CHAPTER 4 The Signature That Never Existed
I crawled out from beneath the bed.
Every movement hurt.
But nothing hurt as much as betrayal.
Linda stared at me as though she'd seen a ghost.
"You..."
The doctor immediately rushed forward.
"Ma'am, did you authorize any adoption paperwork?"
"No."
"Did you sign any legal consent today?"
"No."
"Did anyone explain documents to you after delivery?"
"No."
His face lost all color.
Hospital security entered less than two minutes later.
The administrator arrived with them.
"So did the police.
Every document Linda had provided was examined.
Within minutes, the truth surfaced.
The signature wasn't mine.
It had been copied from hospital admission forms and digitally transferred onto forged consent documents.
Linda hadn't simply lied.
She had committed multiple felonies.
Fraud.
Forgery.
Attempted child trafficking.
Conspiracy.
As officers placed handcuffs around her wrists, she screamed toward me.
"You don't deserve that baby!"
I looked straight into her eyes.
"No."
I answered quietly.
"But he deserves his mother."
Emily finally burst into tears.
I opened my arms.
She ran to me.
May you like
For the first time since entering that hospital...
I held both of my children together.
