CHAPTER 4 — "The DNA Envelope"
The television switched to the most recent recording.
Today's date.
10:14 a.m.
Vanessa stood in the kitchen, speaking on her phone.
She believed she was alone.
The cameras proved otherwise.
Her voice echoed through the silent room.
"Relax."
"My brother believes every word that woman says."
She laughed.
"No..."
"She's too weak to fight back."
Then she opened a kitchen drawer.
Pulled out a thick brown envelope.
And whispered something that made Ethan's blood run cold.
"As soon as this baby is gone..."
"...everything belongs to us."
The room exploded with confused voices.
"What baby?"
"What does she mean?"
Vanessa's eyes widened in panic.
"No..."
"No..."
She lunged toward the television.
Ethan caught her wrist before she could unplug it.
The video continued.
Vanessa placed the envelope on the counter.
A man wearing a delivery uniform entered through the back door.
He handed her a small bottle with no label.
"You know how to use it?"
Vanessa nodded.
"Just a few drops."
"No one will notice."
"It'll look like stress caused the miscarriage."
Diana gasped.
Her legs nearly gave out.
The delivery man asked quietly,
"And after that?"
Vanessa smiled.
"My brother inherited our parents' estate."
"If Diana dies or loses the baby..."
"...there'll never be another heir."
"He'll eventually leave her."
"And everything stays in this family."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Even Vanessa seemed unable to breathe.
Ethan stared at his sister as if she were a complete stranger.
His voice was barely above a whisper.
"You planned..."
"...to kill my child?"
Vanessa burst into tears.
"I didn't mean it!"
"It was only talk!"
"I never used it!"
Just then...
The doorbell rang.
Everyone turned.
Michael frowned.
"I invited someone."
The front door opened.
A middle-aged detective walked inside.
Behind him...
Two uniformed police officers.
The detective held up a clear evidence bag.
Inside was the very same small bottle shown in the security footage.
"It wasn't just talk," he said calmly.
"We recovered fingerprints."
He looked directly at Vanessa.
"And we also traced the payment."
Vanessa staggered backward.
Then the detective slowly lifted the brown envelope from the evidence box.
"There was something else inside."
He opened it.
Instead of financial documents...
A DNA report slid onto the table.
Ethan picked it up.
He read the first line...
And the color drained from his face.
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Because the report revealed a family secret that had been buried for nearly thirty years—
One that would destroy everything Vanessa believed about her place in the Carter family.
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