Chapter 3 - The Girl Sabine Called Her Daughter
Sabine had a daughter.
At least that was what everyone believed.
Her name was Elodie Hartwell.
Ten years old.
Beautiful.
Quiet.
Dark-blonde hair like Sabine.
People assumed resemblance meant blood.
It did not.
Sabine never actually told me Elodie was her biological child.
She said:
“My daughter.”
I filled in the rest.
That distinction would become important.
Elodie lived at a private boarding school in Connecticut during most of our relationship.
That should have seemed unusual for a ten-year-old.
Sabine explained:
“She loves the school.”
Then:
“She needs structure.”
Then:
“The program is extraordinary.”
I met Elodie six times in two years.
She was polite.
Reserved.
Always watched Sabine before answering questions.
When I asked:
“Do you like boarding?”
Elodie said:
“It’s fine.”
Sabine immediately added:
“She thrives there.”
I should have noticed the difference between those answers.
I did not.
Sabine told me Elodie’s father was dead.
Technically true.
A man named Graham Wells died when Elodie was three.
I assumed Graham had been Sabine’s husband or former partner.
He was neither.
He had been the boyfriend of a woman named Nora Bell.
Nora was Elodie’s biological mother.
Sabine had been Nora’s closest friend.
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And for seven years, Sabine had allowed almost everyone to believe Elodie belonged to her.
Legally, the truth was very different.
