Chapter 4 - THE SECRET IN THE MEDICAL RECORDS
Dominic's hearing loss had begun after an explosion five years earlier.
He'd been twenty-nine.
A bomb planted beneath a rival's vehicle detonated near a warehouse he owned.
The blast injured several men and left Dominic with significant hearing impairment.
He spent months adjusting.
I was his fiancée then.
I learned how to communicate with him.
I attended audiology appointments.
I helped him navigate the frustration of hearing aids, background noise, and fatigue.
We married six months later.
For two years, I believed we were learning how to live with his disability together.
Then, without telling me, Dominic underwent a successful medical intervention that restored his hearing to a level where he no longer relied on his devices.
He chose not to tell me.
Not because he was ashamed.
Not because he feared the recovery wouldn't last.
Because silence had become convenient.
I learned the details through Dominic himself.
He sent an email one week after I left.
It was the first honest message I'd received from him in years.
Emma,
You heard the conversation with Gabriel. I know that now.
My hearing improved after the procedure three years ago. I should have told you. I didn't.
At first, I thought I needed time to adjust. Then I realized I could come home and avoid every conversation I didn't want to have.
It was cruel.
I know that.
I don't expect you to forgive me immediately. But please come home so we can talk.
Dominic
I read the email twice.
Then forwarded it to Rebecca.
I didn't reply.
Because even in his confession, Dominic still assumed the solution was for me to return to his house.
He hadn't asked what I wanted.
That evening, Olivia Chen called.
"Emma?"
I smiled.
"Olivia."
"It's been too long."
"It has."
She asked about my experience, availability, and whether I would consider contract work on a temporary basis.
I told her I was living outside Galena.
"Remote is fine," she said. "We're expanding our project compliance team."
My heart began racing.
"Really?"
"Really. We'd need you in Chicago occasionally, but most work can be done from home."
I swallowed.
"Olivia, I haven't worked professionally in five years."
She laughed softly.
"You've been managing a mansion and a family business household. I suspect you haven't forgotten how to organize a contract."
I smiled through tears.
"I hope not."
"Send me your résumé."
I promised I would.
After we hung up, I sat at the kitchen table.
Then I opened a blank document.
For the first time in five years, I wrote my own name at the top.
Emma Fitzgerald.
My maiden name.
It looked unfamiliar.
Then beautiful.
Two days later, Rebecca called.
"Dominic's attorney wants to discuss reconciliation."
I closed my eyes.
"No."
"I expected that."
I swallowed.
"Rebecca, I don't want revenge."
"I know."
"I just want out."
Her voice softened.
"Then that's what we'll work toward."
I hesitated.
"And the pregnancy?"
"We'll need to address that soon. You can choose a safe, documented way to tell him, with counsel involved."
I looked toward the small upstairs bedroom.
I'd already begun imagining a crib near the window.
A rocking chair.
Soft yellow curtains.
A child who would never know the sound of his father ignoring his mother on purpose.
May you like
I touched my stomach.
Then whispered, "Soon."
