Chapter 2
Daniel arrived twenty minutes later.
I had never seen my husband look so frightened.
He rushed into my hospital room.
“Sophie!”
Two police officers immediately stepped between us.
“What happened?” he demanded.
I held up the incompetency petition.
“You tell me.”
His eyes dropped to his signature.
Then his face changed.
“Sophie, I can explain.”
My stomach twisted.
Those four words had destroyed marriages before.
Now they might destroy mine.
“You signed a document saying I’m mentally unstable.”
“No.”
“Your signature is right here.”
“I signed something, but not that.”
Linda was seated in the hallway with an officer beside her.
She shouted through the open door.
“Daniel, don’t say anything!”
He turned toward his mother.
“What did you do?”
Linda’s expression hardened.
“Everything I did was for those children.”
Emily moved closer to me.
Daniel saw her trembling.
He crouched.
“Em, sweetheart—”
She backed away.
“Don’t.”
Daniel froze.
My daughter had worshiped him.
Now she was afraid of him.
I looked at Daniel.
“What did you think you signed?”
He swallowed.
“Insurance documents.”
“When?”
“Yesterday.”
“Who gave them to you?”
His eyes moved toward Linda.
Of course.
“My mother said the hospital needed additional paperwork because Noah was being delivered early.”
I stared at him.
“And you didn’t read it?”
“I was rushing here from work.”
“You signed papers about me without reading them.”
He lowered his head.
“Yes.”
The detective entered.
Her name was Rachel Morales.
She placed several documents on the table.
“We have a larger problem.”
I felt my pulse quicken.
“What?”
“The doctor who entered your room isn’t employed by this hospital.”
Daniel stared at her.
“What?”
“His name is Dr. Marcus Hale.”
Linda suddenly shouted from the hallway.
“Stop talking!”
Detective Morales looked at her.
Then back at us.
“Hale lost his medical license nine years ago.”
My skin crawled.
“Why?”
The detective hesitated.
“Illegal private adoptions.”
Daniel stepped backward.
“No.”
The detective continued.
“He was investigated after three mothers claimed their babies were taken under fraudulent guardianship orders.”
I looked toward Linda.
She wouldn’t meet my eyes.
“How does she know him?”
“We’re determining that.”
Emily tugged my sleeve.
“Mom?”
“Yes?”
“Grandma talked to him before.”
Everyone turned toward her.
“When?”
“At our house.”
Daniel’s face tightened.
“Emily, are you sure?”
She nodded.
“Last month. Grandma said I had to stay upstairs.”
I squeezed her hand.
“What did you hear?”
Emily looked frightened.
“They talked about Noah.”
My chest tightened.
“What about him?”
“She said once he was born, everything would finally be fixed.”
Daniel’s face went white.
Detective Morales crouched gently.
“Did they say anything else?”
Emily thought for a moment.
Then she whispered:
“Grandma said Noah belonged with his real family.”
I looked at Daniel.
“He is with his real family.”
May you like
Daniel didn’t answer.
And suddenly I realized Linda might have been hiding something much bigger than a fake custody order.
