The nurse lifted Hazel carefully and placed her against my chest.
Her crying slowed almost instantly.
I pressed my lips to the top of her head.
That tiny warm body grounded me.
For a moment, everyone else disappeared.
Then Julian recovered.
“This is a private family matter.”
Sarah laughed once.
“No.”
“It is now a legal matter.”
Eleanor stepped forward.
“You have no right to enter this room.”
“I was invited by my client.”
“She is medicated.”
Sarah turned to me.
“Genevieve.”
“Yes?”
“Do you know who I am?”
“Sarah Thorne.”
“Why am I here?”
“Because my husband is trying to take control of my company and assets while I’m temporarily paralyzed.”
Sarah looked back at Eleanor.
“Seems fairly lucid to me.”
Victoria shifted toward the door.
Sarah noticed.
“Ms. Hale.”
Victoria stopped.
“How do you know my name?”
Sarah’s expression did not change.
“I know quite a lot about you.”
Julian stepped between them.
“This is ridiculous.”
Sarah pointed toward the documents on my bed.
“What is ridiculous is presenting a postpartum surgical patient with a deed, corporate voting proxies, and a medical power of attorney six hours after emergency surgery.”
“They are contingency documents.”
“Then why is the lake house being transferred to you?”
Julian said nothing.
Sarah picked up the deed with gloved fingers.
She read the first page.
Then she smiled.
“This is worse than I expected.”
Eleanor frowned.
“What?”
Sarah looked at her.
“You used an outdated legal description.”
Julian glanced toward his mother.
Sarah continued.
“The lake house was transferred into the Vance Family Preservation Trust four years ago.”
She tapped the document.
“Genevieve cannot transfer it personally even if she wanted to.”
