chapter 7: The Infertility Lie Begins to Surface

I'd almost canceled the appointment three times.

My annual gynecological exam felt absurdly mundane given that my life was imploding. Who cared about a pap smear when you'd just discovered your husband was a bigamist and you might be a kidnapped heiress?

But Dr. Kim's office had called twice to confirm. And some ingrained sense of responsibility made me show up.

Besides, Flynn thought I was at the salon. I needed him thinking everything was normal.

So here I sat in a paper gown, trying not to think about the newspaper clipping hidden in my studio drawer.

Dr. Sarah Kim had been my doctor for three years. She was maybe forty. No-nonsense but warm. The kind of doctor who actually listened.

"How are you feeling?" She checked my blood pressure.

"Fine."

"Any concerns today?"

"No."

"Still trying to conceive?"

"Yes."

The answers were automatic. Rehearsed.

Two years of trying. Two years of disappointment.

The tests had shown nothing wrong physically. "Unexplained infertility," they'd called it.

Dr. Kim had suggested IVF if we wanted to pursue it.

Flynn's response: "Let's not stress. It'll happen naturally."

I'd believed him. Thought he was being patient. Supportive.

Now I wondered if he'd ever actually wanted children.

Dr. Kim was reviewing my chart on the computer. She paused. Scrolled back.

Frowned.

"Aria, I need to ask you something."

Her tone had shifted. Professional concern.

My anxiety spiked. "What's wrong?"

"You're currently using birth control, correct?"

I stared at her. Confused. "No. We're trying to get pregnant."

Dr. Kim turned the monitor to face me.

The chart clearly showed oral contraceptives. Prescribed. Filled monthly.

"I'm not on birth control." My voice came out too loud. "I haven't been for two years."

"According to this, I prescribed you a continuous cycle pill. It's been filled regularly at the pharmacy on Madison."

"I never got that prescription. I don't take any pills except vitamins."

Dr. Kim clicked through the records. "The prescription was called in after your appointment in March. Two years ago."

I remembered that appointment. We'd discussed trying to conceive. I'd stopped my birth control then.

There was no renewal. No reason for one.

"But someone's been filling this every month."

She pulled up the pharmacy records. The linked system showed everything.

Prescription filled consistently. Every month like clockwork.

Picked up by Flynn Lancaster. Authorized to pick up for me.

My stomach dropped.

"Flynn picks up my prescriptions sometimes. When he's getting his."

Dr. Kim's face changed. Understanding and horror dawning together.

"What vitamins are you taking?"

"Just the prenatal vitamins Flynn got me. And the shots."

"Shots?"

"Flynn gives me vitamin B12 shots. Monthly. He said it would help with fertility. His doctor recommended them."

Dr. Kim went very still. "I never recommended B12 shots. Who is this doctor?"

"I don't know. Flynn just said his doctor suggested it."

"Aria." Dr. Kim's voice was careful. Controlled. "I need you to bring me those vitamins. And tell me exactly what these shots look like."

"Clear liquid. Small vials. Flynn administers them himself. He says they're prescription B12."

"When does he give them to you?"

"Monthly. Always the day before my period would start."

If I had one anymore.

"Birth control can be administered via injection. Depo-Provera. Monthly."

The room tilted.

"You think Flynn has been injecting me with birth control?"

"I think we need to test what's in those vials. And I think you need to stop taking anything he gives you."

My brain was cataloging everything now.

Two years of trying. Two years of feeling broken. Inadequate.

The tears each month when my period came.

Flynn's patience. His support.

His suggestion that maybe I wasn't meant to be a mother.

My growing belief that something was wrong with me.

The shame. The grief. The failure.

All manufactured.

All intentional.

All him.

"I need to examine you more thoroughly." Dr. Kim's voice was gentle. "Check for any effects of long-term contraceptive use."

I nodded. Numb.

During the exam, Dr. Kim spoke quietly. "Have you considered that this might be reproductive coercion?"

I'd never heard the term.

"It's a form of abuse. Controlling someone's reproductive choices without their consent. Sabotaging birth control. Or in this case, secretly providing it."

Her hands were steady. Professional.

"It's illegal. And it's grounds for divorce."

The exam finished. Dr. Kim sat down across from me. Met my eyes directly.

"Everything looks healthy. Your fertility is likely perfectly normal."

"Then why haven't I gotten pregnant?"

"Because you've been on birth control without knowing it."

She handed me paperwork. Medical records showing prescription history. Documentation of my stated desire to conceive. Notes from our fertility discussions.

Evidence of prescriptions I didn't authorize.

"I'm documenting this in your chart. This is evidence of medical fraud at minimum. Abuse at worst."

"Why would he do this?"

"I can't answer that. But in my experience? Control."

Dr. Kim pulled out two business cards.

"Some partners don't actually want children but won't say so. Others want to keep their partner dependent. Childless. Others have secrets a child would complicate."

She handed me the first card. "This is a colleague who specializes in reproductive health and abuse cases."

The second card. "And this is a lawyer who handles these situations."

I took them mechanically. My hands weren't shaking. I was too numb for that.

"Aria, you need to understand. This isn't a misunderstanding. This is calculated, long-term deception about your body and your choices."

Dr. Kim's voice was firm.

"This is abuse."

I sat in her office after getting dressed. Staring at the paperwork.

Two years of crying. Of feeling broken. Of wondering what was wrong with me.

Nothing was wrong with me.

Everything was wrong with him.

Flynn had deliberately prevented pregnancy. While watching me grieve each month. While supporting me through disappointment he'd caused.

While suggesting maybe it wasn't meant to be.

Gaslighting at the cellular level.

"What are you going to do?" Dr. Kim asked.

"I don't know."

"Are you safe at home?"

My laugh came out broken. "I don't know that either."

"If you need resources, I can provide them. Domestic violence hotlines. Shelters. Legal help."

"I need evidence first. Proof."

"Bring me those vials. I'll have them tested."

I left Dr. Kim's office with a folder full of medical records. Proof my husband had been drugging me for two years.

Proof of fraud. Of abuse. Of reproductive coercion.

Words I'd never thought would apply to me.

In the elevator, I caught my reflection in the chrome doors.

Honey blonde hair he'd requested.

Clothes he'd approved.

Body he'd been secretly controlling.

Face I barely recognized anymore.

My phone buzzed.

Flynn: How was the salon? You'll look beautiful for dinner tonight.

I typed back: Perfect. See you soon.

Then I went to find those vitamin vials.

And then I was going to burn his life to the ground.