warren. “So does this mean we can rule out any effects from that radiation exposure earlier on?”
“This is the major anomaly scan,” Dr. Warren explained. “It mainly checks the babies‘ basic physiological structures–the organs, brain, and face. There will be a more detailed scan later in the third trimester, around thirty to thirty–two weeks, to look for things that might show up later, like congenital heart defects or certain neurological issues.”
As Dr. Warren spoke, the little bubble of relief they’d just felt seemed to burst.
“So, what you’re saying is…” Briony rested a protective hand on her belly. “A clear scan today doesn’t mean there’s absolutely no risk of birth defects?”
Dr. Warren nodded. “That’s correct. But so far, everything looks great.”
For a moment, no one spoke.
Seeing their concern, Dr. Warren added, “Try not to stress too much. Both babies are healthy right now, and the best thing you can do is stay calm. Especially you, Briony. Carrying twins isn’t easy. You need to have confidence in yourself.”
“I understand,” Briony said softly. “Thank you, Dr. Warren.”
Northborough.
Jason pulled his sports car into the drive and didn’t even bother shutting the door. He hurried inside, taking the stairs two at a time to the second floor.
Downstairs, Mrs. Prescott was arranging flowers in a vase. She glanced up, startled to see her youngest son beeline straight for the master bedroom.
“What’s going on? Where’s the fire?” she called after him.
Jason didn’t answer. He headed into his parents‘ room, glanced around, then stepped out and made his way to
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19:01
his father’s study.
He opened the door, strode to the desk, and began searching the drawers one by one.
Then, in the third drawer, he found a cell phone.
Jason paused. He picked it up.
The phone was powered off.
He turned it on and checked the contacts list.
There was only one entry, labeled simply: L.
Jason stared at the name, his expression darkening.
He remembered the other day, when Cedric Clarke had called him, saying Stewart wanted to get together. Only after he arrived did Jason realize Stewart had sent Cedric to deliver a warning: Jason’s father had been spending quite a lot of time with Lauren lately, and he should keep an eye out.
Jason hadn’t wanted to believe his father would ever cheat. But since that night, he’d started paying closer attention to his father’s schedule–subtly, at first, but he couldn’t help himself.
For the first few days, everything seemed normal.
But then yesterday, his father came home and announced he’d be leaving on a business trip.
Jason’s father was the chairman of The Prescott Group, but ever since Jason’s two older brothers had joined the company, business trips had become a thing of the past.
The seed of suspicion Jason had tried to ignore suddenly sprouted and grew out of control.
And now, staring at this phone, he was certain.
Stewart hadn’t lied to him.
His father was really… having an affair.
Jason put the phone back where he’d found it and closed the drawer.
Leaving the study, he called Rosita.
“Rosita, remember how you said you thought your mom was seeing someone on the side?”
On the other end, Rosita’s voice trembled. “Did you find something?”
“I found a phone in my dad’s study. There’s only one contact, just an initial–L.”
There was a pause, then Rosita choked back a sob. “It’s true, then… I’m so sorry, Jason. I tried to talk to my mom. I told her not to chase after things that don’t belong to her, not to hurt other families, but she wouldn’t listen. If I pushed, she’d just get angry and hit me…”
“It’s not your fault,” Jason said gently, his heart aching as he listened to her cry. “Rosita, I called because I need to ask–if I go after your mom for this, will you blame me?”
“How could I?” Rosita sniffed. “It’s my mom who’s in the wrong. You’re my friend, and you don’t blame me. That’s more than I could ask for.”
“Don’t cry, Rosita,” Jason said softly. “I know you’re nothing like her. I know how hard it’s been for you with the Lockwoods. I’d never take it out on you because of your mother. I just needed to know that you understand.”
“Jason, whatever you decide, I’ll stand by you.”
“Thank you. Try to focus on your work, okay?”
“I will.”
After they hung up, Jason wasted no time. He contacted a private investigator.
19:01
Chapter 261
Three days later, far away at the border, Neal received a set of photographs and several video clips.
He opened them.
The woman in the pictures was Lauren.
Lauren and a man–his face obscured–were unmistakably close. Even though the man’s face wasn’t visible, his expensive suit and the watch on his wrist made it clear: this was someone with money and power.
Neal clicked on a video.
The man’s face was blurred, but Lauren’s was not.
Neal’s hands tightened around his phone as he watched. His eyes burned with fury.
Northborough, 10 p.m.
A five–star hotel, basement level one.
