Chapter 4
The custody document changed everything.
It claimed I had requested sole legal authority over Noah because his mother had voluntarily relinquished her parental rights.
But I had never signed it.
And I had never requested anything like it.
I held the paper beneath the lamp.
My signature looked close.
Almost convincing.
But the final letter was wrong.
The date was wrong too.
The document had supposedly been signed while I was sitting beside Noah in the hospital's neonatal unit.
I remembered that day clearly.
I hadn't left the hospital.
I hadn't met with any attorney.
And I certainly hadn't discussed taking my son away from his mother.
I looked at Claire.
"You prepared this?"
She remained silent.
I took a step forward.
"Claire."
She finally looked up.
"It was intended to simplify temporary caregiving arrangements."
I stared at her.
"By forging my signature?"
She swallowed.
"Marcus, there were administrative complications."
I felt sick.
Nia stepped beside me.
"That document was used to prevent me from obtaining information about Noah."
Claire shook her head.
"That's not accurate."
Nia raised another paper.
"Then explain this."
It was a letter from a private records investigator.
The investigator had found discrepancies between the hospital's official records and the documents Nia received after waking from her coma.
There was no matching neonatal death entry.
No official burial authorization.
And no medical record supporting the claim that Noah had died.
I stared at the paper.
For four years, two people had been living separate lives built around the same lie.
I believed Nia abandoned us.
Nia believed our son was dead.
And the truth had been buried beneath paperwork.
My mother began crying again.
I turned toward her.
"Why?"
Diane looked at me.
For a moment, I saw the woman who used to sit beside my bed when I had nightmares.
Then she whispered, "I was afraid you'd leave the family."
I frowned.
"What are you talking about?"
She looked toward Vanessa.
Then away.
"Your grandfather left conditions in the Sterling trust."
My stomach tightened.
The Sterling family trust controlled a significant portion of our estate.
My grandfather established it decades earlier.
I knew it contained provisions about business ownership and succession.
But I'd never connected it to Noah's birth.
"What conditions?"
Diane wiped her cheeks.
"Your first child would receive a beneficial interest when he turned twenty-five."
I stared at her.
"I know that."
She continued.
"But until then, the trustee responsible for his share would have substantial influence over family assets."
I looked toward Claire.
She was one of the trust's legal advisers.
Vanessa had recently been nominated for a senior position within the foundation.
My stomach tightened.
"Who was supposed to oversee Noah's interests?"
Diane lowered her head.
"His parents."
I stopped breathing.
"Both of us?"
She nodded.
"Unless one parent was absent or legally unable to participate."
I looked at Nia.
Then at Vanessa.
And suddenly, everything began making terrible sense.
Removing Nia from Noah's life hadn't simply allowed Vanessa to become my partner.
It had kept Noah's mother away from decisions involving his future.
I turned toward Claire.
"Who advised the trustees after Nia disappeared?"
Claire said nothing.
I repeated the question.
"Who?"
Finally, she whispered, "My office."
My hands began trembling.
Vanessa stepped forward.
"Marcus, this is ridiculous. Nobody stole anything."
I looked at her.
"Then why did you stop Nia's letters?"
She looked away.
"Why did you hide her visits?"
Nothing.
"Why did you try to stop me opening the envelope?"
She began crying.
"Because I knew you'd believe her!"
I stared at Vanessa.
Then I said something that surprised even me.
"I don't have to choose who to believe. I can investigate the records."
Her expression changed.
For the first time, she seemed to understand that her tears wouldn't end the conversation.
I turned toward James, who stood near the door.
"Call the family trust administrator. Tell them I want an independent review."
James nodded.
Then I looked at Claire.
"Effective immediately, you are not authorized to act on my behalf."
She stood.
"Marcus, you cannot simply—"
"I can revoke your authority to represent me."
She stopped.
I took a breath.
"And tomorrow, I want a new attorney."
Vanessa stared at me.
"You're destroying everything."
I shook my head.
"No."
I looked toward the door where Noah was waiting.
"I'm trying to find out what was destroyed before I even knew."
After the confrontation, I asked Nia to stay in one of the guest suites.
I didn't want her leaving without a plan.
And I didn't want Noah waking up to discover his mother had disappeared again.
She hesitated.
"Marcus, I don't want to create more problems."
I looked at her.
"You didn't create this."
Her eyes filled.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then she whispered, "Thank you."
I wanted to ask a hundred questions.
What had happened during those four years?
Where had she lived?
How had she survived believing Noah was dead?
But she looked exhausted.
So I simply said, "We'll talk tomorrow."
That night, I went into Noah's bedroom.
He was sitting beside Nia, showing her a picture book.
They looked up together.
"Daddy!"
I smiled.
"Hey, buddy."
Noah held up the book.
"Mommy's reading the dinosaur story."
My throat tightened.
I looked at Nia.
She smiled through tears.
I sat beside them.
For the first time in Noah's life, both of his parents were sitting on his bed.
He looked between us.
Then he asked a question that nearly broke me.
"Can Mommy stay tomorrow too?"
I took his hand.
"Yes, buddy."
He smiled.
"And the day after?"
I looked at Nia.
Her eyes filled.
"We're going to work out a way for you to keep seeing Mommy," I answered.
Noah leaned against us.
Then he whispered, "I always wanted both of you."
I closed my eyes.
And as I held him, I realized something.
No amount of money could return the years we'd lost.
But I could make sure nobody stole another day.
Then, just before midnight, my new attorney's emergency contact called.
A bank had flagged unusual instructions concerning the Sterling family trust.
May you like
Someone had requested a large transfer that afternoon.
And the authorization carried Claire's signature.
