Chapter 59
“Yes, Mrs. Simmons,” the director chimed in, “Mr. Simmons has asked me for a long time to find a child who resembles Healy, and this little girl isn’t just similar in looks-her temperament is just like Healy’s as well.”
“When you three stand together, you look just like a real family.”
Blanche glanced at Lara, and a thought surfaced in her mind. “Let me see her file. If everything checks out, we’ll move forward with the adoption.”
“We’ll finalize the paperwork on Healy’s birthday. It’ll be perfect-everyone from both the business and political circles will be there, and we’ll have the chance to introduce the newest little Miss Simmons to all our
friends.”
On that day, she would vanish from their lives for good.
After all these years of marriage, the more surprises she left for him that day, the better.
“Honey, this is a wonderful idea.” Eddy squeezed Blanche’s hand. Her acceptance of Lara meant she was finally letting go-no longer obsessed with having another child.
Soon, maybe they’d both forget the pain of losing their own daughter.
But as Blanche watched the triumphant glint in Lara’s eyes, a chill crept
into her own.
The director quickly brought over the file and handed it to Blanche.
She flipped through it, but suddenly her brow furrowed. “Why is there no birth certificate?”
“Without a birth certificate, how are we supposed to have the child legally recognized as ours?”
Eddy shot the director a look, and he immediately explained, “Mrs.
Simmons, most of the children in the orphanage were abandoned, so
naturally, we don’t have birth certificates. But we do issue them official residency documents, which are all that’s needed for the adoption process.”
“You can see it on the last page.”
“As long as the adoption paperwork is complete, there won’t be any problems with the transfer of guardianship.”
Blanche turned to the last page. The residency document listed only the
name Lara-not Clara. But then…
Her eyes drifted lower, and her heart clenched.
April 20th, 2021-the day she lost her daughter.
It was also listed as the birthdate of Eddy and Jeannette’s child.
That day, Blanche had collapsed at home and was rushed to the hospital, hemorrhaging so badly she needed emergency surgery.
Her husband, the one who needed to sign the consent forms, never answered his phone.
Could it be that Eddy had been with Jeannette that night-at the hospital, in a delivery room just down the hall?
The memory struck Blanche so hard she nearly lost her balance. After the surgery, Eddy had arrived in a hurry, still wearing hospital scrubs.
She’d been too devastated to notice then, assuming the hospital required him to wear those scrubs because she’d just undergone surgery and needed a sterile environment.
But now, thinking back, she hadn’t been in an operating room, nor in the ICU-there was no risk of infection. Why would the hospital have made her husband wear scrubs just to visit?
She didn’t want to believe the conclusion forming in her mind, but to confirm it, all she needed was-
Blanche slammed the file down on the table. “I won’t be adopting this child.”
Without another word, she walked out of the orphanage, not waiting for Eddy to follow. She flagged down a cab and went straight to the hospital. She headed for the security office and asked the guard to pull up the surveillance footage from outside the maternity unit on April 20th, 2021.
And there it was: at three in the morning, Eddy appeared outside the delivery ward, changed into scrubs, and accompanied Jeannette into the birthing suite.
Blanche’s legs buckled, and she collapsed into a chair.
The door to the security office swung open. Eddy walked in. “Blanche, what are you doing here?”
