Chapter 8: The Mother Who Never Stopped Searching
Rebecca sat on the edge of an abandoned hospital bed, staring at the photograph of the newborn baby.
Daniel stood beside the window, watching police officers search the grounds.
He had spent the last twenty minutes trying to reach the officer coordinating the search for Sophie. Every call ended with the same answer: units were following leads, but the sedan had not been located.
He couldn't sit still.
“Tell me everything,” he said.
Rebecca lifted her eyes.
“About Rachel?””
“About the children. About the records. About why my daughter has two names.””
Rebecca looked down at the photograph.
“When we were children, Rachel was always the one everyone noticed. She was charming, beautiful, and clever. I was the quiet one. The one who followed rules.””
Daniel said nothing.
“Our parents treated us differently. They praised Rachel for everything, even when she lied. When I did the same things, they called me difficult.””
She rubbed her thumb over the edge of the photograph.
“After our parents died, we tried to repair our relationship. I thought having children might bring us closer.””
“What happened?””
“Rachel became pregnant first. She lost the baby. The doctors told her she might never carry another child.””
Rebecca paused.
“She never recovered emotionally. She started talking about destiny, about how the universe had taken something from her that belonged to her.””
Daniel's jaw tightened.
“And then you became pregnant.””
“Yes.””
“When did she find out?””
“Six months into my pregnancy. She came to one of my appointments and saw the ultrasound. She started crying. She told me she was happy for me.””
Rebecca laughed bitterly.
“I believed her.””
Daniel looked at the photograph.
“Did she take your baby at the hospital?””
“She arranged for me to deliver at St. Agnes. She said she knew a doctor who could provide better care. I trusted her because she was my sister.””
“What happened after the birth?””
“I remember waking up in a different room. They told me my daughter had died during an emergency evacuation after the electrical fire. They showed me paperwork, but they wouldn't let me see her.””
Rebecca's voice trembled.
“I begged them to let me hold her. I screamed until my throat hurt. A nurse gave me medication, and when I woke again, Rachel was beside my bed, holding a baby.””
Daniel felt a chill move through him.
“Your baby?””
“She said the child was hers. She told me she'd been pregnant too, but had hidden it because she feared our parents' reaction. She claimed she'd delivered early and that her daughter had survived.””
“Was that true?””
“No.””
Rebecca looked at him.
“Rachel had never been pregnant. She had fabricated the entire story.””
Daniel stared at her.
“How did Laura become involved?””
“Laura was admitted to St. Agnes a few days later. She had delivered Sophie, and the maternity center was still dealing with the aftermath of the fire. She discovered discrepancies in the records and began asking questions.””
“Did she find out Rachel had taken your baby?””
“Yes. Laura confronted her. She tried to convince Rachel to return the child.””
Rebecca wiped her eyes.
“Rachel refused. She said the baby had already bonded with her and that no court would give a child to a woman who had just lost everything.””
“And Laura let her keep Sophie?””
“No. Laura helped me contact a lawyer. But Rachel had altered the records, and the lawyer warned us that proving the truth could take years.””
Daniel paced across the room.
“So Laura brought Sophie home because she believed she was protecting her?””
Rebecca nodded.
“She thought she could keep Rachel away until we had enough evidence. She planned to bring Sophie to me once the legal situation was resolved.””
“Why didn't she tell me?””
“Because Rachel threatened to tell you that Laura had knowingly participated in an illegal adoption.””
Daniel stopped.
“Did she?””
Rebecca hesitated.
“She signed a temporary guardianship document.””
Daniel felt anger rising again.
“Without telling me?””
“She thought it would be temporary. She believed Rachel would eventually surrender the child.””
“And instead, Laura died.””
Rebecca looked down.
“The night of the accident, Rachel confronted Laura. They argued outside your house. Laura told her she was going to the police the next morning.””
Daniel remembered Vanessa's account.
“Vanessa was there.””
“Yes. She was supposed to help Laura leave safely.””
“Instead, she lied to me for a year.””
Rebecca nodded.
“Vanessa was afraid of Rachel. She knew Rachel had threatened to destroy everyone involved.””
Daniel stared at the photograph.
“Did Rachel cause the accident?””
Rebecca closed her eyes.
“I don't know. But I believe she followed Laura that night.””
A police radio crackled in the hallway.
An officer appeared at the doorway.
“Mr. Carter, we've received a report of a vehicle matching the description near an abandoned property outside town. We're checking it now.””
Daniel stood immediately.
“I'm coming.””
“Sir, we can't allow you to enter a potentially dangerous scene.””
“My daughter is there.””
“We understand, but we need you to remain with the team.””
Daniel clenched his fists, then forced himself to nod.
As the officer left, Rebecca stood.
“I know where Rachel might go.””
Daniel turned.
“Where?””
“There was a house our parents owned near the lake. Rachel used to take me there when we were young. After the baby died—or after I was told she died—Rachel started spending time there alone.””
“Why didn't you mention this earlier?””
“Because I thought she had sold it.””
“Do you know the address?””
Rebecca nodded.
“I can take you.””
Daniel called the officer and gave him the information. Within minutes, a unit was redirected toward the lake house.
Before leaving St. Agnes, Daniel returned to the old nursery.
He picked up Sophie's stuffed rabbit and pressed it against his chest.
“I'm coming for you, baby,” he whispered.
The journey to the lake took forty minutes.
The sky darkened as the cars traveled through winding country roads. Bare trees leaned over the asphalt, their branches scratching against the wind.
Daniel sat in the passenger seat of a police vehicle, unable to stop thinking about Sophie's face behind the car window.
