Gavin Grant stared at the white paper on his desk, his hands trembling slightly. The expedited twenty-four-hour test results had just arrived from the genetics lab, stamped with the same damning red seal.
PROBABILITY OF PATERNITY: 0.00%. Ethan and Sophia shared no biological relationship whatsoever. Ethan hadn't lied. He hadn't forged anything. The three separate lab reports he had shown Chloe were completely accurate. Gavin’s stomach dropped. This wasn't just a minor celebrity rumor—a scandal like this could destroy Chloe’s career, cost her countless brand endorsements, and trigger a media feeding frenzy that no publicist could ever contain. Gavin didn't dare make a decision on his own. He grabbed his jacket, locked the document in his briefcase, and drove straight to Chloe’s estate. Skipping the polite small talk with the house staff, he followed Chloe directly into her second-floor study and closed and locked the door behind them. He pulled out the document and laid it flat on the desk.Chloe kept her eyes on Gavin, her brow furrowed, unable to bring herself to look at the report. She’d already received the results by email and knew exactly what those pages said.
"This is an expedited test," Gavin explained quickly, his voice kept to a hushed murmur. "Its legal standing isn't quite as strong as a standard 7-day panel, and court proceedings almost always require the full 7-day protocol.”
He paused, looking at her with a solemn, cautious expression before continuing. "But Chloe... you need to prepare yourself mentally. In the real world, an expedited panel and a 7-day panel don't just produce completely opposite results for no reason.” Chloe stared at the paper as if it were written in a foreign language, her mind spinning in confusion. "How is that possible?" she stammered, her usual commanding presence completely gone. "Sophia is my daughter. Mine and Ethan's! How could she suddenly... how could she not be his?” "There's another possibility," Gavin said quietly. Chloe snapped her head up, desperate for a lifeline. "What?" "She could have been switched with another infant in the maternity ward at birth," Gavin suggested. "It's rare, but it happens. To find out for sure, we need a maternal swab from you right now and compare it directly with Sophia's DNA.” "Fine! Do it! Get it done immediately!" Chloe practically thrust her hand toward him, panic finally taking root in her chest. For the first time since Ethan had confronted her in that restaurant, the reality of the situation hit her like a physical blow. Ethan hadn't gone crazy. He hadn't fabricated some pathetic lie just to get attention. He had held genuine, verified evidence in his hands every time he had looked her in the eye. Gavin collected her sample, carefully sealing it in a sterile vial. As he turned toward the study door to leave, Chloe’s voice broke the quiet room. "Gavin…” Gavin stopped, turning back to face her. Chloe stood by the desk, her arms crossed tightly over her chest, looking strangely small and vulnerable in the large room. Her expression was a mix of fear and desperation. "I... I didn't betray Ethan," she whispered, her voice cracking slightly. "I swear to you, I didn't." She swallowed hard, looking at her manager with pleading eyes. "But if... if that test comes back with the worst possible result... What am I supposed to do? I don't want a divorce, Gavin. I can't lose Ethan.” Gavin looked at her for a moment, taking a slow breath before speaking reassuringly. "Honestly, Chloe, even if the worst-case scenario happens, Ethan is a rational man. He should still be able to understand your situation once the initial shock wears off." Chloe’s brows remained tightly knitted, her chest heaving slightly. "Besides," Gavin continued calmly, stepping back toward the desk, "Ethan can't really survive without you anyway.” Chloe blinked. "What do you mean?" "On my way over here, I had my team look into his current situation," Gavin said smoothly. "His medical career at Westbridge University Hospital has been stalled for years. He's forty years old, making a basic staff physician's salary with no powerful connections or major assets." Gavin leaned in slightly, his tone calm and convincing. "If he actually walks away from you, what does he really have left? Just look at the last few days. Ever since he left your villa, he's had nowhere to go except bouncing between cheap motels. Right now, he's just acting out because his pride took a beating. Once he calms down, realizes how hard the real world is, and thinks things through... he'll naturally come back and reconcile.” The panic in Chloe’s chest slowly began to ease. She let out a breath she had been holding for too long, nodding to herself. "That... that makes sense," she murmured. "He's just angry. He'll come back." Satisfied that she was calm enough to function, Gavin took her sample and left to process the second round of emergency testing. Another twenty-four