Instead, I checked on Sophie, secured the bear, and called the investigator whose contact details had been provided during the hospital follow-up.
I told him what Claire had said.
He asked me not to erase, reset, or tamper with the device.
Someone would need to examine it properly.
Afterward, Jamie and I sat at the kitchen table.
For a long time, neither of us spoke.
Then Jamie asked, “Are you going to send me away?”
I looked at him.
“What?”
“Claire says I shouldn’t come here anymore.”
My heart sank.
“When did she say that?”
“Before Sophie was born.”
“What?”
He stared at his hands.
“She told me you were going to have a new family. She said I needed to leave you alone.”
I felt sick.
“Jamie, why didn’t you tell me?”
He shrugged.
“Because you were happy.”
I couldn’t speak.
He continued.
“Mom said when people have babies, everything changes. I thought maybe Claire was right.”
