Chapter 10 - The Poisoned History
|
The interior of the estate was a masterpiece of warm wood, towering stone fireplaces, and floor-to-ceiling windows. Arthur led us into a private, sunlit sitting room overlooking the frozen lake. A roaring fire was already crackling in the hearth, and a bassinet filled with the softest blankets I had ever seen waited in the corner.
I gently laid Lily down, and she immediately went back to sleep, exhausted by the travel.
Arthur and I sat on the plush velvet sofa, a polite but heavily charged distance between us. He poured two cups of hot coffee, his hands finally steady.
"She is beautiful, Sarah," Arthur said softly, his dark eyes lingering on the bassinet. "She looks exactly like you."
"She has your eyes," I corrected gently, wrapping my hands around the warm mug. "Arthur... why didn't you answer my calls? When I found out I was pregnant, I called you dozens of times."
Arthur’s jaw tightened, the formidable billionaire resurfacing. He walked over to a heavy oak desk and pulled out a thick, leather-bound file. He dropped it onto the coffee table between us.
"I was in London negotiating a hostile takeover when you called," Arthur explained, his voice laced with bitter regret. "My phone was confiscated during a secure board meeting. By the time I got out, you had vanished from your apartment."
He opened the file, sliding a stack of documents toward me.
"When I tried to find you, your mother intercepted my security team," Arthur said grimly. "She presented them with these."
I looked at the documents. My blood ran completely cold.
They were medical records. Forged medical records from a private clinic in Chicago, stating that I had suffered a severe miscarriage due to stress, and that I blamed Arthur for the loss. Attached was a cease-and-desist letter, bearing my perfectly forged signature, demanding Arthur never contact me again, claiming his presence was a danger to my mental health.
"She told me you lost the baby, Sarah," Arthur whispered, his eyes filled with absolute agony. "She told me you hated me for abandoning you during the tragedy. She threatened to go to the press and ruin my company with allegations of abuse if I didn't respect your boundaries."
I covered my mouth, feeling physically sick. "Oh my god. She faked a miscarriage to keep you away from me."
"I honored the cease-and-desist because I thought I had broken you," Arthur confessed, sitting heavily beside me. "It wasn't until eight months ago, when my private investigators flagged a birth certificate filed in Cook County with my name listed as the father, that I realized your mother had lied about the miscarriage."
"That's when you set up the trust fund," I realized.
May you like
"Yes. But she had secured full custodial power of attorney over your finances through a corrupt judge," Arthur growled. "I have spent the last eight months building an airtight legal case to destroy her and get you back. I am so sorry I didn't find you sooner."
I reached across the space between us and took his hand. "We found each other now."
