CHAPTER 1 – THE SIGNATURE THAT NEVER EXISTED
I barely dared to breathe.
From beneath the hospital bed, I watched Linda's polished heels stop inches from where I was hiding.
The doctor lowered his voice.
"Are you sure she's sedated?"
Linda gave a soft laugh.
"She just delivered a baby. She won't remember a thing."
My stomach twisted.
The doctor opened a folder.
"I still need her consent."
"You already have it."
"I've reviewed every page," he replied. "The signature doesn't match."
Silence.
Then Linda spoke again.
"It doesn't have to."
My blood ran cold.
Fake papers.
Fake consent.
Someone was stealing something from me.
But what?
The baby?
My inheritance?
My life?
The doctor hesitated.
"If anyone investigates—"
"They won't."
Linda's voice became sharp.
"Her husband trusts me. Everyone trusts me."
The doctor sighed.
"I don't like this."
"You don't have to like it."
A baby's cry echoed through the hallway.
My son's cry.
I instinctively crawled forward.
Linda smiled.
"Bring me the newborn."
Everything inside me shattered.
They weren't after me.
They were after my baby.
As the footsteps disappeared, Emily carefully knelt beside the bed.
"They're taking him to the nursery," she whispered.
I grabbed her tiny hand.
"We have to stop them."
"But how?"
I looked toward the emergency call button on the wall.
Then I noticed something else.
A small security camera blinking above the doorway.
May you like
Maybe...
Someone else had been watching.
