Chapter 9 - What She Signed
My mother stared at the message for a long time.
“What did you sign?” I asked.
She set the phone facedown. “A letter to Valerie.”
I waited.
“Richard drafted it after the birth announcement came. He said the lawyers needed confirmation that the family had already investigated her claim.”
“Confirmation of what?”
“That she’d been told to stop contacting you.”
“You signed it?”
“Yes.”
“Did you tell her I’d seen Lucy’s photo?”
Her eyes filled. “The letter said you had.”
For a moment, I could hear the diner around us—the clatter of dishes, somebody laughing near the door—but none of it felt close.
“You knew I hadn’t,” I said.
“I was scared of what Richard would do if I refused. I told myself Valerie would keep the letter and one day I could explain.”
“She did keep it. She believed it.”
My mother slid out of the booth. “I’ll give the recording and the letter to her lawyer.”
“Tell Valerie yourself what you did.”
She nodded, though she looked terrified.
The next morning, I went to the clinic for the paternity test. Valerie came separately with Lucy. We did not speak much. Lucy offered Cloud to the nurse first, insisting the rabbit was brave enough to go before her.
Afterward, Maya asked me to join her at her office. My mother had delivered the recorder and a copy of the letter. Maya was arranging to secure both originals.
“I’d like to hear how Richard responds when he thinks I still believe him,” I said.
Owen joined us by phone. He advised me to keep the call simple and lawful. With everyone in the room aware, I called my father.
“I’ll consider your statement,” I said when he answered. “I want the file you said proved Lucy isn’t mine.”
“There’s no reason to upset yourself with it.”
“You told Valerie I saw a test. Show me.”
A pause.
“You’re making this harder than it needs to be,” he said. “Once Friday’s vote is over, we can handle the child privately.”
“She has a name.”
“I know her name, Carter.”
I looked at Valerie. She was staring at the phone.
“How long have you known it?” I asked.
“Long enough to know that her mother turned down a generous offer.”
He hung up.
Valerie covered her mouth. Richard had made no claim that the test was real. He had admitted knowing Lucy while keeping her from me.
Then Chloe called.
“My parents pulled their votes,” she said. “Richard found another buyer. He’s calling an emergency board meeting tomorrow morning.”
May you like
“What’s he selling?”
“The childcare centers. And according to the new term sheet, the school’s lease ends when the sale closes.”
