Chapter 8 - THE SECRET IN THE HOSPITAL FILE|
I returned to the hospital to collect Margaret’s updated medication records.
I was no longer her primary caregiver, but I had arranged for a nurse to take over her appointments until the family established a new plan. I wanted to make sure nothing had been overlooked during the transition.
As I waited at the records desk, a familiar nurse approached.
“Emma? Can I speak with you?”
Her name was Patricia Wells. She had worked on Margaret’s floor for years and had always treated me kindly.
“What is it?”
Patricia glanced toward the hallway.
“Your husband came by yesterday.”
My stomach tightened.
“Dominic?”
“Yes. He asked whether Margaret’s medical file contained any information about the family trust.”
I frowned.
“Why would a hospital file contain that?”
“That’s what I wondered. He said he was looking for an old authorization form. But he was particularly interested in documents signed when Margaret was admitted three years ago.”
Three years.
The same year Dominic’s hearing returned.
“Did you show him anything?”
“No. He wasn't listed as the authorized representative for that particular request. I told him he would need to submit the proper paperwork.”
I thanked her, but my thoughts were racing.
Margaret’s medical records had nothing to do with company succession unless someone had deliberately connected them.
I called Rebecca from the parking garage.
She listened carefully.
“Don’t speculate yet,” she said. “But if Dominic requested records outside the normal process, we need to know what he was looking for.”
“Could it be related to the trust?”
“Possibly. The trust may contain provisions involving Margaret’s capacity, medical decisions, or the administration of family assets. We need the actual documents.”
That evening, I received an email from an unfamiliar address.
There was no greeting.
Only one sentence.
Ask Dominic why his mother’s signature appears on a trust amendment she does not remember signing.
Attached was a scanned page.
The signature looked like Margaret’s.
The document appeared to authorize a change in the management of certain family assets. The date was three years earlier, and the amendment had been witnessed by a private attorney whose name I recognized from the email Rebecca had found.
I immediately forwarded the message to her.
“Do not contact Dominic about this,” she warned. “We need to verify the document independently. It could be authentic, altered, or deliberately misleading.”
I agreed.
But I could not stop thinking about Margaret.
She was not a helpless woman. She could be demanding, manipulative, and fiercely protective of her family. Yet she had always trusted Dominic with her business affairs.
What if he had used that trust against her?
The next morning, I called Margaret.
She answered after several rings.
“Emma? Is something wrong?”
“I need to ask you about a document you signed three years ago.”
Her breathing changed.
“What document?”
“An amendment to the family trust.”
She was silent for so long that I checked whether the call had disconnected.
Finally, she whispered, “Dominic told me that paper was for my medical care.”
My blood ran cold.
“Did you read it?”
“I trusted my son.”
For the first time, I heard genuine fear in Margaret’s voice.
May you like
Then she said something I would never forget.
“Emma, if that document is what I think it is, your husband may not be the only person in this family who has been pretending.”
