Chapter 8 - The Decision That Could Not Be Taken Back
Brooke signed the affidavit on Friday morning.
Rebecca had warned her what it meant.
Once filed, the fertility dispute would become part of a formal parentage review.
Brooke could not quietly return to the original arrangement afterward simply because family pressure became uncomfortable.
Her statement was careful.
She described what Megan had told her before embryo transfer.
She attached the surrogacy intake showing that the donor was represented as unrelated.
She attached her donor record identifying B-417.
She attached the embryology report linking B-417 to the transferred embryo.
She included no accusation she could not support.
Then she signed her name.
Brooke Mercer Bennett.
The clerk accepted the filing electronically.
Brooke sat at Rebecca’s conference table staring at the confirmation.
“There’s still time to resolve things without a contested hearing,” Rebecca said.
“I know.”
“Do you?”
Brooke looked at her.
Rebecca’s voice softened.
“You’re recovering from childbirth. You were assaulted by your sister. You’ve discovered that the child you carried may also be genetically yours. There is no shame in needing time before deciding what outcome you want.”
Brooke nodded.
“But preservation can’t wait.”
“No.”
“So preserve it.”
That afternoon Megan’s attorney sent an offer.
Megan would release Brooke’s remaining escrow payment immediately.
She would also cover Brooke’s independent legal fees.
In exchange Brooke would withdraw the filing and agree not to challenge the intended-parent arrangement.
Brooke stared at the number.
Twenty-two thousand dollars plus expenses.
Nora saw her hesitation.
“You need the money.”
“I know.”
“That doesn’t mean take it.”
“I know that too.”
Brooke forwarded the offer to Rebecca with one sentence.
Reject it.
An hour later Cole called.
“Megan just came to Erin’s.”
Brooke stood.
“Is Owen okay?”
“He’s fine. Erin wouldn’t let her inside.”
“What did Megan want?”
“She wanted me to stop the DNA test.”
“Why?”
“She said genetics don’t matter.”
Brooke almost laughed.
Megan had built every choice around genetics.
Her own failed eggs.
A donor who resembled her.
A child who would look like Cole.
Now genetics supposedly did not matter.
Cole continued.
“She said if you get confirmation, you’ll try to take him.”
Brooke’s anger sharpened.
“What did you tell her?”
“That I don’t know what you’ll do.”
Brooke closed her eyes.
At least it was true.
Then Cole said, “She asked me to choose her.”
Brooke opened her eyes.
“What?”
“She said this is our marriage and you’re trying to destroy it.”
“What did you say?”
There was a long pause.
“I told her our marriage wasn’t destroyed by your filing.”
Brooke said nothing.
Cole finished quietly.
“It was destroyed by whatever made the filing necessary.”
For the first time, Megan’s fear became clear.
May you like
She was not primarily afraid of losing money.
She was afraid that once Brooke knew exactly what had happened, Megan could no longer control who was allowed to call themselves family.
