Chapter 4 - The Folder Marked August
Adrian stared at the petition until the letters stopped making sense.
The document claimed Nora had become emotionally unstable. It described missed school pickups, late-night absences, and dangerous behavior around Lily. At the bottom sat Adrian's signature—beautifully reproduced and completely false.
He called Claire. “Where did you find this?”
“Inside the folder. Patricia tried to take it back.”
“Where is Lily?”
“With me in the bridal suite. She's eating crackers and watching a cartoon. Adrian, there's more paperwork.”
“Photograph every page.”
Claire lowered her voice. “Ethan says if I keep digging, our marriage won't last one night.”
Adrian leaned against the hospital wall. “I'm sorry.”
“Don't be. I'd rather know who I married.”
Before he could answer, a nurse appeared and guided him into a small consultation room. Dr. Maya Flores spoke gently but plainly: Nora's vital signs had stabilized, yet the baby remained under close watch. Delivery might be necessary. There were no promises.
“Can I see her?”
“In a few minutes.”
His mother called. He rejected it. She called again.
On the third attempt, he answered. “If you care about this family, you'll tell me what you're doing.”
Patricia gave a weary sigh. “I was protecting Lily.”
“By stealing her mother's house?”
“It's not stealing when the money is being held for the child.”
“You don't get to make that decision.”
“Adrian, your father would have understood.”
“My father is alive. You can ask him.”
Silence.
That silence told Adrian more than any denial could have.
His father, Robert Cole, had spent the past year recovering from a stroke at home, mostly cut off from business and family decisions. Patricia said his memory had become unreliable. Adrian had accepted that without question.
Now he opened another image from Claire. A notarized statement claimed Robert had approved the custody petition. The signature was dated three weeks earlier.
That week Robert had been in rehabilitation, recovering from surgery on his writing hand.
Adrian left a message for the detective Claire said had arrived at the ballroom. Then he went in to see Nora.
She lay pale against white sheets, her hand resting over her stomach. “Is Lily safe?” she asked.
“Yes. And Claire found the petition.”
Nora stared at the ceiling. “I was going to tell you tonight. I thought I could stop them quietly.”
“Why didn't you?”
May you like
“Because someone sent me a recording. And the voice on it was yours.”
