Chapter 13 - THE SIGNATURE THAT WASN'T HIS|
Sarah took the photocopy to an independent forensic document examiner.
The report arrived four days later.
The signature was probably forged.
That conclusion did not make Stefan innocent of every mistake, but it undermined Whitmore's most damaging claim.
Stefan stared at the report in Elena's office.
"He knew this would hurt you."
"He wanted me to doubt you," Sarah replied. "And it worked."
Stefan accepted that without protest.
"I cannot ask you to trust me because a document was forged."
"No. You'll have to earn it."
Their relationship had become more complicated since Katarina returned. Sarah was grateful for Stefan's persistence, but she refused to pretend that finding a biological father erased years of loneliness.
They began building something slowly: weekly dinners, long conversations, and the occasional uncomfortable disagreement.
Meanwhile, Elena obtained a court order permitting limited examination of the old medical records. The original transfer authorization contained an attachment missing from every previous copy.
It listed two temporary guardians, one for Sarah and one for Evelyn's child.
Sarah's guardian had been a foster-care agency in Ohio. The second child's guardian was a private family in Connecticut.
The name was redacted, but the agency's registration number remained.
A former employee identified the family as the Hales.
The Hales had raised a daughter named Olivia, who later became a corporate attorney in Boston. Olivia had recently changed jobs and joined a legal firm representing several Montgomery business interests.
Sarah looked at the file.
"Does Olivia know she was adopted?"
"We don't know," Elena said.
"Then we don't approach her as a suspect."
Stefan nodded approvingly.
"Good."
Sarah arranged a meeting with Olivia through a neutral attorney. Olivia initially believed the discussion concerned a routine records discrepancy. When Sarah explained the historical connection, Olivia became visibly shaken.
"My parents told me I was adopted," she said. "They said my birth mother was young and unable to care for me."
"Did they know her name?"
"Not that they ever told me."
Sarah showed her the document referencing Evelyn Hart.
Olivia stared at the name.
"My mother kept a box of letters in her closet. She said they belonged to someone who had asked her to protect a secret."
"Do you still have them?"
Olivia nodded.
Two days later, she delivered the box to Elena.
Among the letters was a photograph of Evelyn holding a newborn. On the back, she had written:
For my daughter, if the truth ever becomes safe.
Olivia's hands trembled as she read it.
"She was my mother."
Sarah placed a hand over hers.
"I think so. We'll confirm it properly."
For the first time, the mystery had brought two women together instead of tearing a family apart.
But one letter in the box was addressed to Daniel Whitmore.
May you like
Its final sentence read:
You promised the children would never be used against us. Why did you keep the money?
