Chapter 7 - The Night Daisy Disappeared
Judge Barrett stopped when security called her name.
Daisy hid behind Penelope.
The judge looked genuinely confused.
"What's happening?"
Daisy whispered, "That's her coat."
Not her face.
Her coat.
Investigators quickly established Barrett had been in court all day when Daisy disappeared.
But the coat was distinctive.
A tailored gray coat with a dark velvet collar.
Someone had worn an identical one.
Security footage was enhanced.
The woman wasn't Barrett.
She had dressed to resemble her from behind.
Another layer of misdirection.
Daisy studied still photographs.
Then she noticed something.
"The shoes."
The woman wore red-soled black heels.
Bianca owned a similar pair.
But so did hundreds of women.
Investigators traced hotel cameras beyond the emergency exit.
A vehicle appeared.
Registered to a corporate rental account.
PA Heritage Holdings.
Penelope's company.
Again, her identity had been used.
The rental application contained a driver's license scan.
Penelope Albright.
Her photograph.
Her information.
A forged signature.
Someone had been building a paper trail around her.
If Daisy hadn't been found quickly, records might have suggested Penelope arranged her own stepdaughter's disappearance.
"Why?" Penelope asked.
Evelyn understood.
"Leverage in the divorce."
A mother accused of endangering a child could be pressured.
Discredited.
Made desperate enough to sign almost anything.
Bianca finally supplied the missing name.
Caroline Shepherd's business partner:
Natalie Voss.
Natalie had prepared forged identities and corporate documents for years.
She had also been the woman wearing the gray coat.
Within twenty-four hours, she was located.
Daisy was safe.
The threat was finally shrinking into something the legal system could handle.
Facts.
Documents.
Testimony.
Not shadows.
But Penelope's body had reached its limit.
At 2:17 the next morning, she woke with a contraction.
Then another.
Her water broke before the ambulance arrived.
Daisy stood in the hallway in pajamas, terrified.
"Is the baby coming?"
Penelope laughed through tears.
"Apparently she has terrible timing."
At the hospital, labor moved slowly.
Margaret stayed with Daisy.
Evelyn sat in the waiting room despite Penelope insisting she go home.
Gabriel arrived after being notified.
He didn't enter.
He waited outside.
Hours passed.
Then complications developed.
Nothing catastrophic.
But enough to frighten everyone.
The baby's heart rate dipped.
Doctors moved quickly.
Penelope stared at the ceiling and thought of everything that had happened.
The courtroom.
The key.
The trust.
The lies.
Her father.
Daisy.
Then she heard a baby's cry.
A tiny, furious sound.
Penelope began sobbing.
Her daughter was placed against her chest.
"Hi," Penelope whispered.
The baby opened her eyes.
For the first time in months, nothing else mattered.
She named her Hope Andrew Albright.
Hope for the future.
Andrew for her father.
Albright because Penelope hadn't yet decided what surname she would ultimately use, and she refused to let bitterness make the choice for her.
Daisy met her the next morning.
"She's tiny."
"You were too."
"Can I hold her?"
With help, Daisy did.
She stared down at Hope.
"Hi. I'm your big sister."
Penelope turned away because she was crying again.
Gabriel watched from the doorway.
He didn't enter until Penelope nodded.
He approached slowly.
Daisy stiffened.
Gabriel stopped.
"Hey, sweetheart."
"Hi."
"I owe you an apology."
Daisy looked at him.
"For being mad?"
"For making you afraid to tell the truth."
He knelt.
"You never have to protect me from the consequences of something I did."
Daisy didn't fully understand.
But she understood enough.
"Are you mad at Mommy Penny?"
"No."
"Bianca?"
Gabriel looked down.
"I'm mostly mad at myself."
Daisy considered this.
Then she said, "You should say sorry."
"I did."
"Again."
Penelope almost smiled.
Gabriel looked at her.
"I'm sorry."
"Your daughter has spoken."
For one second, the old Gabriel appeared.
A faint smile.
Then it vanished.
He looked at Hope.
"She's beautiful."
Penelope nodded.
"She is."
He didn't ask to hold her.
Penelope respected that.
The legal proceedings resumed six weeks later.
By then, the financial picture was clear.
Penelope's inheritance remained legally hers.
Gabriel's attempts to manipulate the settlement had failed.
The proposed transfer to Bianca's company was void.
Helena faced extensive civil consequences and investigation into forged documents.
Bianca cooperated in exchange for consideration regarding her own role, though she still faced serious consequences.
Caroline and Natalie faced proceedings related to Daisy's removal from the hotel and document fraud.
Gabriel accepted responsibility for his financial deception.
Penelope requested a fair divorce.
Not revenge.
She kept her inheritance.
The legitimate marital property was divided according to law.
She rejected Gabriel's attempt to give her everything.
"I don't want punishment disguised as generosity."
Evelyn smiled when she said it.
"You're getting annoyingly wise."
"I've had an expensive education."
Daisy's custody became the hardest issue.
Penelope had no automatic parental rights as a stepmother after divorce.
Gabriel knew that.
He surprised everyone.
He supported continued contact.
Margaret did too.
Daisy had already lost one mother.
Gabriel refused to make her lose another because of his mistakes.
Family specialists created a plan.
Penelope remained part of Daisy's life.
Gabriel began supervised parenting and counseling to rebuild trust.
Months passed.
The courtroom drama became paperwork.
Then came the final hearing.
Penelope returned carrying Hope.
Daisy sat beside Margaret.
Gabriel sat alone.
No Bianca.
No smug laughter.
No secret partnership.
Judge Greene reviewed the final divorce agreement.
"Mrs. Albright, do you understand its terms?"
"Yes."
"Are you entering it voluntarily?"
"Yes."
"Has anyone pressured you?"
Penelope looked at Gabriel.
"No."
Judge Greene signed.
The marriage ended.
Penelope expected grief.
Instead she felt space.
Room to breathe.
Outside the courtroom, Gabriel approached.
Daisy ran between them.
"Can Daddy come to lunch?"
Penelope looked at him.
Gabriel looked equally surprised.
"We already have plans," Penelope said.
Daisy's face fell.
"Maybe another time."
She brightened.
"Saturday?"
Penelope looked at Gabriel.
"Saturday."
He nodded.
"Thank you."
Penelope walked toward the elevator.
Then Evelyn called her name.
"Penelope."
She turned.
Her attorney held a courier envelope.
"It was delivered during the hearing."
"From whom?"
"No return address."
Penelope opened it.
Inside was a single photograph.
Her father.
Andrew Mercer stood beside a building Penelope didn't recognize.
Next to him was a pregnant woman.
On the back, her father had written:
PENELOPE DESERVES TO KNOW ABOUT HER SISTER.
Penelope stared at the words.
May you like
Then at the photograph.
The woman beside her father was not Penelope's mother.
