Chapter 4 - THE TWINSI didn't sleep that night.
Brandon refused to explain anything on the phone.
He told me we needed to talk in person.
I refused.
So he showed up at the hotel.
Alone.
He looked exhausted.
“Where are the girls?”
“Asleep.”
“Can I see them?”
“No.”
He stared at me.
“You're going to let me see my daughters.”
“Not until you explain.”
He sat down.
For the first time since I had met him, Brandon looked genuinely afraid.
“When you were pregnant, the doctor said there was a possibility one of the twins could have complications.”
“I know.”
“You know about the heart condition.”
“Yes.”
“What you don't know is that my mother wanted us to terminate the pregnancy.”
I stared at him.
“What?”
“She was convinced the babies would have medical problems that would destroy our lives.”
I couldn't breathe.
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“Because I knew you'd hate her.”
“You let me believe everything was normal.”
“It wasn't.”
He looked down.
“Mom wanted us to give one of the girls up.”
My blood ran cold.
“What are you talking about?”
“She found an adoption agency.”
I stood.
“Stop.”
“Emily…”
“Stop talking.”
I had tears in my eyes.
“Did you know?”
“Yes.”
“And you did nothing?”
“I said no.”
“Then why would she think she could do it?”
He didn't answer.
“Brandon.”
His silence told me everything.
“She had legal paperwork prepared.”
I sat down slowly.
“She couldn't have done that without your signature.”
His face changed.
“Emily…”
“You signed something.”
“I didn't sign an adoption agreement.”
“Then what did you sign?”
He stared at the floor.
“A medical authorization.”
“For what?”
He whispered,
“For one of the babies.”
My heart hammered.
“Which baby?”
He didn't answer.
I shook my head.
“Which one?”
“Lily.”
Everything went silent.
Lily.
My daughter.
The tiny baby who slept with one hand curled against her cheek.
“You authorized your mother to make medical decisions for Lily.”
“No. It was supposed to be temporary.”
“Why?”
“In case you were incapacitated.”
I stared at him.
“That's not what the document says.”
He looked up.
“You've seen it?”
“No.”
“Then how do you know?”
“Because Rachel sent it to me.”
His face turned pale.
“Rachel?”
“Yes.”
I pulled out my phone.
There was an email.
From Rachel.
One attachment.
One message.
You deserve to know the truth before Brandon destroys the evidence.
Brandon stood.
“Don't open that.”
I did.
It was a scanned legal document.
And at the bottom was Brandon's signature.
Beside it was another signature.
Margaret Carter.
Then I saw the date.
It was seven days before the twins were born.
And beneath the signatures was one handwritten note.
Transfer Lily Carter to temporary guardianship immediately after delivery.
I looked at Brandon.
“You were planning to take my daughter.”
“No.”
“You signed it.”
“I changed my mind.”
“When?”
He looked away.
“The day they were born.”
I couldn't speak.
“Then why didn't you destroy the document?”
He said nothing.
Then my phone buzzed again.
Another message from Rachel.
May you like
This one contained only six words.
Brandon knows who Lily's father really is.
