Chapter 10 - The Consent Form Adrian Never Signed
Rachel supplied archived sperm-storage documents.
Adrian had banked material before chemotherapy.
Initial consent:
for use with spouse Claire Vale only.
No posthumous use without separate authorization.
No donor use.
Therefore using it for Emma violated Adrian’s own consent too—unless he later amended.
Hawthorne produced amendment dated six months earlier.
Signed Adrian Vale.
Witnessed remotely.
If Adrian alive, valid identity could potentially authorize use of his sample—but not with Emma without Emma’s consent.
So still reproductive assault/fraud.
But amendment wording strange:
AUTHORIZED FOR CREATION OF ONE EMBRYO WITH DESIGNATED MATERNAL PATIENT E.M., SUBJECT TO SEPARATE MATERNAL CONSENT.
“Subject to separate maternal consent.”
Adrian expected Emma to consent.
Yet nobody asked her.
Did Aaron act early?
Aaron insisted Adrian showed him digital maternal-consent confirmation.
Forgery.
Who created it?
Metadata:
Melissa Grant’s account.
Melissa denied.
Security logs showed login from Claire’s home Wi-Fi.
Claire froze.
“I didn’t do that.”
Router records date:
night Adrian secretly met Claire.
Could Adrian have used her network during meeting? Meeting was hotel, not home.
Someone at Claire’s house.
Who had access?
Richard Vale had stayed there that week.
Adrian’s father.
Maya questioned him again.
Richard finally cracked.
“I knew Adrian was alive.”
Claire stood.
“You what?”
Richard had known from beginning.
He helped stage escape.
Helped false identification.
Allowed Claire to bury wrong man.
Allowed son to remain legally dead.
Why?
Adrian convinced him Meridian-connected contractors would kill Claire if Adrian stayed.
Richard believed.
Then years passed.
Threat faded.
Richard wanted Adrian return.
Adrian refused unless Meridian archive secured.
Six months ago Richard began communicating with him.
Adrian said he wanted an heir who could preserve trust rights if something happened to him before public return.
Richard supported idea—but assumed Claire would be maternal candidate.
Adrian refused.
Claire had moved on emotionally? She hadn't remarried, but he believed she would never agree.
Then Adrian named Emma.
Richard objected.
Adrian claimed Emma would be asked privately and could decline.
Richard later received electronic “consent” supposedly from Emma.
He believed she agreed.
Did he verify?
No.
He used Claire’s home computer while housesitting? Need why Wi-Fi. Richard visited Claire and logged in to Hawthorne portal from her laptop to upload document Adrian sent.
Thus metadata from Claire home.
Richard admitted uploading forged maternal consent.
“I thought it was real.”
Again someone accepted convenient paperwork without speaking to woman whose body was involved.
Emma stared.
“You people keep saying that like it helps.”
Richard looked down.
Who forged Emma consent originally?
Adrian sent it.
So Adrian either forged or was himself deceived.
Maya examined signature.
Not Emma’s.
Copied from fertility financial authorization.
Adrian had access? Not unless insider.
Aaron did.
Melissa account could copy.
Aaron finally admitted Adrian never sent maternal consent.
A third person did.
Email came from address resembling Adrian’s secure account.
Aaron assumed authentic.
That meant even Adrian may not have ordered actual substitution.
Could someone have exploited Adrian’s heir idea and executed without his approval?
Adrian’s letter apologized for “what I did,” suggesting involvement.
But maybe he took responsibility after.
Then Rachel found original voice message Adrian sent her before transfer.
“If Emma says no, it ends there.”
Important.
He intended to ask.
There was no evidence he ever did.
Who skipped consent?
Richard? He believed forged consent.
Aaron? He believed email.
Melissa credentials stolen.
Someone inserted forged approval between them.
Someone wanted child created even if Emma refused.
And that person had to know:
Adrian alive.
Vault 17.
Emma’s fertility cycle.
Richard communications.
Aaron.
Very small circle.
Rachel.
Richard.
Claire.
Adrian.
Then Ethan remembered DNA envelope was sent by Rachel.
Could Rachel have done more?
Maya asked.
Rachel’s face changed.
May you like
“No.”
But hesitation said otherwise.
