Chapter 8 - THE GIRL BEHIND THE HOST STAND
Emily had worked at Bellmont House for eleven months.
During that time, she'd spoken to the hostess almost every day.
A young woman named Abigail Langley.
Twenty-four.
Quiet.
Always impeccably dressed.
She wore her dark hair in a low bun and carried a tiny notebook where she wrote guests' preferences.
Emily liked her.
Abigail was one of the few employees who never mocked Emily's habit of signing when she was nervous.
Now Emily stared at her staff photograph.
"That's Anna?"
Daniel looked just as stunned.
The age fit.
The records fit.
And the adoption documents connected Abigail to Victor Langley.
But something still needed verification.
An altered document wasn't proof of biological identity.
Daniel's attorney arranged for independent review of the records, and Abigail was approached carefully.
She wasn't told what to believe.
She was given the opportunity to examine the evidence herself.
When Emily met her in a quiet room at the restaurant, Abigail looked frightened.
"Why is everyone asking about my childhood?"
Emily hesitated.
"Because some records suggest your original name may have been Anna Harrison."
Abigail stared.
"No."
Emily swallowed.
"I know this is a lot."
"My father told me I was adopted when I was a baby."
Emily nodded.
"That part may be true."
Abigail's eyes filled.
"But he said my biological parents died."
Emily looked toward the door.
Victor Langley stood there.
For once, his expression held no anger.
Only exhaustion.
"Abby," he whispered.
She turned.
"Dad?"
Victor stepped forward.
"I'm sorry."
The words seemed to break him.
He explained that twenty years earlier, Richard Harrison arranged Anna's placement under false circumstances.
Victor had been told the child needed protection.
He agreed to raise her.
Later, he discovered the documents contained lies.
But by then Richard had threatened to take Abigail away if Victor spoke.
"I thought staying quiet would keep you safe," Victor whispered.
Abigail stared.
"You let me believe my parents were dead."
Tears streamed down Victor's cheeks.
"I know."
Daniel stepped into the room.
He looked toward Abigail.
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Then he whispered, "I think you're my sister."
Abigail covered her mouth.
Margaret entered behind him.
The moment she saw the young woman, her expression crumpled.
Her hands moved.
"Anna?"
Abigail stared.
She didn't know sign language.
Emily gently interpreted.
"She says she believes you're her daughter."
Margaret began crying.
Abigail looked toward Victor.
Then Daniel.
Then the elderly woman she'd never met.
For the first time, she realized her life might have begun with a family she'd been taught to mourn.
The identification process would take time.
But Abigail agreed to a voluntary DNA comparison.
Two days later, the results confirmed the relationship.
Abigail Langley was Anna Harrison.
And when Daniel told her, she asked one heartbreaking question.
"Why didn't anybody come looking for me?"
Margaret signed through tears.
"I never stopped."
But before the family could begin healing, Rebecca called with another discovery.
"Daniel, we found a hospital record connected to Laura Carter."
Emily grabbed the phone.
"What does it say?"
Rebecca took a breath.
"Laura was admitted to a private psychiatric facility seventeen years ago."
May you like
Emily went cold.
"And according to the records, she may still be there."
