She met with a therapist to discuss the pregnancy, the separation, and the difficulty of returning to ordinary life.
The therapist told her that regret did not prove her original intention had been selfish.
Melissa could have wanted to help and still have been vulnerable to pressure.
She could also acknowledge that Grant’s concerns were real without accepting that he had authority over her body.
Those ideas were difficult to hold together.
She practiced saying them anyway.
At Joanne’s house, Ben ran toward Melissa during a short visit and climbed carefully onto the couch beside her.
He asked whether her stomach still hurt.
She said it was healing.
He pressed a toy dinosaur into her hand and told her it would protect her.
Melissa kept the dinosaur on the bedside table long after the children left.
It was the only promise of protection that day that did not come with fine print.
Chapter 31: The Dinner Invitation
Charles invited Melissa to a private meeting at a restaurant near the company headquarters.
The invitation came through his attorney, who described it as an opportunity to resolve misunderstandings without conflict.
Rachel advised Melissa that she did not have to meet him alone and could decline altogether.
Melissa chose a meeting in Rachel’s office instead.
Charles arrived wearing a dark suit and the expression he used at shareholder presentations.
He began by praising Melissa’s generosity and saying his family had endured a stressful time.
Melissa waited for him to mention her hospital stay.
He did not.
Rachel asked for clarification about the disputed payment schedule.
Charles said he had delegated administrative details and could not speak to a specific document.
Melissa asked who had authorized the scheduling review at work.
He said human resources acted independently.
Rachel showed him the written request from executive operations.
Charles studied it and said he would investigate.
Then Melissa asked the question she had feared asking since the hospital.
“Did you tell Vivien that I volunteered before you approached me?”
Charles leaned back.
“I don’t recall the exact language.”
“I do,” Melissa said.
“You told me I was the only person you trusted enough to ask.”
Charles said the discussion had been emotional for everyone.
Melissa felt the old impulse to apologize for making him uncomfortable.
She let it pass.
“You were my employer,” she said.
“You understood what you were asking before I did.”
His attorney began explaining that the company disputed any suggestion of coercion.
