Chapter 4 - THE BIRTH CERTIFICATE
Daniel drove to the hospital records office at nine that morning with Detective Mills beside him.
He had not slept.
He had barely eaten.
Lily was with a child trauma specialist and Daniel’s oldest friend, Rachel, the only person he trusted.
The records clerk returned with a sealed folder.
Daniel opened it.
He stared at Lily’s birth record.
Mother: Melissa Grant.
Father: Blank.
Daniel blinked.
“This is wrong.”
Sarah watched him carefully.
“Who is Melissa Grant?”
“Lily’s mother.”
“And Vanessa?”
Daniel looked at her.
“My wife.”
Sarah leaned back.
“Tell me everything.”
Daniel rubbed his face.
“Melissa and I were engaged three years ago. She died after Lily was born.”
“How?”
“Car accident.”
“When did you marry Vanessa?”
“Eleven months later.”
“And you never formally adopted Lily?”
“She’s my biological daughter.”
“Did you establish paternity?”
“I thought it was automatic.”
Sarah tapped the blank line.
“It wasn’t.”
Daniel felt stupid.
Worse than stupid.
He had built companies from nothing.
Negotiated contracts worth millions.
Read every line before signing anything.
But when it came to his own daughter, he had trusted other people to handle the paperwork.
“My mother said the hospital fixed everything after Melissa died.”
Sarah’s eyes sharpened.
“Your mother?”
“She handled the legal paperwork. I was grieving.”
Sarah closed the folder.
“We need the full file.”
They requested archived documents.
Two hours later, a hospital administrator appeared.
“There’s an irregularity.”
Daniel stood.
“What kind?”
“A voluntary guardianship petition was submitted shortly after Ms. Grant’s death.”
“Guardianship?”
“Yes.”
“By who?”
The administrator slid over a copy.
Daniel looked at the signature.
His mother’s.
Margaret Carter.
His pulse thundered.
“This says temporary guardian.”
The administrator nodded.
“For six months.”
Daniel kept reading.
Attached to the petition was an affidavit claiming Daniel was emotionally unstable after Melissa’s death and unable to care for Lily.
“That’s a lie.”
Sarah pointed to another page.
“It says you consented.”
“I never saw this.”
Then Daniel saw the signature.
Daniel Carter.
It looked exactly like his.
But he had never signed it.
“That’s forged.”
Sarah took the paper.
“You’re certain?”
“One hundred percent.”
Daniel called his attorney, Jonathan Reed.
Jonathan arrived within an hour.
After studying the documents, he looked sick.
“Daniel, this is serious.”
“How serious?”
“If your signature was forged, someone created a legal pathway to control Lily.”
“Why?”
Jonathan flipped deeper into the file.
Then stopped.
“What?”
Jonathan looked up.
“There was a trust created after Melissa died.”
Daniel frowned.
“I know. Life insurance for Lily.”
“No.”
Jonathan shook his head.
“This is bigger.”
He turned the page.
“Melissa inherited property from her grandfather. Commercial buildings, land, investment accounts.”
“How much?”
“Current estimated value?”
Jonathan paused.
“Just over twenty-eight million dollars.”
Daniel stared at him.
“That belongs to Lily?”
“Yes.”
“When she turns eighteen.”
Daniel suddenly understood.
Margaret hadn’t hated Lily because she was difficult.
Vanessa hadn’t simply wanted control.
They wanted access.
Jonathan pointed at the guardianship petition.
“If Daniel were declared permanently unfit, the appointed guardian could control distributions made for Lily’s care.”
Sarah’s expression changed.
“How much has already been withdrawn?”
Jonathan checked the figures.
His face went pale.
“Nearly three million dollars.”
Daniel felt the room go silent.
Then Sarah’s phone rang.
She answered.
Listened.
Her eyes moved to Daniel.
“When?”
She hung up.
“What happened?” Daniel asked.
Sarah stood.
“Your mother was released pending further investigation.”
Daniel’s face hardened.
“Why?”
“She posted bond.”
“And Vanessa?”
“Still being processed.”
Daniel reached for his keys.
Sarah stopped him.
“There’s more.”
“What?”
“Margaret didn’t go home.”
“Where did she go?”
May you like
Sarah hesitated.
“To Lily’s daycare.”
