CHAPTER 9: The Forged Signature

Margaret placed the paper in front of Daniel. “If you go public, they’ll believe you paid to get Emily kicked out. Who do you think will listen to an eight-year-old story without evidence?”

Daniel looked at the signature, identical to his own, and felt a chill run down his spine. For a moment, he understood Emily’s feelings: crushed by a system larger than himself, while the truth lay too far away to reach.

But the date on the paper made him stop. That day he was in London after a car accident, his right hand in a cast, unable even to sign. Marcus searched through his flight schedule, hospital photos, and doctor’s letters. All proved the signature was forged.

Grant Mercer was found at a seaside vacation home. When Daniel presented the evidence, he didn't deny it for long. Grant said Margaret had given the order, and he had only been "protecting the future of the Cross family."

"What future needs a child to disappear?" Daniel asked.
Grant didn't answer.

The confrontation with Margaret took place in the large dining room. There were no shouts. Only the ticking of the antique clock on the wall and Noah standing hidden behind the door, hearing only the fragments but understanding that he had once been considered a mistake.

Margaret admitted it. She said Emily was poor, Daniel was too young, and the family couldn't let an unknown girl destroy everything.

Daniel looked at his mother for a long time. "You did it for the name Cross. And I let that name take away my son."

He handed the evidence to the lawyer. Just then, the hospital called. Emily's condition had suddenly worsened.

Noah stood in the doorway, his face pale. "Father," he called for the first time. "Take me to Mother."