She learned that non-invasive prenatal paternity testing was possible as early as 9 weeks using a blood sample from the mother and DNA samples from potential fathers.

The test analyzed fetal DNA present in the mother’s bloodstream, comparing it to the alleged Father’s DNA.

Accuracy 99.

9%.

Cost $1,200.

Tina had $1,400 in her checking account.

The test would wipe out nearly all her savings, but she needed to know.

She couldn’t tell both men about the pregnancy without knowing which one was actually the father.

The uncertainty was destroying her.

On October 2nd, Tina executed her plan.

She went to Garrett’s office during his lunch break when he typically ate alone while reviewing patient charts.

She knocked, entered, said she needed to discuss a patient case.

While Garrett explained something on his computer, Tina picked up his coffee mug from the desk, pretended to examine it, then set it back down.

She touched the rim where his lips had been.

Later, in the supply room, she swabbed the mug with a sterile cotton swab, sealed it in a plastic bag.

On October 3rd, she did the same with Damian.

He’d left a water bottle in the breakroom.

Tina waited until he left, grabbed the bottle, swabbed the mouth opening, sealed the evidence.

On October 4th, Tina went to gene direct testing in Skoi, a suburb north of Chicago.

She provided a blood sample and the two DNA swabs labeled sample A and sample B.

The technician said results would be ready in 7 to 10 business days, delivered via encrypted email.

Tina paid $1,195 in cash.

her hands trembling as she counted out the bills.

For the next week, Tina existed in a state of suspended terror.

She checked her email compulsively.

Every ping from her phone made her heart race.

She couldn’t focus at work.

She made minor mistakes.

Forgetting to document medication administration, missing a subtle change in a patient’s rhythm on the cardiac monitor.

Her supervisor pulled her aside on October 9th.

Tina, you’re one of our best nurses, but lately you seem distracted.

Is everything okay at home? Tina lied.

She said her mother was sick, that she was worried about her family in Manila.

The supervisor was sympathetic, offered to reduce her hours if she needed time.

Tina said no, she needed to work.

Meanwhile, Raymond Voss had been monitoring Tina’s online activity through the hospital’s Wi-Fi network.

On October 1st, he noticed searches for early paternity testing Chicago non-invasive prenatal paternity test and how soon can you determine paternity.

He screenshot everything, sent it to Sloan.

On October 5th, Vos followed Tina to gene direct testing in Skoi.

He photographed her entering the facility, staying for 35 minutes.

Leaving, he called Sloan immediately.

Your husband’s mistress just went to a paternity testing facility.

She’s pregnant and she doesn’t know which man is the father.

Sloan’s reaction was cold calculation.

This changed everything.

A pregnancy meant scandal, media attention, hospital investigations.

If Garrett was the father, Sloan could use it to destroy him completely in divorce court.

Infidelity with a subordinate employee, getting her pregnant, violating hospital ethics policies.

If Damian was the father, Sloan could expose both affairs, position herself as the wronged wife of two doctors sex scandal, leverage Elena Cross’s reputation as a trauma surgeon to garner sympathy.

Either way, Sloan realized she held all the cards.

She just needed to wait for the paternity results, then make her move.

On October 7th, Garrett noticed Tina looked unwell.

He cornered her in the supply room.

You look terrible, pale, tired.

Are you sick? Tina wanted to tell him about the pregnancy, but stopped herself.

She didn’t know yet if he was the father.

She said she just had a stomach bug, that it would pass.

Garrett seemed concerned, but didn’t press further.

Over the next few days, Garrett became paranoid.

Tina was avoiding him, not responding to his texts as quickly, seemed distant.

He worried she was losing interest, maybe seeing someone else.

The thought enraged him.

He texted her constantly, showed up at her apartment unannounced twice.

Tina felt smothered, pressured, but couldn’t explain the real reason for her distance.

She was waiting to find out if he was the father of her child.

Damen, meanwhile, had decided to end the affair.

On October 8th, he sat Elena down at home after their children were in bed.

He didn’t confess the affair, but he told her he felt disconnected from her, from their marriage, from their family.

Elena was surprised, but receptive.

She admitted she’d been too focused on work, that they needed to prioritize their relationship.

They agreed to start date nights, couple’s therapy, reconnecting.

Damen felt a surge of hope.

Maybe he could fix his marriage.

Maybe he could end things with Tina before anyone got hurt.

On October 9th, he met Tina in the hospital parking garage after their shift.

