Chapter 10 - The Secret Consultation
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“What is it, Doctor?” Rebecca demanded.
Dr. Patel pointed to the second page of Luke’s private medical report from eight years ago.
“Before you two were married,” Dr. Patel explained, her voice shaking with quiet indignation, “Luke underwent a comprehensive male fertility and genetic panel because of a family history of recurrent pregnancy loss on his father's side.”
“And what did the test show?” I asked, holding my breath.
“Luke carries a balanced chromosomal translocation,” Dr. Patel revealed. “Specifically, a reciprocal translocation between chromosomes 4 and 11.”
I shook my head, not understanding the medical jargon. “What does that mean?”
“It means Luke is completely healthy himself,” Dr. Patel explained clearly. “Because all of his genetic material is present, just swapped in position. However, when he produces sperm, over seventy percent of his genetic contributions carry an unbalanced set of chromosomes.”
Silence descended upon the hospital room like a heavy shroud.
“When an unbalanced sperm fertilizes a healthy egg,” Dr. Patel continued softly, looking at me with profound sorrow, “it leads to early embryonic failure or severe developmental complications that result in natural termination during the first trimester.”
Tears welled up in my eyes, hot and scalding.
“It was him,” I choked out, the reality hitting me like a physical blow. “It was him the entire time.”
“Yes, Caroline,” Dr. Patel said firmly. “Your body was entirely healthy. Your eggs were normal. Your uterus was perfect. The reason your pregnancies ended was directly caused by Luke’s inherited genetic condition.”
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He had known.
Before he stood at the altar and promised to love and cherish me, before he watched me weep over bloody bathroom tiles, before he called me weak, useless, and broken—he had known that he was the source of the failure.
