Aria's POV
I stare at the photo on my phone. My mother. Standing behind a tree. Watching my daughter.
"Aria?" Maya touches my arm. "You look like you've seen a ghost. What is it?"
I can't show her. Not yet. Because if my mother has been poisoning Lily, then Maya might be in danger too. Everyone I trust might be in danger.
I delete the message and force a smile. "Nothing. Just work stress."
Maya doesn't believe me. I can see it in her eyes. But before she can ask more questions, Dominic comes back into the room. He's holding paperwork and his face is grim.
"They need to run tests on both of us," he says. "To check for genetic markers that might complicate the surgery."
"Fine." I stand up. "Let's get it done."
The nurse leads us to a small lab room. As she preps our arms for blood draws, Dominic won't stop staring at me.
"When were you going to tell me?" His voice is quiet but angry. "About Lily? Ever?"
"I don't owe you explanations," I snap back.
"She's my daughter!"
"A daughter you didn't want! A daughter you thought was someone else's! Why would I tell you about her?"
The nurse clears her throat uncomfortably. "Maybe you two should discuss this later—"
"No." Dominic's eyes are blazing. "We're discussing it now. Aria, you kept my child from me for four years. Four years! Do you have any idea what that—"
"Do you have any idea what it was like?" I interrupt. "Giving birth alone? Raising her alone? Lying to everyone because I was terrified you'd try to take her away from me?"
"I would never—"
"You let our first baby die because you thought she wasn't yours! Why would I trust you with our second one?"
The words hang in the air like a bomb. The nurse quickly finishes drawing our blood and practically runs from the room.
Dominic and I sit in silence. Finally, he speaks.
"When did you find out she survived? The pregnancy?"
I don't want to tell him. But maybe he deserves to know. Maybe.
"Three months after the hospital. I kept having symptoms. I thought I was just sick from grief. But then I went to a doctor and..." I close my eyes. "They did an ultrasound. She was still there. Still alive. A miracle, they called it."
"And you didn't tell me."
"I couldn't! Dominic, you visited me twice in the hospital. Twice! Both times to ask about the baby's survival, not mine! You couldn't even look at me!"
"Because I was drowning in guilt!" His voice cracks. "I chose your life over the baby's! I thought I'd killed our child! Do you know what that feels like?"
"Yes! I do! Because I've been living with it for four years! Except my child didn't die—she lived! And I had to raise her alone while you went on with your perfect life!"
"Perfect?" Dominic laughs bitterly. "You think my life was perfect? Aria, I've been dying inside. Our empty marriage. Your distance. The guilt eating me alive. I've been in hell."
"A hell you created."
"We both created it." He looks at me. Really looks at me. "We've both been lying. Both been hiding. Both been too scared to tell the truth."
Before I can respond, my phone buzzes. Unknown number:
"Sweet conversation. But you're wasting time. Lily's blood work will come back in one hour. They'll find the poison. Then questions will be asked. Security footage will be reviewed. And guess who's been visiting Lily every week for the past month, bringing her 'special vitamins'? Your loving mother. But here's the twist—Elena isn't acting alone. Check Dominic's recent bank statements. Someone's been paying her. Follow the money, Aria. Before it's too late."
My hands start shaking. I look at Dominic, who's checking his own phone.
"The test results are being rushed," he says. "They should have preliminary findings in an hour." He looks up. "Are you okay? You look pale."
"I need to see your bank statements."
"What?"
"Your bank records. From the last month. Show them to me. Now."
Dominic frowns. "Why would you—"
"Just show me!" My voice is too loud. Too desperate.
He pulls out his phone slowly. "Aria, what's going on?"
I grab his phone and open his banking app. He doesn't stop me—he's too confused. I scroll through recent transactions.
Most are normal. Coffee. Gas. Business expenses. But then I see it.
A wire transfer. Fifty thousand dollars. Sent two weeks ago.
To Elena Castellano.
My mother.
"Why did you send my mother fifty thousand dollars?" My voice sounds far away.
Dominic takes his phone back. Looks at the transaction. His face goes white.
"I didn't."
"It's right there! Your account! Your authorization code!"
"I'm telling you, I didn't send this!" He's scrolling frantically. "Someone must have hacked my account. Or stolen my information. Aria, I swear—"
"You're lying." I back away from him. "You paid my mother. But for what? To poison our daughter? To finish what you started five years ago?"
"Are you insane?" Dominic stands up. "Why would I poison my own child? I just found out she exists!"
"Maybe you don't want her to exist! Maybe this is easier than a custody battle!"
"Aria, listen to yourself! I would never hurt Lily! She's my daughter!"
"A daughter you thought was someone else's baby! A daughter you were happy to lose!" I'm crying now, backing toward the door. "You wanted her gone then. Why not now?"
"That's not—Aria, please—"
But I'm already running. Down the hallway. Away from Dominic. Away from the truth I don't want to face.
Maybe my husband is trying to kill our daughter.
Or maybe he's telling the truth and someone is framing him.
Either way, my baby is in danger.
I burst back into Lily's room. She's asleep now, peaceful and innocent. Maya looks up from her magazine.
"Everything okay?" she asks.
"No." I grab my purse. "I need you to stay with Lily. Don't let anyone in this room except doctors and nurses. No one else. Not my mother. Not Dominic. No one."
"Aria, you're scaring me—"
"Promise me, Maya!"
"Okay! Okay, I promise. But where are you going?"
"To find answers."
I'm almost out the door when a doctor rushes in. His face is grim.
"Mrs. Kane, we have the preliminary blood results." He glances at Lily to make sure she's still asleep. "We found traces of digitalis in your daughter's system."
"Digitalis?" Maya gasps. "That's a heart medication, right?"
"In small doses, yes. But in large doses, it's poison. It accumulates in the system over time, causing exactly the kind of heart problems your daughter is experiencing." The doctor looks at me. "Someone has been systematically poisoning your child for at least four weeks. Maybe longer."
The room spins. Four weeks. My mother has been visiting Lily for four weeks, bringing her vitamins.
"We've already contacted the police," the doctor continues. "They'll want to question everyone who's had access to Lily. Parents, caregivers, family members—"
"My mother," I whisper. "My mother brought her vitamins."
The doctor's face tightens. "We'll need to test those vitamins immediately."
He leaves to make calls. Maya is staring at me in horror.
"Elena?" She can barely say the name. "Your own mother tried to kill Lily?"
Before I can answer, my phone buzzes again:
"The police are coming. In about 10 minutes. They'll arrest Elena. She'll confess everything—that someone paid her to poison Lily. Someone who wanted the child gone. Someone whose bank records show a recent $50,000 transfer to her account. Can you guess who that someone is? Tick tock, Aria. Dominic is about to be arrested for attempted murder of his own daughter. Unless you run. Right now. Take Lily and disappear before the police arrive. It's your only choice. Save your husband or save your daughter. You can't do both."
I look at Lily. Sleeping. Innocent. Alive but barely.
Then I look toward the hallway where Dominic is probably still waiting, probably still trying to figure out what just happened.
In ten minutes, the police will arrest him for trying to kill our daughter.
And I'm the only one who knows he might be innocent.
Or he might be guilty.
I have ten minutes to decide which truth I believe.
And my daughter's life depends on me choosing right.