Chapter 7 - The File Lauren Tried to Bury
Lauren contacted the private agency that had arranged Olivia’s earliest foster placement.
The agency had closed years earlier after accusations of falsified adoptions.
Its remaining files were stored in a county archive.
Lauren submitted an emergency request claiming she represented Olivia.
She attached an authorization bearing Olivia’s forged signature.
The archive released a partial index before an employee noticed the signature did not match Sarah’s official representation notice.
That employee called Sarah.
The index contained three alarming entries.
A sealed intake form.
A payment from a company associated with the illegal adoption network.
And a handwritten note stating:
Infant arrived with photograph. Remove original surname.
Someone had deliberately erased Olivia’s identity.
Sarah immediately secured the archive.
The full file required a judge’s order to open because it involved a closed criminal investigation.
Nathan’s attorneys opposed the request.
They argued Olivia’s childhood records had no relevance to the divorce.
Sarah disagreed.
“Ms. Pierce attempted to obtain them using a forged authorization. That makes them relevant.”
Lauren denied involvement.
The archive employee produced the email.
It came from Lauren’s office.
The judge warned her that misuse of sealed records could result in sanctions.
Lauren apologized and blamed a paralegal.
Nathan still seemed confident.
Even if Olivia proved she was Henry Whitmore’s daughter, he believed the discovery would not affect ownership of EverHome.
But Sarah noticed something in his financial filings.
Nathan had recently created a new asset schedule.
It claimed any inheritance Olivia received before the divorce judgment should be treated as a marital expectancy because Nathan had supported her during the search.
He was preparing to claim part of a fortune he had mocked days earlier.
“He thinks every possible version of your life belongs to him,” Sarah said.
Olivia rested a hand on her stomach.
“He took the house because he thought I couldn’t fight.”
“He took the company because he controlled the paperwork.”
“And now he wants a family I haven’t even met.”
Sarah nodded.
“That may be why he is pushing for judgment before the DNA results return.”
Nathan requested the final hearing be moved forward by ten days.
He claimed EverHome’s investors required certainty.
The judge granted the request.
The DNA laboratory said it could not guarantee results before the new date.
Olivia’s blood pressure rose dangerously after hearing the news.
Her doctor warned that continued stress could trigger early labor.
Nathan submitted the warning to the court as evidence that Olivia lacked the physical capacity to lead EverHome.
The cruelty was precise.
Every injury he caused became proof he should receive more control.
The night before the hearing, Marcus called Sarah.
The preliminary DNA comparison showed a close biological relationship to Henry Whitmore.
But formal confirmation still required one final test.
Henry had already left Virginia.
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He was driving through the night toward North Carolina.
👉 Nathan moved the hearing forward to beat the DNA results, unaware that the father he believed would never appear was already on his way.
