“Honey, I’m sorry I let you come down here alone.” Marcus released her, and his weary eyes scanned the cuts on her face. His lips parted, and he seemed appalled, but at himself. “Thank God you’re okay.”

“It’s okay, I’m okay.” Christine held back her tears, trying to compose herself. She gestured at Griff, stiffly. “Marcus, this is Griff, Zachary’s defense lawyer.”

“Nice to meet you,” Marcus said, nodding in Griff’s direction.

“Likewise. Your wife is an exceptional person.” Griff smiled, almost proudly.

“Thank you.” Marcus smiled back, his eyes glistening.

“And this—” Christine hesitated, not knowing how to introduce Tanya and too tired to keep lying, but she didn’t want to upset Marcus more than she already had.

But Tanya jumped to her feet, reached for Marcus’s hand, and pumped it with vigor. “I’m Tanya Spencer, and your wife is my hero! She risked her own life to prove that Zachary was innocent.”

“I know, it’s incredible.” Marcus’s face remained impassive, betraying none of the jealousy and resentment that Christine knew he must be feeling. “And Tanya, you are—”

“I’m a donor recipient of Zachary’s, too. Just like you guys. I have a little boy, and Zachary is his biological father.”

Marcus froze, then blinked.

Christine’s mouth went dry. “Honey, I’m sorry, I just met Tanya five minutes ago, and I shared with her and Griff that Zachary is our donor.”

Marcus’s gaze shifted to Christine, and there was a new tension around his mouth.

“Marcus, I’m sorry, it just came out.” Christine didn’t know what else to say. She couldn’t explain it anymore. She couldn’t make the situation any better. She was tired of apologizing for nothing, of keeping a secret that couldn’t be kept anymore. His ego was killing their marriage.

Griff had gone completely silent, and even the effervescent Tanya lowered herself into her chair, deflating like a birthday balloon.

Marcus inhaled visibly, turning to Christine. “Will you sit down, honey? We need to talk.”

Chapter Fifty-four

“Marcus, please.” Christine sank into the chair, crestfallen. “You have to get this in perspective, you just have to. We can’t keep it secret anymore and—”

“No, it’s not that.” Marcus reached down and caressed her shoulder. “Honey, I have news for you. Zachary Jeffcoat is not our donor. He’s not Donor 3319.”

“What?” Christine asked, dumbfounded.

“What did you say?” Tanya said, shocked.

Marcus looked down at Christine, his expression soft. “Gary got Homestead to tell us. He spoke with the parent company today. They offered to settle our lawsuit. They confirmed that Zachary Jeffcoat is not Donor 3319.”

Christine felt confounded. “That’s not possible. I mean, he told me he was. He matched the profile.”

Tanya nodded, frowning in confusion. “Yes, and I asked him directly. He told me he was, too.”

Marcus pursed his lips. “The truth is, he is not Donor 3319.”

“Then who is?” Christine felt absolutely bewildered.

“Homestead wouldn’t say.” Marcus’s expression remained gentle, his tone heavy. “That’s not part of the settlement. They won’t breach the real 3319’s confidentiality. We agreed to settle if they would confirm or deny that Jeffcoat was 3319, and they confirmed that Jeffcoat is not 3319. He may look a lot like 3319, but that’s a coincidence. In fact, Homestead took the real 3319 sample off the shelves because other patients were calling about the similarity. I left the office as soon as Gary told me, to bring you home. I was almost here when I got the call that you were in the hospital.”

Christine shook her head, trying to process the information. A million thoughts raced through her brain. She felt herself slump, looking down. Her entire body ached. Her head thundered. She’d gone through hell and back, for no reason. Zachary wasn’t her donor. She wasn’t carrying Zachary’s baby. She didn’t know who their donor was, after all that. She looked up at Marcus. “So we’re back at square one?”

“No, not at all.” Marcus frowned slightly, buckling his lower lip.

“How so?”

Tanya interrupted, stricken, “I don’t know how this could happen.”

Griff raised his arthritic hand. “Let’s go ask him.”

“Now?” Christine looked over at Griff, and so did Marcus and Tanya.

“Yes. Lawyers have twenty-four-hour visiting privileges. I was going to go over, I was waiting for you, Christine.” Griff rose, pressing himself up by a hand on his desk. “Let’s go.”

“Okay,” Christine said, dazed.

Marcus took her hand and helped her to her feet.

Chapter Fifty-five

Christine, Griff, Marcus, and Tanya crowded into the interview booth, waiting wordlessly for Zachary to be brought in. Griff and Christine took the two chairs, with Marcus and Tanya standing behind them, and Christine tried to get her bearings. She couldn’t wrap her mind around the fact that Zachary wasn’t their donor, or the horrific events of the day.

The interview booth was the only bright spot in the visiting room, which was otherwise completely empty, with all the chairs vacant and the overhead lighting dim, having been turned on only because they were here. The entire floor was quiet, though Christine could hear shouts echoing hollowly elsewhere in the prison. The booth felt warm and damp, the air close and dusty. A corrections officer stood guard outside.

Christine straightened up when she saw Zachary through the Plexiglas of the door, approaching with a corrections guard. His face was still bruised and his eyes swollen, and Christine realized with a start that they had that much in common. Otherwise, she felt only confusion at the sight of him, not the connection she’d felt before, her emotions bollixed up. She didn’t know what Marcus was thinking, standing behind her chair, and she was glad she couldn’t see his face.

The corrections guard took the handcuffs off Zachary, opened the door on the secured side of the booth, and led Zachary inside, where he started talking before he sat down, his blue eyes shining with happiness despite the swelling in his right eye.