Chapter 24: The Woman Who Arranged Everything
I felt like I couldn’t breathe.
Every time we reached an answer, another mystery appeared.
The foster coordinator.
The woman who had supposedly arranged Daisy’s placement.
The person who connected a newborn baby to my home.
The person who somehow knew I would protect her.
“Who was she?”” I asked.
Christopher looked at me.
“You remember her.””
I frowned.
“What?””
“The interview.””
Six months earlier.
The foster application.
The woman who came to our house.
The woman who asked me why I wanted to become a foster parent.
I remembered.
Her name was Anna Whitmore.
She had been kind.
Patient.
She had listened when I talked about wanting to help a child.
At the time, I thought she was just doing her job.
Now I wondered.
“Find her,” Christopher said.
“I don’t know where she is.””
Lauren looked at me.
“You do.””
I stared.
“What?””
“You kept the paperwork.””
My heart jumped.
The folder.
The foster documents.
The application.
The notes.
Everything was still in my home office.
We rushed back.
For once, nobody cared about being careful.
We needed answers.
I opened the cabinet where I stored the documents.
The folder was there.
Exactly where I left it.
Except something was wrong.
The papers had been moved.
I knew because I organized everything.
Someone had searched through them.
Christopher noticed.
“Someone was here.””
My hands shook.
“But nothing is missing.””
“Something is.””
I looked.
Then I saw it.
A small envelope.
Hidden behind the paperwork.
I had never seen it before.
My name was written on it.
REBECCA.
I opened it.
Inside was a letter.
Rebecca,
If you are reading this, then Daisy has reached you.
My hands trembled.
The letter continued.
I know you don’t understand why this happened.
I know you think this was a coincidence.
It was not.
Christopher read over my shoulder.
Anna continued:
Twenty-two years ago, I promised Lauren I would protect Emma if anything happened to her.
I kept that promise.
But I could not raise her myself.
So I waited.
I waited for the right person.
The right family.
Then I found you.
I looked at Christopher.
Me?
The letter continued.
You wanted a daughter.
But more importantly, you wanted to give a child safety.
That is why Daisy needed you.
Not because of your blood.
Because of your heart.
Tears filled my eyes.
I didn’t know Anna.
Not really.
But somehow, she had seen something in me.
Something even I had forgotten.
The letter continued.
There is one more thing you need to know.
Daisy’s identity was never hidden completely.
Someone knew.
Someone always knew.
The final line made my heart stop.
And that person is inside your family.
I slowly lowered the letter.
“What does that mean?””
Nobody answered.
Then the front door opened.
We all froze.
A familiar voice came from the hallway.
“I was hoping you would find that letter.””
My blood turned cold.
Matthew stood up.
“Who is that?””
Christopher looked toward the door.
Then his face changed.
“No.””
A man stepped into the room.
Older.
Calm.
Familiar.
Someone I had seen before.
Someone I never suspected.
Someone who had been part of our family for years.
Christopher whispered:
“Daniel.””
But Daniel wasn’t alone.
Behind him stood another person.
A woman.
And when I saw her face, my heart stopped.
Because I knew her.
She had been at our house.
She had hugged my sons.
She had attended our family dinners.
She had smiled while carrying a secret.
Christopher looked shocked.
“Mom?””
The woman looked at him.
Then at Daisy.
And said:
“I’m sorry, Christopher.””
A tear rolled down her face.
“I should have told you the truth years ago.””
I couldn’t move.
Because the impossible had happened.
Elizabeth Hayes was alive.
The woman everyone believed was dead.
The woman whose recording had changed everything.
Was standing in my living room.
May you like
And she had one sentence that changed the entire story.
“Daisy was never the only child they were hiding.””
