Nobody left the conference room immediately.

Ryan stood near the window with his arms crossed, pretending he was still in control. Megan sat silently beside him, clutching Lily’s diaper bag so tightly her knuckles had turned white. Patricia stared at the polished table as though avoiding everyone’s eyes might somehow erase the last twenty minutes.

Dr. Samuel Reed folded his hands.

“There is something else you all need to know.”

The room became still.

Detective Andrew Cole looked toward him.

“What is it, Doctor?”

Dr. Reed slid a thin file across the table.

“When Mrs. Bennett reported the suspected forgery three months ago, we didn’t only compare signatures.”

He opened the folder.

“We also conducted an internal audit.”

Ryan’s confidence flickered for the first time.

“What audit?”

“The audit of every employee who accessed the Bennett-Parker embryo file.”

Angela Morris’s voice came through the speakerphone.

“Please continue, Doctor.”

Dr. Reed nodded.

“Our electronic records show that the file was opened eleven times during the divorce proceedings.”

Ryan frowned.

“So?”

Dr. Reed looked directly at him.

“Only two of those access requests were authorized.”

The silence grew heavier.

“The remaining nine accesses occurred after business hours.”

Detective Cole leaned forward.

“Can you identify who accessed the records?”

“Yes.”

Dr. Reed removed another sheet from the file.

“The same employee logged into the system every single time.”

Megan slowly looked up.

Ryan swallowed.

Patricia gripped the edge of the table.

Dr. Reed read the name aloud.

“Melissa Grant.”

Nobody spoke.

Detective Cole immediately recognized it.

“Senior embryology coordinator.”

Dr. Reed nodded.

“Fourteen years with our clinic.”

Angela asked the question everyone was thinking.

“Could she approve an embryo transfer by herself?”

“No.”

“What could she do?”

“She could access patient records.”

“What else?”

“She could upload documents.”

Angela’s voice became sharper.

“Could she replace documents?”

Dr. Reed hesitated.

“…Yes.”

Ryan’s face lost more color.

Detective Cole turned toward him.

“Did you know Melissa Grant?”

Ryan answered too quickly.

“No.”

Cole opened another envelope.

“Interesting.”

He placed several printed bank statements on the table.

“They show three wire transfers totaling eighty-four thousand dollars.”

Ryan stared at the papers.

The detective continued.

“The money left an account belonging to Parker Financial Consulting.”

Ryan whispered,

“I own that company.”

Cole nodded once.

“We know.”

He pointed to the recipient’s name.

“Each transfer went to Melissa Grant.”

Megan slowly turned toward Ryan.

“What…”

Her voice cracked.

“…is this?”

Ryan looked at the statements but said nothing.

Patricia suddenly stood.

“There has to be some mistake.”

“There isn’t,” Detective Cole replied.

“The first payment arrived four days before Mrs. Bennett’s forged consent form appeared in the clinic’s database.”

The second payment arrived the day before the embryo transfer.

The third payment arrived two days after Megan’s pregnancy test was confirmed.

The room fell completely silent.

Megan’s breathing became uneven.

“You paid someone?”

Ryan finally looked at her.

“I can explain.”

She stood so quickly that her chair tipped backward.

“You told me Claire signed everything.”

“I thought she would.”

“You told me the clinic handled all the paperwork.”

“I was trying to protect us.”

Megan’s eyes filled with tears.

“No.”

She shook her head.

“You were protecting yourself.”

For the first time since entering the room, Ryan looked frightened.

Not because of Detective Cole.

Not because of Angela.

Not because of the evidence.

Because the one person who had believed every lie he told had finally stopped believing him.

Detective Cole gathered the bank statements.

“This investigation is no longer limited to forged medical consent.”

Ryan stared at him.

“What does that mean?”

“It means we are now investigating conspiracy, financial fraud, and possible bribery involving medical records.”

No one moved.

No one even breathed.

Then there was a soft knock at the conference-room door.

A young nurse stepped inside, looking nervous.

“Dr. Reed…”

He turned.

“What is it?”

The nurse swallowed hard.

“Melissa Grant is here.”

Everyone looked toward the doorway.

“But…”

The nurse’s voice trembled.

“…she says she’s ready to tell the truth.”

CONTINUE READ >>>> PART 5