He told her they needed to stop seeing each other, that he loved his wife, that their affair was a mistake.

Tina broke down, crying.

You can’t leave me now.

Not now.

Damian was confused.

Why? What’s wrong? Tina almost told him about the pregnancy, but stopped herself.

She didn’t know yet if he was the father.

She just said, “I need you.

Please don’t do this.

Damian felt terrible but held firm.

This has to end.

Tina, I’m sorry.

I love my wife.

Tina’s tears turned to anger.

You’ll regret this.

I promise you’ll regret leaving me.

Damian took it as emotional manipulation, an attempt to make him feel guilty.

He didn’t understand it was a warning.

He walked away, got in his car, drove home to Elena and their children.

He told himself he’d done the right thing.

He had no idea what was coming.

On October 11th, Tina couldn’t wait any longer.

The paternity results were supposed to arrive within 7 to 10 business days.

It had been 7 days.

She couldn’t make any decisions without knowing, but she also couldn’t keep the pregnancy secret much longer.

She was starting to show.

Her scrubs were getting tight around her abdomen.

At 5:45 p.

m.

on October 11th, Tina decided to tell both men about the pregnancy.

Even without knowing paternity, she had to.

They deserved to know.

And she needed their help, their support, their acknowledgement that this situation existed.

She went to Garrett’s office first.

He was finishing paperwork, preparing to go home.

Tina closed the door behind her.

We need to talk.

Garrett looked up, saw her serious expression.

What’s wrong? Tina took a breath.

I’m pregnant.

The color drained from Garrett’s face.

What? Tina repeated it.

I’m 3 months pregnant.

Garrett stood up, walked to the window, stared out at the Chicago skyline.

Are you sure it’s mine? The question stung.

Yes, Tina lied because she didn’t know for certain but needed to believe.

Garrett turned to face her.

You need to take care of this.

I’ll pay for it, but this cannot get out.

Tina felt like she’d been slapped.

Take care of this.

You mean kill our baby? Garrett’s voice was cold.

Don’t be dramatic.

It’s a medical procedure.

I’ll give you money, but you cannot have this baby.

Do you understand? If this gets out, my career is over.

My marriage is over.

Everything I’ve built is destroyed.

Tina stared at him, seeing him clearly for the first time.

He didn’t love her.

He’d never loved her.

She’d been a convenience, a distraction.

Nothing more.

I’m keeping the baby, Tina said quietly.

You need to leave Sloan and be a father.

Garrett laughed.

A harsh sound.

That’s not happening.

Figure it out or I’ll make sure you’re fired and deported.

Hospital policy prohibits relationships between supervisors and subordinate staff.

I’ll report you for sexual harassment.

say you pursued me, that I rejected you, you’ll lose your visa, your job, everything.

Do you understand? Tina left his office in tears.

She’d never felt more alone.

She went straight to Damian’s office on the sixth floor.

It was 7:25 p.

m.

Damian was still there reviewing patient labs.

Tina knocked, entered without waiting for permission.

Damian looked up, surprised.

Tina, I told you we can’t.

She cut him off.

I’m pregnant.

It’s yours.

Damian felt the world tilt.

What? How do you know it’s mine? Tina lied again.

Because I haven’t been with anyone else.

Damian stood.

Paced the small office.

Tina, I can’t.

Elena, my kids.

This will destroy everything.

Tina was crying now.

Then you should have thought about that before sleeping with me.

Damian felt trapped.

Cornered.

What do you want from me? I want you to leave Elena and be a father to our child.

Damian shook his head.

I can’t do that.

I love my wife.

I love my children.

This was a mistake.

A terrible mistake.

Tina’s voice turned hard.

You have 48 hours.

Leave Elena or I tell her myself.

I tell hospital administration.

I make sure everyone knows.

Damen begged.

Please, Tina.

There has to be another way.

Tina gave him her ultimatum.

Friday, October 13th, 6:00 p.

m.

That’s your deadline.

She left Damen’s office, went to the parking garage, sat in her car, and sobbed for 20 minutes.

Both men had rejected her.

Both had chosen their reputations, their families, their careers over her and the baby.

She felt used, discarded, worthless.

At 11:30 p.

m.

on October 11th, Garrett arrived home to his Lincoln Park house.

Sloan was still awake, working on her laptop in the study.

Garrett poured himself a scotch, drank it in one gulp, poured another.

Sloan noticed.

Rough day.

