Jason Hart had no idea how long he had been out.When his eyes finally opened, the first thing he saw was a ceiling he didn't recognize. Crystal chandelier. Crown molding. The kind of room that cost more per night than most people made in a week.He was lying in an enormous bed with silk sheets twisted around his bare body. Every stitch of clothing was gone. The pillows were scattered everywhere, and the sheets looked like a war zone.Something had definitely happened last night.His skull pounded like someone was swinging a hammer inside it. He pressed his palm against his forehead and tried to drag the memories back, but there was nothing. Just a black hole where the entire night should have been.I found the paternity test. I went to a bar. I got wasted.That much he remembered.But after that? Complete darkness.Did I bring some random woman back to a hotel room?His stomach dropped straight through the mattress.Then I'm no better than Lauren. She cheated on me, and now I've gone

Lauren's hand was still resting on top of his, warm and soft, her eyes full of that gentle look she always used when she wanted him to fold.Jason pulled his hand away."I'm not apologizing." His voice was low but steady. "And I'm not going home with you."Lauren's tender expression cracked just enough to show the frustration underneath."Jason, stop being stubborn. You got drunk, you said things you didn't mean, and now you're embarrassing both of us. Just come home and we'll talk about this properly.""There's nothing to talk about." Jason looked her straight in the eyes without blinking. "I ran the test three times at three different labs. Every single result said the same thing. Nina is not my daughter.""You ran those tests without telling me." Lauren's voice tightened, and the softness evaporated from her face like steam off hot pavement. "You went behind my back and tested our daughter's DNA like some paranoid detective, and you didn't think I deserved to know about it?"Jason

The man in the charcoal suit sat down across from Jason on the courthouse bench and set his briefcase on the floor beside him. Up close, he looked more like a Hollywood manager than a lawyer. Perfect teeth, perfect tan, the kind of face that was built for schmoozing clients at industry parties."I thought Lauren would send a lawyer." Jason looked him up and down. "You don't look like one.""I'm not." The man crossed one leg over the other and leaned back like he owned the building. "My name is Steve Lyman. I'm Lauren's agent and her most trusted advisor. I've been managing her career for the last seven years."Jason let out a short breath through his nose.She didn't even bother coming herself. She sent her agent to handle me like I'm a business problem that needs solving."Lauren asked me to speak with you directly because she believes this situation has gotten out of hand." Steve's voice was smooth and measured, the voice of a man who negotiated million dollar contracts for breakfas

24 hours later.Lauren had just stepped out of an exhausting four-hour studio board meeting when her phone buzzed in her hand.Steve: I have the results. Are you in your office?Lauren: Come up now.Two minutes later, Steve pushed open the doors of her private executive suite. His face was pale, his mouth drawn into a tight, grim line.Lauren stood up from her desk. "Well? Tell me!"Steve didn't speak right away. He slid a fresh medical folder onto her desk."Nina is definitely your biological daughter," Steve said, his voice cautious, almost hesitant. "100% match. There was no mix-up at the hospital."Lauren gasped, a massive wave of relief washing over her. "Thank God! I knew it! I knew she was mine!""But..." Steve interjected, his voice dropping into a dark register. "Jason's result wasn't wrong either."Lauren’s smile froze mid-air. "What did you just say?""Nina is your daughter, Lauren," Steve said slowly, staring straight into her eyes. "But Jason Hart is not her father."The