Evie could feel her mother’s eyes on her as she moved around the room, wrapping the ceramic saints in paper and could picture her chewing angrily on her tongue, but Evie refused to engage in this conversation anymore.
"Mary and Henry were your biological parents." She stood up, tossed a small, brass key onto the table next to the box and stormed off. A few seconds later, her bedroom door slammed.
Evie went still, staring straight ahead as her brain struggled to comprehend what she’d just been told. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to burst into her mother’s room and tell her off for being so selfish and cruel, or pretend she never heard it.
Her eyes fell on the box, and without thinking about it, she returned to the couch and sat down, hesitating briefly before picking up the key and unlocking the box. Inside were a bundleof documents; her adoption papers and several legal agreements executed between Oscar and Della Stanley and Henry and Mary Sloane.
The adoption was closed, so the biological parents were not named on the official record. However, the accompanying legal documents outlined several terms and conditions agreed upon by both parties:
Parentage and Custody
1.1 The child, hereafter referred to as Evelyn, is the biological offspring of Henry Sloane and Mary Sloane.
1.2 Upon delivery, full legal and physical custody shall transfer to Oscar Stanley and Della Stanley.
1.3 The adoption shall be closed. All identifying information regarding the child’s biological lineage shall remain sealed and undisclosed.
Disclosure and Confidentiality
2.1 The biological parentage of Evelyn shall remain confidential in perpetuity.
2.2 None of the undersigned, nor their heirs or representatives, shall disclose or confirm the existence of any biological relationship between Evelyn and any member of the Sloane family.
2.3 Disclosure shall be permissible only upon mutual written consent of all living signatories or by order of a competent court.
Custodial Authority and Involvement
3.1 Henry and Mary Sloane shall have no custodial, decision-making, or disciplinary authority.
3.2 Contact between Evelyn and the Sloane family shall occur only with the consent of Oscar and Della Stanley.
Financial and Inheritance Rights
4.1 Evelyn shall have no claim to the Sloane family estate, trusts, or assets.
4.2 Evelyn shall have no ownership interest in Sloane Technologies or any affiliated entities by virtue of a biological relationship.
4.3 Henry and Mary Sloane shall bear no financial responsibility for the child’s care, education, or support.
Intent and Enforcement
5.1 The intent of this agreement is to ensure privacy and to protect the welfare of the child.
5.2 These provisions shall remain binding in perpetuity and enforceable by the estates or legal representatives of any signatory party.
Addendum I – Amendment to Section 3 (Custodial Authority and Involvement)
(Executed approximately four months following the original agreement)
Whereas the undersigned acknowledge the formation of a significant emotional bond between Thomas Henry Sloane (“Tommy”) and Evelyn Stanley, the following clause shall be appended to Section 3:
3.3 The personal relationship between Thomas Henry Sloane and Evelyn Stanley shall not be restricted, discouraged, or interfered with by any party. The nature and extent of said relationship shall be permitted to progress naturally and without disclosure of biological kinship.
All other terms and provisions of the original agreement shall remain in full force and effect.
Signed and executed under seal by the surviving parties on this date.
It was followed by the signatures of hers and Tommy’s parents.
