Chapter 3 - A Daughter Without Her Father's Name|
Claire named her daughter Grace.
The name had been chosen months earlier, during one of the rare evenings when Adrian had still pretended to be interested in their future.
They had sat on the balcony overlooking Lake Michigan while Claire read a list of baby names aloud.
“Grace,” she had said.
Adrian had glanced up from his phone.
“Fine.”
She had laughed then, telling herself he was distracted because he was busy.
Now, as she held her newborn in the hospital bed, the name felt like a promise she could finally keep without him.
Grace had dark hair, tiny fingers, and a stubborn little frown that made Eleanor insist she already looked like a Moretti.
Claire smiled.
“I hope she inherits your eyes, Mom.”
“Why not your father's eyes?”
“Because I want her to look at people without wondering what they're hiding.”
Eleanor sat beside the bed.
“Have you decided what you'll do when you leave here?”
“Find somewhere safe. Hire a good nanny. Build a life that doesn't depend on Adrian's moods.”
“And the divorce?”
“I'll finish it.”
Eleanor studied her daughter.
“You still love him.”
Claire looked down at Grace.
“Love isn't the same as trust.”
It was the first time she had said it aloud.
Later that morning, Claire's attorney, Daniel Price, arrived with a stack of paperwork. He explained that Adrian's lawyers had already requested a meeting to discuss access to Grace.
“They're likely to argue that he has a right to be involved,” Daniel said. “We need to distinguish between his position as her father and his conduct as your husband.”
“I won't prevent him from having a relationship with her just to punish him,” Claire replied. “But I won't let him use her to control me.”
“That's a reasonable position. We should document every agreement and keep communication calm.”
Claire signed the necessary forms.
Before leaving, Daniel placed another document on the table.
“There is one complication. Adrian's family office has attempted to move several assets into a separate trust. Your name appears on an old financial authorization.”
Claire frowned.
“I never authorized a transfer.”
“That's what we need to establish. It may be an administrative issue, or it may be an attempt to protect assets before the divorce.”
Claire remembered signing documents during the first year of her marriage. Adrian had told her they were routine papers related to the family businesses.
She had trusted him enough not to read every page.
“Can he use those documents against me?”
“Not if they were obtained through deception. But we need the originals.”
Claire looked at Grace sleeping in her arms.
“Then find them.”
Across the city, Adrian received news that Claire had named the baby Grace and had refused his request to visit.
He stood inside his private office, staring at the lake through floor-to-ceiling windows.
“She won't even let me see my daughter?” he asked.
His attorney chose his words carefully.
“She's asking for time and boundaries.”
“She's trying to humiliate me.”
“Or she's trying to protect herself.”
Adrian turned sharply.
“Whose side are you on?”
“The side that keeps you from making an expensive mistake.”
Before Adrian could answer, Sophia entered without knocking.
She wore a cream coat and carried a shopping bag from an exclusive children's boutique.
“I heard the baby arrived,” she said. “I brought something.”
Adrian looked at the bag.
“Why?”
Sophia's smile faltered.
“Because I thought you'd want to celebrate.”
“Celebrate what?”
“Your daughter.”
He stared at her.
“Don't talk about my daughter as though you know her.”
Sophia's expression hardened.
“Adrian, I was there for you when Claire wasn't.”
He looked at her with disbelief.
“Claire was in a hospital giving birth.”
Sophia said nothing.
May you like
For the first time, Adrian heard his own excuses in someone else's voice.
And he hated how empty they sounded.
