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Chapter 5
I took out two medical reports.
They were projected onto the big screen behind me.
One reporter read aloud:
“Ms. Reynolds, this is your medical exam. It clearly states that you’re no longer able to conceive.”
“Is that the reason you chose to adopt a child?”
Another voice chimed in:
“Then why, Ms. Reynolds, did you refuse to adopt Lily over a simple birthmark? What does that have to do with your diagnosis? Please respond directly.”
Questions came at me one after another, rapid–fire.
The livestream chat exploded with speculation.
“It’s just a diagnosis report. What’s that got to do with the girl’s birthmark?”
“She can’t have kids and probably cracked when she saw how perfect that child was. Bet she’s got some twisted psychological issue.”
“You’re infertile–fine–but don’t take it out on a kid. Why even hold a press conference if you’re just going to be petty?”
Public opinion was completely on Ethan’s side.
Then Nina stepped forward, putting on her best victim act.
“Daisy’s been married into our family
-gave her the best of ever
e years. I never once blamed her for not getting pregnant. We’ve always treated her well
She dabbed at the corners of her eyes, voice quivering.
“I’m getting old. I just
wanted aine
what did I do wrong?”
I didn’t care if she was biological or adopted. And now all this has happened… Tell me,
Cameras clicked rapidly, capturing her in her moment of theatrical sorrow. Sympathy began to turn her way.
No one noticed how nervous Ethan and Julia looked.
I gave a small, knowing smile.
“Nina,” I said calmly, “you already have a granddaughter. If you want to hold her, go ahead. She can call you Grandma right now.
The room erupted in whispers and gasps.
“What is she talking about?”
Before anyone could make sense of it, the second report appeared on the screen.
A paternity test.
“Paternity Test Results: 99% genetic similarity. Evidence supports a biological relationship between Ethan Sinclair and Lily. Ethan is confirmed as Lily’s biological father.”
I read the result aloud, each word falling like a hammer blow in the silent room.
The entire press corps exploded into chaos.
“Oh my God… Her husband cheated on her? Lily’s his daughter from an affair? He wanted he disgusting.”
Chapter 5
to raise his love child? That’s
62.50%
“Classic rich family scandal. Guy cheats, lies, and then dumps the kid on his wife like it’s her problem.
“Poor woman. She finds out she’s infertile, and he uses that to guilt her into raising the child he had with someone else? The kid’s already that big? Wow, Ethan had to be cheating for a long time.”
I looked over at Ethan.
He had gone completely pale, cold sweat dripping down his face.
Dozens of cameras turned toward him, microphones shoved in his direction.
“Mr. Sinclair, is this true?”
“Mr. Sinclair, did you have an affair? Is Lily really your biological daughter?”
I remembered how, after my diagnosis, Ethan had immediately urged me to consider adoption.
We’d been married three years and I truly had wanted to give him a child. I could tell how much Nina longed for a grandchild, too.
But Ethan had never once pressured me -until the day my report came out.
That day, he had insisted we
adopt.
I’d been drowning in grief, too consumed by guilt and sadness to see what was really happening.
But now it was clear: he had orchestrated the entire thing.
The tide of public opinion shifted instantly.
“No wonder she’s furious,” someone whispered. “He expected her to raise his affair baby–honestly, she’s being way too calm.
“Good thing she found out when she did,” another added. “If not, who knows how long he would’ve kept lying to her.”
A by
reporters, trembling lips parted–but he couldn’t say a single word.
I looked toward Ethan. He was
I picked up the microphone again.
Ethan suddenly shoved the reporters aside, trying to force his way through the crowd and up to the stage.
But the people around him were packed in too tightly. He couldn’t break free. Instead, he tripped–falling hard in front of everyone.
He scrambled to his feet, his face bruised and humiliated, still desperately trying to reach the platform.
He must have known exactly what I was about to say next.
Chapter 5
