Chapter 6: The Woman Who Signed My Name
The room froze.
Daniel Brooks stood near the doorway, holding the folder against his chest.
His eyes moved from Beatrice to the document on the table.
Then to me.
“I never met Valerie.””
The sentence repeated in my mind.
Again.
And again.
Because it meant one thing.
The document was fake.
But someone had gone to incredible lengths to make it look real.
I stepped closer.
“You’re the notary?””
Daniel nodded.
“Yes.””
“Then why does this have your seal?””
He looked down at the page.
“That’s exactly what I came here to find out.””
Beatrice suddenly moved forward.
“Daniel, don’t make this dramatic.””
Everyone turned toward her.
Her confidence was back.
Not completely.
But enough.
“You’re misunderstanding the situation.””
Daniel’s expression remained serious.
“I don’t think I am.””
She forced a smile.
“This is a family matter.””
“No.””
His voice became firmer.
“This is a legal matter.””
The difference between those two words was obvious.
Family.
Legal.
One meant secrets.
The other meant consequences.
I looked at Ethan.
He looked completely lost.
“Mom,” he said quietly, “what did you do?””
Beatrice didn’t answer.
Instead, she looked at Daniel.
“You agreed to help us.””
Daniel shook his head.
“I agreed to notarize documents presented by authorized parties. I did not agree to participate in fraud.””
The word hung in the air.
Fraud.
Brenda covered her mouth.
Raymond sat silently.
And Ethan looked like the floor had disappeared beneath him.
I picked up the document again.
“My signature.””
Daniel nodded.
“Is not yours.””
I looked at him.
“How can you know that?””
He opened his folder.
“Because I’ve been a notary for eighteen years. I’ve seen thousands of signatures.””
He pointed at the page.
“This signature was copied.””
My heart pounded.
“Copied from where?””
Nobody answered.
Then Daniel looked at Ethan.
“Do you know?””
Ethan slowly shook his head.
“No.””
But his face changed.
Like a memory had suddenly returned.
I noticed.
“What?””
He looked at me.
“I…”
He stopped.
“Ethan.””
He swallowed.
“Six months ago, Mom asked me for copies of your identification documents.””
My stomach dropped.
“What?””
“She said she needed them for a tax issue.””
I stared at him.
“And you gave them to her?””
His silence answered.
I stepped back.
“You gave my personal information to your mother.””
“I didn’t know she would do this.””
“You didn’t know.””
My voice was quiet.
That was when I was most angry.
“You never know, Ethan.””
He looked hurt.
But I didn’t stop.
“You never knew she would hurt Daisy.””
“You never knew she would use me.””
“You never knew because you never wanted to look.””
The words hit him.
And this time, he didn’t defend himself.
Daniel cleared his throat.
“There’s more.””
Everyone looked at him.
He opened another file.
“I reviewed my records after receiving Valerie’s message.””
I frowned.
“I never messaged you.””
“No.””
He looked at Ethan.
“Your husband contacted me.””
Everyone turned.
I looked at Ethan.
“You called him?””
Ethan’s face went pale.
“I called him after I found the document.””
“When?””
“Tonight.””
“And why?””
“Because I thought…”
He stopped.
“What?””
He looked down.
“I thought maybe you were wrong.””
The honesty hurt.
Again.
But before I could respond, Daniel spoke.
“Ethan contacted me because he wanted to verify whether the document was legitimate.””
He looked at me.
“Once I checked my records, I realized there was a serious issue.””
“What issue?””
Daniel hesitated.
Then answered.
“The person who signed this document was not Valerie.””
I looked at Beatrice.
She looked away.
“Who was it?””
Daniel’s expression hardened.
“A woman who presented herself as Valerie.””
The room went silent.
Brenda whispered:
“Oh my God.””
I felt a chill.
Someone had pretended to be me.
Someone had sat in front of a notary.
Someone had signed my name.
Someone had planned this carefully.
“Who?””
Daniel looked uncomfortable.
“I don’t have the full identity information yet.””
“But you know something.””
He nodded.
“The woman had your personal details.””
My hands tightened.
“How?””
Nobody answered.
Then Raymond suddenly spoke.
“She had access.””
Everyone looked at him.
His eyes were fixed on Beatrice.
“What?””
Beatrice stared at him.
Raymond looked devastated.
“She had access to Valerie’s things.””
I turned.
“What are you saying?””
He rubbed his face.
“I saw her going through your purse once.””
My heart stopped.
“When?””
“A few months ago.””
“And you said nothing?””
He looked ashamed.
“I thought…”
I laughed bitterly.
“Everyone thought.””
Everyone had a reason.
Everyone had an excuse.
Everyone had seen something.
And everyone stayed quiet.
Except Daisy.
The only person who told the truth was the child everyone called a liar.
I looked at Beatrice.
“How long have you been planning this?””
She didn’t answer.
I stepped closer.
“How long?””
Her expression changed.
The mask finally cracked.
“You have no idea how hard things became after Ethan left home.””
I stared at her.
“You mean after he built his own life?””
“You took him away.””
There it was.
The real truth.
Not money.
Not debt.
Not the bracelet.
Possession.
She didn’t want a son who was happy.
She wanted a son who belonged to her.
“You married him,” she said.
“Yes.””
“You changed him.””
“No.””
I shook my head.
“He changed because he grew up.””
She looked at Ethan.
“You used to need me.””
Ethan looked devastated.
“Mom…”
But she continued.
“You were supposed to take care of us.””
“I did.””
“No.””
Her voice sharpened.
“You chose her.””
I looked at Ethan.
And for a second, I saw the boy she had raised.
The boy who was afraid to disappoint his mother.
The man who had spent years trying to make everyone happy.
And I realized something.
Beatrice didn’t just manipulate me.
She manipulated him too.
But that didn’t excuse him.
Because he still made choices.
Daniel closed the folder.
“I recommend everyone stop discussing this until legal counsel is present.””
Beatrice suddenly looked nervous.
“Legal counsel?””
“Yes.””
“You’re threatening me?””
“No.””
Daniel looked at her.
“I’m informing you.””
The room became quiet.
Then my phone rang.
I looked down.
Unknown number.
I almost ignored it.
But something made me answer.
“Hello?””
At first, there was only silence.
Then a woman’s voice.
A woman I didn’t recognize.
“Is this Valerie?””
“Yes. Who is this?””
The woman took a shaky breath.
“My name is Claire.””
I frowned.
“Claire who?””
“I think you need to know the truth about what happened at that notary office.””
I looked around the room.
Everyone was watching me.
Especially Beatrice.
The woman continued.
“I was the person who signed your name.””
My blood ran cold.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
I gripped the phone tighter.
“Who are you?””
May you like
The woman whispered:
“I’m the woman Beatrice hired to become you.””
