A newborn boy.
Premature but stable.
Birth mother critically ill.
Birth father overwhelmed.
The parents allegedly did not want the adoption connected to the hospital because the father feared the mother’s relatives would interfere.
“That didn’t sound suspicious to you?”
I asked.
Rachel closed her eyes.
“Now?”
“Yes.”
“Then?”
She shook her head.
“I wanted a baby so badly that I heard explanations instead of warning signs.”
The adoption had been arranged through a small legal office.
Not through the hospital.
Rachel met a man who identified himself as the birth father’s representative.
Not Adrian.
Someone else.
“He said the father did not want direct contact.”
“Did you ever meet the birth father?”
“No.”
“Birth mother?”
“No.”
“Did you sign court papers?”
“Yes.”
Rachel looked desperate now.
“I swear to you, Claire, I did not buy a child.”
“I paid legal fees.”
“A placement expense.”
“Medical reimbursement.”
