Chapter 3: The Secret in My Daughter's Birth Certificate
I slowly turned toward the living room.
Daniel was still standing beside Officer Harris.
His hands were visible.
His phone was on the coffee table.
Yet the voice I'd heard through Rebecca's call sounded exactly like his.
"Rebecca?"" I whispered.
"Who's with you?""
She started breathing heavily.
"Sarah, I shouldn't have called.""
"Answer me!""
"Please, don't trust anything Daniel tells you.""
The call disconnected.
I stared at my screen.
My father approached.
"What happened?""
I told him everything.
When I mentioned the birth certificate, his expression became unusually serious.
"Sarah, where do you keep Lily's original birth certificate?""
"In the filing cabinet upstairs. Why?""
"Have you checked it recently?""
I shook my head.
Officer Harris overheard us.
"Mrs. Mitchell, if you suspect documents have been altered or removed, don't touch the filing cabinet until we've discussed it.""
I nodded.
Daniel suddenly laughed.
"You people are unbelievable. Now you're accusing me of stealing a birth certificate?""
Nobody answered.
He pointed at my father.
"This is exactly why Sarah has problems. You always make her think everyone is against her.""
My father didn't raise his voice.
"Daniel, I spent thirty years in the Army. I've seen men lie under pressure. You don't need to explain your behavior to me.""
Daniel stepped forward.
"You're not going to intimidate me.""
Officer Harris moved between them.
"Sir, take a seat.""
Daniel reluctantly sat down.
My father turned to me.
"Do you remember anything unusual about Lily's paperwork?""
I tried to think.
Three months earlier, Daniel had insisted on taking Lily's original documents to update her school records.
He'd said the school needed a certified copy.
I'd offered to handle it.
He told me not to worry.
"I'll take care of everything, sweetheart. You've got enough on your plate.""
At the time, I'd appreciated his help.
Now the memory made me feel sick.
"He took her documents," I whispered.
"When?""
"Three months ago. He said he needed them for school.""
My father exchanged a look with Officer Harris.
"Do you have copies?""
"Yes. I keep scanned copies in my email.""
I opened my laptop.
My hands trembled as I searched through old attachments.
There it was.
Lily's original birth certificate.
Her full name.
Her date of birth.
My name listed as her mother.
Daniel's name listed as her father.
Everything looked normal.
Then I noticed something strange.
The file had been modified two months earlier.
I clicked on the document properties.
The last editor was Daniel.
My father leaned over my shoulder.
"Can you open the original scan?""
I found the older attachment.
The two documents looked almost identical.
Almost.
On the original, Lily's middle name was Elizabeth.
On the newer version, it was Vanessa.
I blinked.
"What?""
My father stared at the screen.
"Sarah, look at the date.""
The newer document had been created shortly before Daniel transferred the money.
I felt the room tilt.
"Why would he change her middle name?""
Officer Harris stepped closer.
"Do you recognize that name?""
I shook my head.
"Vanessa is his girlfriend. But Lily has never been named after her.""
Daniel suddenly stood.
"That's enough!""
Officer Harris turned.
"Sit down, Mr. Mitchell.""
"Those are just computer files! Anyone can change a PDF!""
My father looked at him.
"Then why are you so frightened of a PDF?""
Daniel clenched his jaw.
For the first time that evening, he looked genuinely afraid.
The officer asked whether there were any additional documents concerning Lily's identity or guardianship.
I remembered the black box.
"Dad, Lily said Daniel keeps important papers in his office.""
My father nodded.
"Let's leave the search to the officers.""
Officer Harris contacted another unit and requested guidance on preserving the relevant records.
Meanwhile, my father went upstairs to sit with Lily.
I remained at the kitchen table, staring at the two birth certificate files.
Then my phone buzzed.
A message from Rebecca.
It contained a photograph.
The photograph showed a document resting on a wooden desk.
At the top were the words:
APPLICATION FOR AMENDED BIRTH CERTIFICATE.
Underneath was Lily's full name.
Except it wasn't the name I'd given her.
The document listed Vanessa Cole as an additional parent.
My heart pounded.
A handwritten note appeared at the bottom.
"After the adoption is approved, Daniel and I can finally raise her together.""
I enlarged the photograph.
The signature at the bottom belonged to Daniel.
But the second signature belonged to someone else.
Someone who had supposedly been dead for years.
My mother.
I stared at it, unable to understand what I was seeing.
My mother had died when Lily was two.
She couldn't have signed anything.
Then I noticed the date.
The document had been prepared six months after her death.
"Officer," I called.
He came over immediately.
I showed him the photograph.
His expression changed.
"Who sent you this?""
"Rebecca.""
"Can you contact her again?""
Before I could answer, another message arrived.
This time, it was a voice recording.
I pressed play.
Rebecca's voice filled the kitchen.
"Sarah, I know I've done terrible things. Daniel promised me that Lily would eventually live with us. He said you were emotionally unstable and that the court would never let you keep her.""
She paused.
Then continued.
"But there's something you don't know. Vanessa isn't just his girlfriend. She was the person who helped him prepare the fake loan application.""
I felt my stomach tighten.
Rebecca began crying.
"And the money he gave me wasn't payment for helping him steal your house. It was payment for something else.""
A man's voice interrupted the recording.
"Rebecca, I told you not to talk!""
The recording ended.
My father came downstairs.
He had heard the final words.
"Sarah, we need to find out what that money was really for.""
I looked at him.
Then at the photograph.
"Why would Vanessa need to become Lily's legal parent?""
My father was silent.
Then his phone rang again.
This time, it was the bank's investigator.
He answered.
"Yes?""
A few seconds passed.
Then his face went completely pale.
"What do you mean, the original birth certificate has already been submitted?""
He listened.
His eyes moved toward me.
"Submitted where?""
Another pause.
Then he slowly lowered the phone.
"Sarah...""
I stood up.
"What?""
"The county records office received an application this morning to change Lily's legal parent information.""
I felt my knees weaken.
"Who submitted it?""
Dad looked directly into my eyes.
"Daniel.""
He swallowed.
"And the application includes a notarized statement claiming you voluntarily gave up your parental rights.""
I couldn't speak.
Then Dad showed me the final page.
There was my signature.
My address.
My identification number.
And a statement claiming I'd agreed to let Vanessa Cole adopt my daughter.
But beneath the document was something even more disturbing.
A scheduled hearing notice.
May you like
The hearing was set for the following morning.
And the person listed as the witness against me was my own sister, Rebecca Mitchell.
