Chapter 4 - THE TRUTH BEHIND THE PAPERWORK
Graham spent the next three hours searching every document in his office.
Every contract.
Every email.
Every message.
Looking for the moment he made the mistake.
At 2:17 a.m., he found it.
An email from Sloane.
Subject:
“Maisie Support Plan.”
He opened it.
The attachment contained the same documents.
But there was something different.
A missing page.
The page that explained temporary decision authority.
Someone had removed it before printing.
Graham stared at the screen.
She didn’t trick him.
She controlled what he saw.
The next morning, he confronted Sloane.
She was standing outside the house.
Waiting.
“You went through my office?”
Graham looked at her.
“No.”
“Then how did you find the documents?”
“Because I finally looked.”
Sloane’s expression changed.
“Graham…”
“Why?”
A single word.
But it carried months of anger.
“Why did you try to send my daughter away?”
Sloane looked exhausted.
Then she said something he never expected.
“Because I knew you would never choose me.”
Graham stared.
“What?”
“She always came first.”
“She’s my child.”
“I know.”
“No.”
His voice hardened.
“You don’t.”
Sloane stepped closer.
“I wanted a life with you.”
“You wanted a life without her.”
“That’s not true.”
“Then why the center?”
Silence.
Finally, Sloane whispered:
“Because Maisie would never accept me.”
Graham shook his head.
“She was five.”
“She hated me.”
“No.”
He looked at her.
“She was scared of losing her father.”
Sloane looked away.
And that was the moment Graham understood.
This was never about Maisie’s behavior.
It was about Sloane’s insecurity.
Her jealousy.
Her need to be first.
Then Sloane reached into her bag.
She pulled out her phone.
“You want proof?”
Graham stared.
She showed him a recording.
It was Maisie.
Crying.
Saying she didn’t want Sloane to be her mother.
Graham felt sick.
But then he noticed something.
The date.
The recording was edited.
The beginning was missing.
“Where is the rest?”
Sloane looked nervous.
“There is no rest.”
Graham shook his head.
“You cut it.”
Her silence confirmed it.
And then Graham heard a voice behind him.
“Mr. Grant.”
He turned.
May you like
A police officer stood at the gate.
“Can we talk?”
