She didn’t waste time.
“Before we get into the legal strategy,” she said, “I want to tell you what Marcus told me.
All of it.
Because I think you need the full picture before you walk into that house today.”
I nodded.
“Marcus said that when the last IVF cycle failed, Penelope fell apart.
Not gradually — suddenly.
He said she stopped eating, stopped sleeping.
He was frightened for her.” Diane folded her hands.
“He agreed to explore donor options.
They both did, together.
They went to a clinic, they reviewed profiles, they selected a donor.
That part was mutual.”
“But?” Joel said.
“But Penelope went back to the clinic alone.
Three weeks after they’d made their joint selection, she returned and changed the donor.
She told the clinic that she and her husband had reconsidered.
She signed the new intake forms herself.”
I stared at her.
“She switched the donor without telling Marcus?”
