Chapter 9: The Mix-Up
The words from the phone call echoed in Emily’s mind as she rushed back home. The walk to the park had been an attempt to clear her thoughts, but now her head was spinning again. A mix-up? What could that possibly mean? Her pulse quickened as she clutched her phone, unsure whether to feel relieved or terrified. The clinic had called her back—after all that had happened with James, the tests, the betrayal—it felt like a cruel twist of fate that she had to face yet another uncertainty.
She reached home quickly, almost too quickly, as if she were being pulled by some invisible force. Her fingers trembled as she dialed James’s number, but it went straight to voicemail. Of course, he wouldn’t answer. After their argument, their fractured connection, she couldn’t expect him to be there for her. But she couldn’t do this alone. Not anymore.
After a few moments of standing in the doorway, she moved inside, the silence greeting her like an old, uncomfortable companion. She paced, the baby monitor humming softly in the background. She had to get answers—this mix-up, whatever it was, could change everything again. Maybe this was the answer she’d been hoping for. Maybe it would explain all the doubt, the hurt, the sudden detachment that had come between her and James.
She needed to know if the child they had raised together—loved together—was truly theirs. The fear that crept into her chest was impossible to shake. What if this was the final piece to the puzzle that would shatter everything beyond repair?
She grabbed her coat, slinging it over her shoulders. The thought of facing the clinic again made her stomach churn. How many times could her world be turned upside down before she lost her grip on it altogether?
Arriving at the clinic, Emily felt the weight of every step she took as if the ground itself was sinking beneath her. She was ushered into a sterile, white room, the same as before, and this time the receptionist didn’t greet her with the usual pleasantries. There was something different in the air—something heavier.
A moment later, the door opened, and Dr. Wilson, the same doctor who had delivered her baby, stepped inside. She looked at Emily with a mixture of concern and something else—something that Emily couldn’t quite place.
“Emily,” Dr. Wilson began gently, “I have some information that’s difficult to explain, but it’s important you hear it.”
Emily’s heart sank as she took a seat. She felt a cold sweat on her palms. This is it, the truth, finally.
“We’ve found that there was a mix-up in the hospital records,” Dr. Wilson continued. “Your baby… was switched with another child’s at birth.”
Emily felt her breath catch. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Switched?” she whispered.
Dr. Wilson nodded slowly, her face somber. “Yes, Emily. I’m afraid the baby you’ve been raising is not biologically yours.”
To be continued…
How will Emily process this revelation? What will happen when the other family is involved? Find out in Chapter 10.