Chapter 4 - The Whispering Crowd
Ethan took the waterlogged booklet, his thumb carefully opening the damp pages. Inside was an official birth record and a death certificate. Listed under the mother’s name was Maya Sterling—a girl whose photograph attached to the document bore a striking, undeniable resemblance to the bride standing at the altar.
The guests began whispering loudly, the scandal unfolding before their very eyes. Claire’s face turned from pale white to a deep, embarrassed crimson. She lunged forward, trying to snatch the booklet from Ethan’s hands, but Ethan pulled it out of her reach, his eyes darkening as he read the secondary medical notes attached to the back.
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The medical notes detailed a private arrangement made four years ago: Maya Sterling had been admitted under a pseudonym, her medical expenses paid for by an anonymous trust operated by Montgomery Law Group—the senator’s private firm. The newborn baby was listed as part of a private surrender agreement, but the birth had gone wrong, leading to Maya's death.
Ethan looked up from the paper, his gaze shifting to Senator Montgomery, who had suddenly stopped moving toward the altar. The old politician’s confident demeanor had completely shattered, replaced by a cold, calculating fear as he realized the paperwork he had paid to have destroyed had survived.
