Chapter 3
"I didn't invest in Marcus's company because I believed in him."
My father's confession left me staring through the car window.
"What do you mean?"
"I invested because of you."
I looked down at Noah.
"Dad, that doesn't explain anything."
"I know."
His voice sounded heavy.
"Eighteen months ago, Marcus came to my office. His company was six weeks away from bankruptcy."
I remembered that period.
Marcus had barely slept.
He'd spent nights working at the kitchen table, surrounded by bills and unanswered emails.
I had believed he was simply stressed.
"He told me that if the company collapsed, he would lose everything," Dad continued.
"So you helped him."
"Yes. But that wasn't the entire reason."
I waited.
"Marcus told me Evelyn had borrowed money from private lenders using company assets without authorization."
My stomach dropped.
"She did what?"
"She'd been covering personal debts with business money. Marcus discovered it too late."
I stared at the passing streetlights.
"Why didn't anyone tell me?"
"Marcus begged me not to."
I felt something break inside me.
"He said the stress could harm you. You were already undergoing fertility treatment, and he claimed you couldn't handle another family crisis."
I closed my eyes.
Three years.
For three years, I had wondered why Evelyn treated me as though I were a burden.
Now I was beginning to understand.
She knew my father had rescued the company.
And she hated me for knowing a secret I hadn't even been told.
"Dad, you should have trusted me."
"You're right."
His immediate answer surprised me.
"I made a terrible mistake by agreeing to keep it from you."
I swallowed hard.
"We'll talk about that later. Right now I need Noah examined."
"Of course."
We reached the hospital twenty minutes later.
My father was waiting outside the private entrance.
When I saw him, I almost collapsed.
He wrapped his arms around me carefully, making room for the baby.
"I've got you," he whispered.
Those words brought back memories of scraped knees, school heartbreaks, and every moment my father had made the world feel manageable.
But this time, I needed more than comfort.
I needed answers.
A pediatrician named Dr. Harris examined Noah.
She checked his breathing, temperature, heartbeat, hydration, and responses.
Then she reviewed the feeding supplies I'd brought.
"He's stable right now," she explained. "That's reassuring."
I released a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding.
"But because we don't know what was in that container, we'll need to investigate further."
"Could something have happened without me noticing?"
"It's possible for certain substances to cause delayed symptoms. We won't guess. We'll monitor him and run appropriate tests."
I nodded.
"Whatever he needs."
My father stood beside me throughout the examination.
He didn't check his phone.
He didn't speak about business.
He simply held my hand while the medical team worked.
An hour later, Marcus arrived.
I saw him through the glass door.
He was pacing outside the pediatric observation area.
David approached me.
"Mrs. Bennett, your husband wants to speak with you."
I looked at my father.
He said nothing.
The decision was mine.
"Five minutes," I replied.
Marcus entered looking exhausted.
His eyes immediately moved toward Noah.
"Is he okay?"
"He's being monitored."
His shoulders sagged.
"Thank God."
I crossed my arms.
"Where's your mother?"
"At the house."
"With security?"
"Yes."
He hesitated.
"Nia, she says the container was just an herbal supplement."
I stared at him.
"She admitted there was a container?"
Marcus went pale.
"I thought you already knew."
"No. We only knew she opened something."
He rubbed his forehead.
"She said it was chamomile powder."
I felt anger rising.
"Chamomile powder for a twelve-day-old baby?"
"I told her it was wrong."
"When?"
He said nothing.
"Marcus. When did you tell her?"
He lowered his eyes.
"After you left."
I stared at him for several seconds.
Then I realized something.
"Did you know she planned to give Noah something?"
"No."
"Think carefully."
He swallowed.
"She mentioned a sleep remedy yesterday. I assumed she was talking about herself."
I wanted to scream.
Instead, I asked another question.
"Why didn't you tell me she was interfering with his feeding supplies?"
"Because I didn't know she actually did anything."
I shook my head.
"Your mother has spent years ignoring my boundaries. You knew that."
He stepped closer.
"I know I've failed you."
"Yes."
The word hung between us.
He looked devastated.
"Can I hold my son?"
I glanced through the glass at Noah's tiny hospital bed.
"Not right now."
Marcus looked hurt.
But I was finished making decisions to protect other people's feelings.
"I need you to tell the security investigators everything you know," I said. "No excuses. No protecting your mother."
He nodded.
"I will."
Before he left, he turned back.
"Nia, there's something else."
I waited.
"Mom was on the phone when I returned to the house."
"With whom?"
"I don't know. But she said, 'The baby is fine. The real problem is the documents.'"
My pulse quickened.
"What documents?"
"She wouldn't tell me."
I watched him leave.
Then I asked David to contact our security director.
Two hours later, Noah's initial examination remained reassuring.
I was finally able to breathe a little easier.
But my father's phone rang.
His expression changed as he listened.
"Send the files," he said.
He ended the call.
"Nia, security searched the room Evelyn used to stay in."
I straightened.
"What did they find?"
"A hidden folder."
"What kind of folder?"
"Copies of your identity documents. Medical records from your pregnancy. And paperwork concerning Noah."
My skin prickled.
"Why would she have those?"
My father hesitated.
"There's more."
He opened a photograph on his phone.
It showed a document bearing my name.
A document I had never seen.
At the top were the words:
PETITION FOR TEMPORARY GUARDIANSHIP.
Underneath, someone had written a note.
MOTHER UNSTABLE AFTER DELIVERY.
I stared at the page.
Then I noticed the signature.
It looked almost exactly like mine.
Except I had never signed it.
"She forged my signature," I whispered.
My father nodded.
And suddenly I understood.
The water in my face hadn't been a random act of cruelty.
Evelyn had been trying to make me lose control.
She wanted witnesses.
She wanted me to scream.
Maybe she even wanted me to strike her.
Because she was building a case to take my son.
I looked toward Noah.
Then I reached for my phone.
"Call our attorney."
May you like
My voice was steady.
"She's not coming anywhere near my baby again."
