Chapter 9 - The Mother They Planned to Erase
For a moment I couldn't breathe. Dr. Harris had told me my baby's heartbeat was strong. I clung to that fact while Elena explained what she'd learned.
Richard ran a private family-services foundation. Through it, he arranged transfers, guardianship filings, and private placements. Some were legitimate. Others had the wrong signatures and no consent from the parents. Daniel had found my name on a preliminary intake list with a box checked: MATERNAL CONSENT TO THIRD-PARTY RELEASE.
"I never signed that," I said.
"We know," Mara answered. "An advance form like that can't authorize anyone to take your child. But it tells us what they intended."
"How would they even know I was pregnant?"
"They may have been monitoring your medical records," Elena said. "Richard had information about you because of Daniel. Someone appears to have kept following you."
I remembered the receptionist at my first prenatal appointment, unusually interested in my emergency contacts. I'd told her my husband had died. Two weeks later, the Moretti staffing agency offered me the job.
"Was hiring me part of their plan?"
"Rosa put your name forward to protect you," Elena said. "Vanessa may have used that same opportunity to keep you close. We didn't understand how much she knew."
I looked at my swollen stomach. For months, I'd thought the worst thing I had to fear was losing my paycheck. Now I knew someone had been treating my baby as a line on a stolen document.
Mara had the hospital cancel the altered authorization request and notify its safeguarding team. She arranged a formal report with law enforcement and obtained confirmation that only I could authorize decisions about my child, except in a lawful medical emergency.
"No one is taking your daughter," she told me. "We will keep checking. And we won't depend on Vincent's promises."
I thanked her, then asked one question. "What happened to the little girl Richard wants to move today?"
Elena's eyes filled. "Isabel won't answer. She was supposed to call by eight."
May you like
A call flashed across Mara's screen. She answered, listened, and changed color.
"Police found Isabel's car," she said. "It was empty. Grace's rabbit was on the back seat."
