Alle Kapitel von Her Lies, My Second Life: Kapitel 1 – Kapitel 8

On Saturday afternoon, I was cutting fruit in the kitchen.Sophie said she wanted to go upstairs for a picture book, and I told her to go ahead.Less than a minute later, a heavy thud came from the staircase, followed by crying.I dropped the knife and ran out.She was lying at the landing. Her forehead had struck the edge of a step and turned red, and the skin on her left knee was scraped open.She curled on the floor, sobbing so hard that she could barely breathe."Sophie, what happened?"I crouched and tried to hold her.She shoved my hand away and shrank back.Then she raised her head toward the partly open front door, where a neighbor was passing in the hallway, and screamed with all her strength."Mom, stop pushing me. I don't want to go upstairs. Please don't push me again."I froze.I turned my head.Mrs. Henson, a longtime resident from the fourth floor, stood in the hallway waiting for the elevator.She held a bag of groceries, her mouth hanging open.She saw t

I reached beneath the coffee table and removed a document envelope.A plain brown envelope, labeled ADOPTION RECORDS.Three things inside.The first was the certified adoption decree from Darrow County Family Court, with a clear case number: "Adoptive parent: Nora Whitaker. Adopted child: Sophie Barrett. The parent-child relationship is established as of the date entered below."The second was a certified copy of the placement and adoption-agency file. It proved Sophie hadn't been stolen, and that the adoption had gone through every proper legal channel.The third was Dr. Camille Foster's preliminary child-behavioral assessment. Its opening line read: "The child displays persistent deceptive behavior, including false allegations against a caregiver. Comprehensive diagnostic evaluation is recommended."I placed the three documents side by side."Mr. Reed, this is Sophie's adoption decree and the certified agency record. The adoption was legally finalized through the county court.

After Gloria left, I remained on the couch for a long time.One thing kept turning over in my head.Something was wrong.Gloria had been against the adoption from the very beginning.Five years earlier, when I started the process, she said directly to me, "An adopted child never really becomes yours. Blood is blood. There's always going to be a gap when the child isn't your own."If biological connection mattered that much to her, why was she now desperate to keep Sophie?She'd been against it in my previous life too.And the moment I moved to end it, she turned into Sophie's fiercest defender.It didn't add up.Unless...Unless Sophie was connected to her.No, not to Gloria personally.To the Barrett family.It went through me like a live wire.Sophie was legally adopted.The family-court decree and the agency records were authentic. I handled the process myself, so I knew the paperwork was real.But what about before the placement?I found the screenshot I had saved

Colin signed the marital settlement agreement.The condo went to me. Our liquid savings were divided equally, and he waived any claim to the remaining marital property identified in the agreement.His hand trembled as he signed.The filing period ran its course. The sun was bright the morning we walked out of Darrow County Family Court with certified copies of the final decree.He said, "Nora, I'm sorry."I didn't turn around.I placed the decree inside my bag and called a rideshare home.During the drive, I messaged Rebecca. "It's final. Thank you."She replied with a hugging emoji.Then I sent another message. "Now I want to begin again."Rebecca asked, "Begin what again?"I watched Westhaven slide past the window."Everything."For the first year after the divorce, I worked, stayed late, went home, and slept.Work, overtime, home, bed. I wasted no words on anyone.Rebecca asked me out to dinner now and then and wanted to know if I'd met anyone.I told her no.She to