Chapter 5 - THE MOTHER WHO RAISED HER Sophie’s birth records revealed the truth.
Her mother was Caroline Anne Mercer.
Her father was listed as blank.
Caroline had carried Sophie, given birth to her, and raised her for nearly five years.
She was not a thief.
She had believed the embryo had been legally donated.
She had not known it came from us.
Then Sophie developed a minor inherited medical condition.
Caroline requested medical information about the embryo donor.
The clinic delayed.
She investigated.
Eventually she discovered something terrifying.
The donor identifiers did not match the consent paperwork.
Caroline began demanding answers.
She contacted an attorney, Maya Trent.
Maya confirmed that Caroline had uncovered evidence suggesting Sophie had originated from another patient account.
Our account.
Caroline intended to contact us.
She never got the chance.
She died in the accident.
Her cousin, Mara Benson, became Sophie’s guardian.
At first, Mara appeared to provide ordinary care.
Then everything changed.
School attendance dropped.
Sophie stopped appearing in records.
Mara moved houses.
And eventually, she moved next door to us.
She knew our address because Caroline's files contained our information.
Mara knew about Sophie.
She knew about us.
She knew about the clinic.
And she knew there could be money involved.
That realization made my skin crawl.
May you like
Because the hidden child in our wall wasn't there by accident.
Someone had brought her there.
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