“I thought everything was legal.”
“How much?”
She hesitated.
“About thirty-eight thousand dollars total.”
My stomach turned.
“Who received it?”
“Different accounts.”
“Legal fees to the attorney.”
“Medical reimbursement to an escrow account.”
“Living expenses that were supposedly for the birth mother.”
I stared.
“The birth mother was unconscious in a hospital.”
Rachel began crying harder.
“I didn’t know.”
I believed her.
I did not know why yet.
But I did.
Maybe because she looked terrified of losing Lucas, not of getting caught.
“What documents did you receive?”
“Birth certificate.”
“Termination papers.”
“Adoption decree.”
“Medical summary.”
I whispered:
“What did the birth mother’s name say?”
Rachel looked at me.
“Emily Carter.”
My name was Claire Bennett.
I sat back.
Fake.
Or another woman entirely.
“Do you still have everything?”
“Yes.”
“I keep all of Lucas’s records.”
“Can I see them?”
Rachel looked toward the door where our sons had disappeared.