Garrett sat down heavily.

We need to talk.

Something’s happened.

He told her everything.

the affair with Tina, the pregnancy, Tina’s demand that he leave Sloan, Tina’s threat to expose everything if he didn’t comply.

He expected Sloan to rage, to cry, to throw things.

Instead, she closed her laptop and looked at him with eerie calm.

“Is the baby yours?” Garrett said he assumed so.

Sloan asked detailed questions.

“How far along is she? What exactly did she say? When is her deadline?” Garrett answered everything, confused by Sloan’s composure.

Finally, Sloan said, “Let me think about this.

We’ll discuss it tomorrow.

” Garrett was relieved by her lack of hysteria.

He went to bed exhausted.

Sloan stayed up all night.

At 1:15 a.

m.

, she called Raymond Voss.

“The mistress is pregnant.

I need to know everything.

Who else is she sleeping with? What are her vulnerabilities? How do we make this go away? Voss told her what he’d already discovered.

Tina was also sleeping with Damen Cross, Garrett’s best friend and colleague.

The paternity was uncertain.

Tina had taken a paternity test on October 4th.

Results pending.

Sloan absorbed this information.

When will she get the results? Voss checked his notes.

7 to 10 business days from October 4th.

So sometime between October 11th and October 16th, Sloan’s mind worked through scenarios.

If the baby was Garrett’s, she’d use it to destroy him in divorce, take everything, position herself as the victim.

If the baby was Damian’s, she’d expose both affairs, create a massive scandal that would deflect from her own complicity in Garrett’s behavior over the years.

Either way, Tina Batista was the problem, and Sloan Ashford was very good at eliminating problems.

October 12th, 2023 began like any other Thursday at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

Tina woke at 5:00 a.

m.

in her Uptown apartment, showered, put on her navy blue scrubs, and drove to work.

She’d barely slept.

Garrett had threatened to destroy her career.

Damian had until 6:00 p.

m.

to make a decision that would change both their lives.

She felt trapped, desperate, alone.

At 6:47 a.

m.

, Tina walked through Northwestern’s main entrance, swiped her ID badge, took the elevator to the fourth floor cardiac ICU.

She tried to focus on work, on her patients, on anything except the two men who’d rejected her and the baby growing inside her.

But every time she saw Garrett walking past the unit, every time she passed Damen in the hallway, her stomach twisted.

At Garrett’s house in Lincoln Park, Sloan had been awake since dawn.

She’d spent the night planning, calculating, preparing for every possible scenario.

At 7:15 a.

m.

, she called Raymond Voss.

I need you to monitor the paternity test results.

The moment they’re delivered to her email, I need to know.

Voss said he’d already hacked into Tina’s personal email through the hospital Wi-Fi network.

The results would arrive today or tomorrow.

Sloan told him to call her immediately when they came through.

At 9:00 a.

m.

, Sloan went to her bank, Chase on Michigan Avenue.

She withdrew $75,000 in cash from her business account, the maximum allowed without triggering federal reporting requirements.

The teller asked if everything was okay.

Sloan smiled.

Just a business transaction, nothing to worry about.

She put the cash in a leather briefcase, locked it, and drove to her law office.

At Whitmore and Cats, Sloan spent 2 hours drafting a non-disclosure agreement.

The document was thorough, legally airtight.

Celestina Batista agrees to terminate pregnancy within 30 days.

Leave Chicago within 60 days.

Never contact Garrett Ashford or Damen Cross.

Never reveal the affairs to anyone, including hospital administration, media, or the doctor’s families.

Violation would result in a $2 million lawsuit and criminal charges for extortion.

In exchange, Tina would receive $75,000 immediately upon signing with an additional $25,000 upon proof of terminated pregnancy and departure from Chicago.

Sloan printed the NDA on firm letterhead, had it notorized by the office notary, placed it in an envelope with the $75,000 cash.

Her plan was simple.

Confront Tina, force her to sign, pay her off, and make the problem disappear.

If Tina refused, Sloan would threaten her visa status, her nursing license, criminal charges for having relationships with supervisors.

Either way, Tina would leave Chicago.

In Evston, Damen Cross sat at his kitchen table at 6:00 a.

m.

, unable to eat breakfast.

His children were upstairs getting ready for school.

Elena was in the shower preparing for her trauma surgery shift.

Damian had been awake all night, his mind racing through impossible choices.

Leave Elena and his children for Tina and a baby, or refuse and watch Tina destroy everything.

