Chapter 2: The Paperwork That Erased Me
I laughed.
At first.
Because it sounded ridiculous.
Divorcing me?
After everything?
After seven years of marriage?
After I built his company from nothing?
“You can’t be serious.”
Adrian slid a folder across the table.
“Signed three months ago.”
I froze.
“No.”
Claire smiled.
“You were on medication after your accident, remember?”
My accident.
The one they insisted I take pills for.
The ones that made me “rest”.
The ones that blurred my memory.
My hands shook as I opened the folder.
My signature was there.
Too perfect.
Too clean.
Too convenient.
Then the second page.
Custody agreement.
Full parental rights transferred to Adrian Wells.
My son’s custody…
Gone.
I felt my knees weaken.
“No… this isn’t real…”
The judge spoke quietly.
“According to court filings, you voluntarily agreed to supervised visitation only.”
Visitation?
I looked at Adrian.
“What did you do?”
He sighed.
“I gave you a stable life.”
Claire leaned closer.
“You were unstable.”
My vision went white.
Then the bailiff handed me another document.
A medical report.
Signed by a psychiatrist I had never met.
Diagnosis:
“Severe emotional instability. Parental unfitness recommended.”
I couldn’t breathe.
“This is fake.”
The judge shook his head.
“Everything here is legally certified.”
Claire smiled again.
Soft.
Cruel.
“You should’ve just signed the final form.”
“Final form?”
Adrian nodded.
“The adoption transfer.”
My heart stopped.
“What adoption?”
Claire stood up.
Walked toward the bench.
And placed a second birth certificate on the table.
My son’s name was there.
But my name wasn’t.
Never had been.
The judge frowned.
“This document shows Claire Donovan as the legal mother since birth.”
The world tilted.
“No…”
I whispered.
“That’s impossible…”
Adrian finally looked at me.
May you like
And said the sentence that ended my life:
“You were just the surrogate.”
