Not a word.
Just a sound.
“Why?” I said.
“Why would she do that?”
Diane was quiet for a moment.
“Marcus had a theory.
He said Penelope became fixated on the idea that the baby should be connected to your family.
That if she couldn’t have a biological child of her own, she wanted the next closest thing — a child with roots in the family she felt closest to.
Your family.”
“She wanted the baby to be part of my bloodline,” I said.
“Yes.”
I sat with that for a moment.
I tried to find something in it that made sense.
Something that, if I turned it the right way, looked like love instead of manipulation.
I couldn’t find it.
“What does this mean legally?” Joel asked.
“It means several things.” Diane turned a page.
“First, the altered surrogacy agreement.
Penelope submitted a version to the family court registry that differs materially from the version signed by all parties.