Every time he closed his eyes, he heard her cry.
“Daddy!””
He opened them again.
The officer beside him glanced over.
“We'll find her, sir.””
Daniel nodded.
He wanted to believe that.
When they reached the lake house, the first thing Daniel noticed was the light in the upstairs window.
The second was the black sedan parked beside the garage.
Police officers approached from both sides of the property.
Daniel stayed behind them, his pulse racing.
A woman appeared on the porch.
She was holding Sophie.
The toddler was wrapped in a white blanket, her face red from crying. When she saw Daniel, she reached toward him.
“Daddy!””
Daniel stepped forward.
“That's my daughter!””
The woman tightened her hold on Sophie.
“Stop right there.””
Rachel.
Her face was almost identical to Rebecca's, but her expression was colder. She wore the silver bracelet and a pale blue coat.
“Give her to me,” Daniel said.
Rachel smiled faintly.
“You look just like Laura described you.””
“Give me my daughter.””
“Your daughter?”” Rachel tilted her head.
“Have you ever wondered why Laura never wanted you to see the original birth records?””
Daniel's hands curled into fists.
“I don't care about the records. I care about the child in your arms.””
Rachel looked down at Sophie.
“She has my sister's eyes.””
“She has a family.””
“She has a mother who was denied the right to raise her.””
“You kidnapped her!””
Rachel's smile vanished.
“I rescued her from a lie.””
Sophie began crying harder.
“Daddy, Daddy!””
Daniel took a step forward.
Rachel immediately pulled Sophie behind her.
“Don't come any closer!””
The officers raised their hands.
“Ma'am, put the child down and step away.””
Rachel laughed.
“You think you can take her from me? I've spent years making sure no one could.””
Daniel stared at her.
“Why?””
Rachel's eyes glistened.
“Because everyone took something from me. My parents chose Rebecca. My husband left me. My child died before I could even hold her.””
“You stole Rebecca's baby.””
“I saved her!””
“You changed her identity. You falsified medical records. You threatened my wife.””
Rachel's face twisted.
“Laura was going to destroy everything!””
“Then why did she die?””
For a moment, Rachel said nothing.
Then she looked toward the lake.
“She shouldn't have tried to leave.””
Daniel felt ice spread through his veins.
“What did you do?””
Rachel's expression hardened.
“I didn't touch her.””
“Did you follow her?””
“I wanted her to understand that she couldn't take my daughter away.””
Sophie sobbed into her shoulder.
Daniel took another step.
“She's frightened. Look at her.””
Rachel glanced down.
Sophie was pushing against her chest, trying to get away.
“Stop crying,” Rachel snapped.
The toddler went silent for half a second, then began trembling.
Daniel's heart broke.
“That's what you've always done, isn't it?”” he said.
“You frighten children until they stop fighting back.””
Rachel's eyes flashed.
“You know nothing about what I lost!””
“Then explain it to a judge.””
Rachel turned toward the house.
An officer moved to block the door.
“Don't move.””
For a moment, everyone froze.
Then Sophie slipped from Rachel's arms and ran toward Daniel.
Her little feet stumbled on the porch steps.
Daniel rushed forward and caught her before she fell.
He wrapped her in his arms, burying his face in her hair.
“Daddy's here. Daddy's here.””
Sophie clung to him, sobbing.
Rachel screamed.
“She's mine!””
The officers seized her before she could reach them.
She struggled, kicking and shouting, while Daniel carried Sophie toward the police car.
Rebecca stood near the gate, tears streaming down her face.
When Sophie saw her, she reached out one tiny hand.
“Baby,” Rebecca whispered.
Daniel looked at the woman who had spent years searching for a child she believed had been stolen from her.
He wanted to protect Sophie from another stranger claiming her.
But he also remembered the photograph, the bracelet, and the records.
He knew the truth could no longer be ignored.
Rebecca approached slowly.
“I'm not going to take her from you,” she said.
“I only want her to know who I am.””
Daniel looked down at Sophie.
The toddler rested her head against his shoulder, exhausted.
“Not tonight,” he said.
Rebecca nodded.
“Of course.””
An officer led Rachel away.
As she passed Daniel, she stopped and looked at Sophie.
“You'll regret this,” she whispered.
Daniel tightened his arms around his daughter.
“No. I regret trusting you.””
Rachel smiled strangely.
“You still don't know which baby Laura brought home.””
Daniel went cold.
“What?””
Rachel leaned closer as the officer pulled her forward.
“Ask Rebecca what happened after the fire.””
Then she was gone.
Daniel looked toward Rebecca.
The color had drained from her face.
“What's she talking about?””
Rebecca shook her head.
“Nothing. She's trying to confuse you.””
But her hands were trembling.
Daniel looked down at Sophie.
Then he noticed the small bracelet around her wrist.
It was not the bracelet she had worn at home.
It was a hospital identification band.
The name printed on it was faded, but still readable.
*REBECCA MORGAN.*
Daniel stared at it.
“Rachel put this on her.””
Rebecca's eyes filled with tears.
“No,” she whispered.
“I did.””
Daniel stepped back.
“You gave my daughter that bracelet?””
Rebecca shook her head frantically.
“I thought it was the only way to prove who she was.””
“Then why did Rachel say the baby Laura brought home wasn't the one everyone thought?””
Rebecca covered her mouth.
For a long moment, she couldn't speak.
Then she looked at Sophie and whispered, “Because I don't know which baby I lost.””
Daniel felt his blood run cold.
May you like
Rebecca continued, her voice barely audible.
“When the fire happened, there were three babies in that ward.””
