Chapter 4 - The Man She Forgot Existed
Ashley took a step back, her heel catching on a microphone cord. "What are you talking about?"
"I’m talking about the man you were living with before you decided Eric was a better payday," I said, gesturing toward the back of the ballroom. "The man you were still sleeping with three months ago when you conceived."
Right on cue, the heavy oak doors at the back of the Marriott ballroom swung open.
The security guards didn't stop him, because I had left his name at the front desk.
Walking down the center aisle, wearing a faded leather jacket and a grim expression, was David. He was a mechanic from the South Side, the man Ashley had unceremoniously dumped and ghosted the moment she thought she had successfully trapped my wealthy husband.
Ashley dropped the microphone.
It hit the wooden stage with a deafening thud that made half the room flinch.
"David?" she whispered, the word barely escaping her throat.
David didn't look angry. He looked exhausted, and utterly disgusted. He walked straight past the stunned donors and surgeons, stopping just a few feet from the stage. He pulled a folded piece of paper from his jacket pocket.
"Hello, Ash," David said, his voice rough. He looked at Eric, then at me, then back at Ashley. "Linda's lawyers paid me a visit last week. Showed me the timeline. Showed me the hotel receipts. You told me you were going to your mom's house on those weekends."
May you like
"David, please, it's not what it looks like!" Ashley pleaded, her hands shaking violently.
"It's exactly what it looks like," David replied. He held up the paper. "I took the paternity test they offered. Mailed the swab to the lab on Tuesday. The results came back this morning."
