Chapter 6

I stared at the manila folder on the hospital bed beside my sleeping baby, my hands trembling slightly as I opened it. Three days had passed since I'd given birth alone, with only the medical staff for support. Three days of Daniel not showing up, not calling, not caring.

"Mrs. Hayes," the private investigator said quietly, standing at the foot of my bed. "I'm sorry to bring this to you now, but you said you wanted to know everything immediately."

"Call me Emma," I corrected him, my voice stronger than I expected. "I'm not a Hayes anymore."

The investigator—a former…