Chapter 5: The Woman Waiting at St. Mary's
I didn't tell Maya about the message immediately.
She had already endured more in one evening than most children experienced in a lifetime.
But when I suggested that she stay with Mrs. Collins, she refused.
“I'm coming with you.””
“Maya, this isn't safe.””
She folded her arms.
“Neither was staying at home with Vanessa.””
I had no answer.
Michael agreed to arrange security and accompany us.
We reached St. Mary's Hospital shortly after midnight.
The emergency department was quiet. A television played softly above the reception desk, and the smell of disinfectant filled the corridor.
A nurse approached us.
“Mr. Hale?””
“Yes.””
She looked toward Maya.
“Someone has been waiting for you.””
“Who?””
“Room 314.””
Michael immediately stepped forward.
“Did she give you her name?””
The nurse checked her clipboard.
“Elizabeth Brooks.””
I froze.
Brooks.
Vanessa's surname.
We walked down the corridor.
At the end, a woman sat beside a hospital bed. She was in her early forties, with tired eyes and silver strands running through her dark hair.
When she saw Maya, she stood.
Her lips trembled.
“Oh, sweetheart.””
Maya moved closer to me.
The woman noticed.
She lowered her hands.
“I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that.””
I stepped forward.
“Who are you?””
“My name is Elizabeth.””
“Why did you ask me to come here?””
She glanced at Michael.
“Because I don't have much time.””
I frowned.
“What does that mean?””
She lifted her hospital gown slightly, revealing a medical identification bracelet.
“I've been receiving treatment for a serious illness. Your father knew about it.””
I stared at her.
“What does any of this have to do with Maya?””
Elizabeth began crying.
“I'm her mother.””
The room went silent.
Maya looked at her.
Then at me.
“Dad?””
I crouched beside her.
“It's okay. You don't have to do anything.””
Elizabeth shook her head.
“I never wanted to abandon her.””
“Then why did you?””
The question came from Maya.
Her voice was quiet, but it carried across the room.
Elizabeth closed her eyes.
“Because I was seventeen. Your grandfather told me that if I kept you, I would lose everything. My family was struggling, and I had nowhere to go.””
I stared at her.
“My father paid you?””
Elizabeth nodded.
“He arranged for you to be raised by Daniel. He said you would have a better life with him.””
I felt anger rise in my chest.
“You knew I believed Maya was my biological daughter.””
“Yes.””
“And you let me believe it?””
Elizabeth lowered her head.
“Your father promised me that Maya would always be safe. He told me you were a good man.””
I turned toward Michael.
“Is there any documentation?””
Michael opened his case.
“Mrs. Brooks, do you have the original birth records?””
She reached beneath the pillow and produced a brown envelope.
Inside were hospital records, an original birth certificate, and a handwritten letter.
Michael examined the certificate.
Then he stopped.
“Daniel.””
I looked at him.
“What?””
He pointed to the section identifying the father.
The name wasn't mine.
It wasn't my father's.
It was blank.
But attached to the certificate was a separate notarized statement.
The statement identified the biological father as someone else.
I read the name.
Then read it again.
*Thomas Hale.*
My father's younger brother.
My uncle.
I stepped backward.
“That can't be right.””
Elizabeth nodded.
“Thomas was the father.””
I had barely known Thomas.
He had died in a car accident when I was sixteen. My father rarely mentioned him, and whenever I asked about the accident, he changed the subject.
I looked at Elizabeth.
“Did my father know?””
“Yes.””
“Did he know Thomas was Maya's father?””
“Yes.””
“Then why did he tell me to raise her?””
Elizabeth's eyes filled with tears.
“Because Thomas left something for her.””
Michael opened the notarized statement.
There was a reference to a separate estate.
A property trust established by Thomas before his death.
Its value had been estimated at nearly sixty million dollars.
My father had managed it for years.
And Maya was the sole beneficiary.
I stared at the papers.
“So Richard wants Maya's trust.””
Elizabeth nodded.
“He believes that if Maya is declared legally incapable of inheriting, he can take control of the estate.””
Michael examined the document.
“That's why someone forged Daniel's signature.””
I turned toward Elizabeth.
“And Vanessa?””
Elizabeth hesitated.
“She was supposed to protect Maya.””
“Then why did she have a baby with Richard?””
Elizabeth looked toward the window.
“Because Richard promised her a share of the money.””
My fists tightened.
“Who is the baby's mother?””
Elizabeth swallowed.
“Vanessa isn't the biological mother.””
I stared at her.
“What?””
“She carried the child through a private surrogacy arrangement. The baby's biological mother is Richard's former assistant.””
Michael looked up sharply.
“Does she know?””
Elizabeth nodded.
“She signed the original agreement. But Richard changed the documents after the delivery.””
I looked at Maya.
The entire arrangement had been designed around two children.
One who could inherit.
And another who could be used to manipulate the inheritance.
Then Elizabeth reached for my hand.
“Daniel, there's something your father wanted me to tell you.””
“What?””
She handed me the handwritten letter.
I opened it.
The first line was unmistakable.
Daniel, if you have finally found Elizabeth, then Richard has already begun the final part of his plan.
My eyes moved down the page.
The accident that killed Thomas was not an accident.
I stopped breathing.
Michael took the letter from me.
He read the next sentence aloud.
And the man responsible is the same man who has been pretending to protect your family.
We all looked toward the hospital door.
A shadow moved beneath it.
Then the handle began to turn.
Elizabeth grabbed Maya's wrist.
“Don't let him take her!””
The door opened.
Richard stood there.
May you like
And behind him was Vanessa.
Holding the baby.
