“My dad’s old fishing cabin. Sophie and I were fixing it up for you.”
I looked at the sign on the floor.
“Mom’s Lake House.”
Parenting
“The path was wet. She went back for the sign and slipped.”
“Why didn’t you call 911?”
“I panicked. I drove her to urgent care.”
The officer stepped closer. “How did the center keep her mother from her?”
Mark looked down.
I felt the answer before he said it.
“I signed the intake forms.”
Pregnancy & Maternity
“You’re her father,” I said. “That explains one day. Not a year.”
“I told them you knew.”
My stomach turned. “What?”
“I listed you as unavailable for ‘acute grief instability.’ I said your therapist recommended limited contact. Early calls had to be approved through me.”
“I didn’t even have a therapist.”
“I know.”
I grabbed the hallway table.
“You wrote me out of my own child’s life.”
Language Resources
“I paid privately,” he said. “No insurance, no mailed statements. I didn’t want questions.”
“You wanted control.”
“You can love someone and still do something unforgivable.”
The detective arrived soon after and questioned Mark about dates, payments, locations, and bank accounts.
Then I turned to him.
“Where is my daughter?”
He looked back at me.
Family Law
“We contacted the center. Sophie is currently listed as a patient.”
“She’s alive?” I asked.
