The lawyer's next question startled me, because she asked whether the fertility clinic had retained the original medical questionnaires.
I admitted that Julian had handled most of the paperwork, and Chloe said she remembered signing forms after he reviewed them.
Ms.
Bennett suggested requesting the clinic's records directly, including submission dates, corrections, and any communication about family medical history.
She also encouraged us to speak with our care teams separately, since my health and Iris's needs could not wait.
That afternoon, the pediatrician returned and explained the follow-up options without suggesting the birthmark proved any inherited condition.
Chloe asked every question she could think of, writing the answers down while Iris slept with her small fists beside her cheeks.
We learned what to watch for and when to return, and for the first time that day I felt informed rather than manipulated.
Julian sent sixteen messages before sunset, alternating between apologies, accusations, and demands that Chloe stop embarrassing him before his colleagues.