Anyway, at 8:30 a.

m.

, after Elena left for work and his parents took the kids to school, Damen drove to three different ATMs.

He withdrew the maximum from each.

$500 from Chase, $500 from Harris, $500 from Wells Fargo.

He went to his personal safe at home, took out $48,500 in cash he’d been saving for his children’s college funds.

Total $50,000.

He put it in an envelope, sealed it, and sat staring at it for an hour.

This was his plan.

Offer Tina the money to leave Chicago, get an abortion, disappear.

He knew it was desperate.

He knew it probably wouldn’t work, but he didn’t know what else to do.

At 3:00 p.

m.

, Tina was on her break in the hospital cafeteria.

She bought a salad she couldn’t eat, sat alone at a corner table, and checked her email on her phone.

Her hands shook as she opened her inbox.

There it was.

Gan direct testing confidential results ready.

The subject line made her heart pound.

She clicked the link, entered her password, waited for the page to load.

The results appeared.

She read them once, then twice, then a third time, unable to process what they said.

Sample A, excluded as biological father.

Sample B, 99.

97% probability of paternity.

Damen Cross was the father, not Garrett.

Tina’s mind reeled.

She’d been so certain it was Garrett.

She’d already told him he was the father.

Now she had to tell him the truth.

the baby wasn’t his and she had to tell Damian he was actually the father after he’d already said he wouldn’t leave Elena at 370 results confirmed he was the father at least now he knew for certain he’d have to deal with Tina pay her off make this disappear he texted back I’ll be there 6:15 we’ll figure this out at 3:19 p.

m.

Damian’s phone buzzed during a patient consultation.

He excused himself, read the message, and felt his world collapse.

The paternity results proved he was the father, not Garrett.

Tina was carrying his child, and she was threatening to tell Elena tonight if he didn’t meet her.

He texted back, “Please don’t do this.

I’m bringing money.

Let’s talk before you destroy my family.

” Tina saw both responses and realized her terrible mistake.

She’d sent the message to both men.

They’d both think they were the father.

They’d both show up at 6:15 p.

m.

This was getting worse by the second.

At 2 p.

m.

, Sloan’s phone rang.

Raymond Voss.

The paternity results just came through.

Sample B is the father.

That’s Damian Cross.

Garrett’s not the biological father.

Sloan absorbed this information.

So, the baby was Damian’s, not Garrett’s.

This changed the strategy, but not the objective.

Tina still needed to disappear.

Voss continued, “I’m monitoring her phone.

She just sent a text to both doctors telling them to meet her at supply room 4B at 6:15 p.

m.

tonight.

” She threatened to call Damen’s wife if he doesn’t show.

Sloan made a decision.

I’m going to be there.

I’m going to end this today.

At 5:30 p.

m.

, Sloan left her office, drove to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, and parked in the visitor lot.

She carried the leather briefcase containing $75,000 cash, and the NDA.

She wore a business suit, heels, projected confidence and authority.

She entered through the main entrance at 5:55 p.

m.

, took the elevator to the fourth floor, and walked to supply room 4B.

At 6:12 p.

m.

, Sloan entered the supply room.

It was a small space, maybe 12 ft x 15 ft, lined with metal shelving units holding cardiac equipment, medications, supplies.

She turned off the overhead lights, positioned herself behind the tall shelving units in the back corner where she couldn’t be seen from the door.

She placed the briefcase at her feet, and waited.

At 6:14 p.

m.

, Damen arrived.

He saw the lights were off, found it strange, but entered anyway.

He was holding his envelope with $50,000 cash, sweating despite the air conditioning, his heart racing.

He stood in the darkness, waiting for Tina.

At 6:16 p.

m.

, Tina arrived.

She opened the door, saw Damian standing in the dark room.

Why are the lights off? She flipped the switch.

The fluorescent lights flickered on.

She saw Damian’s face, pale and terrified, and the envelope in his hands.

“Did you bring it?” she asked, meaning acknowledgment that he was the father.

Damen held up the envelope.

This is everything I have.

$50,000 cash.

Take it.

Get an abortion.

Leave Chicago.

Please, Tina.

Don’t destroy my family.

Tina stared at him, horrified.

You think you can pay me to kill our baby? That’s your solution.

Before Damian could respond, Sloan stepped out from behind the shelving units.

Our baby, she said, her voice cold and sharp.

Funny, because my husband seems to think it’s his baby.

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