CHAPTER 2 The DNA Test They Tried to Hide Destroyed an Entire Billion-Dollar Dynasty
Silence filled my doorway.
Vivian blinked twice.
"What do you mean, which one?"
I folded my arms.
"You seemed very certain."
Lucas forced a laugh.
"Stop playing games."
"I learned something after Daniel died."
Neither of them moved.
"The hospital called me back."
That was a lie.
But it worked.
Lucas suddenly looked at his mother.
Vivian's fingers tightened around the expensive gift basket.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
"I discovered Daniel had requested private DNA testing months before the accident."
Neither of them breathed.
"So..."
I tilted my head.
"Would either of you like to explain why?"
Lucas interrupted immediately.
"You've lost your mind."
Maybe.
Or maybe guilty people always spoke first.
I stepped aside.
"Come in."
They entered carefully.
Vivian's eyes searched every room.
Not for photographs.
Not for memories.
For paperwork.
For safes.
For evidence.
She wasn't mourning her son.
She was hunting information.
While she pretended to admire the nursery...
I quietly watched.
When she reached Noah's crib...
She smiled.
When she noticed Lily...
Her smile faded.
Only for half a second.
But I caught it.
"You prefer boys?" I asked.
She laughed too loudly.
"Of course not."
Liar.
That evening...
After they finally left...
My phone rang.
Unknown number.
A woman's trembling voice whispered,
"My name is Rachel."
"I think your husband saved my son's life."
I froze.
"My son isn't Daniel's."
"He pretended to be."
Everything inside me stopped.
"What?"
Rachel began crying.
"Daniel paid for my little boy's heart surgery for six years."
"He told everyone he was the father because my abusive ex-husband would have killed us if he discovered where we were."
I couldn't speak.
"The birth certificate wasn't proof of an affair."
"It was protection."
Daniel had lied...
To save a child.
Not to betray me.
The paperwork inside his lawyer's box suddenly made sense.
He had become a legal guardian.
Not a secret husband.
Tears rolled down my face.
Daniel had been innocent.
But someone had desperately wanted me to believe otherwise.
Only one question remained.
Who put that birth certificate into his private files?
The answer arrived at midnight.
Someone broke into my house.
Not to steal jewelry.
Not cash.
They ignored everything...
Except Daniel's lockbox.
Someone knew exactly what they were looking for.
I watched the masked figure through the baby monitor camera.
Then they removed their hood.
May you like
Lucas.
My dead husband's own brother.
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