Chapter 10 - The baby switch was supposed to become evidence
The central secret was worse than an attempted kidnapping.
Aloysius did not intend to permanently keep Elise Marlowe’s baby.
He intended to create a documented hospital incident in which I appeared unable to identify my own newborn.
His plan was built around my exhaustion.
I had delivered after nineteen hours of labor.
Had pain medication.
Had slept less than two hours.
Newborns were tightly swaddled.
He believed that if another female infant appeared beside me wearing a superficially plausible band, I might:
Accept her without noticing.
Feed her.
Refer to her as mine.
Or, ideally for him, attempt to leave the hospital with her before staff caught the mismatch.
That record could then become:
Hospital documentation of postpartum confusion.
A social-work note.
Potential psychiatric concern.
Something he could show his family lawyer while seeking a temporary parenting arrangement.
His objective was not necessarily sole permanent custody.
At first.
His notes described:
60–90 day stabilization period.
During it:
Caius and newborn reside primarily with Aloysius.
I remain near family and receive treatment/evaluation if necessary.
Then Aloysius relocates for Redwood role.
Once the children were already with him and he had started work, he believed the practical situation would favor keeping them with him longer.
He called it:
“continuity.”
A familiar word people use when they create the situation they later ask everyone else not to disturb.
The baby switch was meant to manufacture the first domino.
But Caius saw him.
That changed everything.
A six-year-old stood between his father and the bassinet.
Aloysius panicked.
Slapped him.
Then said:
“Keep quiet. That baby is your sister now.”
He needed Caius to accept the substitution long enough for me to do the same.
He failed within minutes because Noeline checked the band.
May you like
The electronic mismatch turned red.
His “objective event” became evidence against him instead.
