Chapter 8 - THE RECEIPT FROM THE COSTUME SHOPLauren Pierce called Ethan the next afternoon.
She had identified the silicone residue on the fastening pin.
The material was commonly used in high-quality pregnancy prosthetics designed for films and stage productions.
It was durable, skin-toned, and warm to the touch after being worn beneath clothing.
Lauren also recognized the pin.
Only two costume suppliers in Chicago sold that specific fastening system.
Ethan and Caroline visited both stores.
The first had no record connected to Vanessa.
At the second store, an employee remembered her immediately.
“She wanted the most realistic model we had,” the employee said.
“She asked whether it could survive being touched.”
“Did she purchase it?” Caroline asked.
The employee became cautious.
“I can’t release customer information.”
Melissa Grant arrived with a formal preservation letter.
The store manager agreed to secure the records until a subpoena could be obtained.
As he carried the sales files toward his office, a receipt slipped from the folder.
Caroline saw Vanessa’s name printed at the top.
The purchase had been made seven weeks before the anniversary dinner.
The prosthetic model cost nearly nine thousand dollars.
The payment did not come from Vanessa.
It came from Cross Consulting Holdings.
Damian’s private company.
The receipt alone could not be removed without legal authority.
But Ethan had seen enough.
They now had proof that Damian financed the deception.
Melissa filed an emergency request to preserve the store’s security footage.
The judge approved it that afternoon.
The video showed Vanessa entering the shop wearing a long coat.
Damian joined her twenty minutes later.
They inspected several prosthetic bellies together.
At one point, Vanessa strapped one beneath her dress and turned toward the mirror.
Damian stood behind her, smiling.
Caroline watched the recording twice.
Her expression remained calm.
But when the screen went dark, she pressed her hands against the table.
“They destroyed my marriage with a costume.”
Ethan looked at her.
“Nathan destroyed the marriage when he betrayed you.”
Caroline nodded.
“I know.”
The distinction mattered.
Vanessa’s deception did not erase Nathan’s choice.
But it proved that Caroline had been manipulated into surrendering her home and her financial rights.
Melissa prepared an injunction preventing Nathan from transferring company shares into the trust.
The documents were scheduled to be served the next morning.
Before that could happen, Nathan signed the transfer agreement.
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Damian filed it electronically at 11:58 that night.
By sunrise, twelve percent of Cole International belonged to the trust of an unborn child who did not exist.
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