Chapter 10 - The Office ManagerHer name was Paige Benton. She had been the smiling woman who called me "sweetheart" while rescheduling appointments and telling me which symptoms weren't worth bothering the doctor about.
Detective Bell urged me not to confront Paige myself. Instead, we documented every appointment and message I could recall. With my consent, my medical team helped me request copies of my records.
Several entries didn't match my memory. One said I had declined a recommended follow-up. I could still picture myself in the parking lot that day, crying because Paige had told me the doctor was unavailable.
"Mistakes happen," Dana said carefully. "But repeated discrepancies deserve review."
Alex brought a notebook and drew two columns: WHAT THEY SAID and WHAT WE CAN PROVE. It made an overwhelming mess feel smaller.
That evening, a former receptionist named Tasha called me after learning that police were asking questions at the clinic. She said Paige had once instructed her to send my test results to a private email address rather than through the patient portal.
"I refused," Tasha said. "Then I got moved to the front desk."
"Whose email?"
"It used the North Cedar company domain."
The same company tied to Mom's stolen building.
The detective asked Tasha to provide records of anything she had personally witnessed. Tasha agreed, then hesitated.
"There's one more thing. Paige kept a sealed envelope in her desk. Your name was on it, and there was a sticky note that said AFTER BIRTH."
I touched my stomach. Charlotte moved under my palm, a small firm kick. It was the first time that day I'd felt relief without immediately questioning it.
The next morning, a courier delivered a letter at our temporary address. Someone had found us. The envelope was blank, but inside was a single photograph of me leaving the pharmacy with Marla.
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On its back, in Trent's handwriting, were five words:
YOU CAN'T HIDE FOREVER, EMILY.
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