hours passed. Chloe had just stepped out of a tense board meeting at her talent agency's downtown headquarters when her phone buzzed in her handbag. It was a text from Gavin: I have the results. Stay in your office! Minutes later, the door to her corner suite opened. Gavin walked in, his face grim and unreadable. He shut the door and pulled the blinds over the walls. Without saying a word, he pulled a document from his pocket and placed it on her desk. "Sophia is definitely your biological daughter," Gavin said cautiously, watching her closely. "There is zero doubt about that. The maternal markers are a 99.99% match. And Ethan's test result isn't wrong either..." Chloe's head snapped up, the color draining from her face once more. "How... how could that be?” If Sophia was 100% her biological daughter, but Ethan was 0% the father… That meant there was no baby swap in the hospital. Sophia had grown inside her own womb for nine months, born while she was with Ethan—yet another man was her biological father. Chloe read the conclusion over and over until the black text blurred before her eyes. Her mind went blank. It made no sense. She had spent sixteen years believing with absolute certainty that Ethan was the father of her child. How could the test say otherwise? "This is impossible..." Chloe whispered, her voice trembling. "This doesn't make any sense, Gavin! I was with Ethan! I loved Ethan!" Across the desk, Gavin looked deeply troubled. He stood in silence for a moment, his hands buried in his pockets, his sharp eyes fixed on her pale face. He hesitated, carefully weighing his words before finally leaning forward and speaking in a low, chilling whisper. "Chloe... try to think back sixteen years ago..." Gavin paused, his eyes narrowing slightly. "...right before you married Ethan.” Chloe looked at him, her breath catching in her throat. "You did cheat on him once.”Latest Chapter
CHAPTER 29
That afternoon, Ethan was summoned to the department chief's office on the top floor of the Intensive Care Unit.Director Vincent, the veteran chief of critical care, sat behind his desk. After exchanging a few pleasantries about the unit's recent patient recovery rates, he picked up an official document stamped with the hospital board's seal and slid it across the desk to Ethan.Ethan looked down at it.Bold black letters stretched across the top of the page:OFFICIAL NOTICE OF PROMOTION — APPOINTMENT AS ASSOCIATE CHIEF PHYSICIAN AND DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF THE INTENSIVE CARE UNIT.Ethan read through the document, his expression calm. He showed neither wild excitement nor any sign of intimidation. Instead, he looked up at Director Vincent."Director Vincent, there are several senior physicians in our department who have more years of service than I do. Others prepared much more extensive portfolios for this promotion cycle. Why was such an important opportunity given to me?"Director Vinc
CHAPTER 28
Ethan met his gaze."No excuse, sir. I overslept."A faint smile touched his lips."I suppose my alarm clock and I are no longer on speaking terms."A few junior doctors struggled to suppress their laughter.Bennett's expression darkened."Get to your assigned ward!"After the morning review, Ethan visited Isolation Room 3 to check on the cardiac patient he had resuscitated the previous night.The man was awake, his vital signs stable, and his neurological function intact.His wife burst into tears when she saw Ethan. She grabbed his hands and thanked him repeatedly before explaining that they had arranged to transfer her husband to a cardiovascular rehabilitation facility in Boston that afternoon."Would you be willing to accompany him?" she asked.Ethan shook his head gently. "I'm afraid I can't, ma'am. He's stable enough for the medical transport team to handle the transfer, and my responsibilities are here."As he stepped into the utility corridor, Nurse Roberts approached him wit
CHAPTER 27
"Not another word," Ethan said, turning his back on Glen and walking out of the study without looking back.He walked down the driveway of the Jenner estate as the first light of dawn washed over the city in cold, gray hues. The morning air was sharp against his skin, but it helped clear the fog from his mind.Glen's accusations echoed in Ethan's ears.Gigolo. Parasite. Thief.Ethan let out a bitter laugh as he opened his car door. After sixteen years of devotion, this was what the Jenners thought of him.Strangely, accepting that truth brought him some relief.He had no claim to their wealth, and he no longer needed their approval. He was a physician who had earned his place through hard work, not a parasite living off his wife's family.Glen could threaten him all he wanted. He couldn't take away the dignity Ethan had earned for himself.Ethan drove back to the motel, pulled the curtains shut against the morning sun, and collapsed onto the bed. He had barely slept three hours in the
CHAPTER 26
"Sophia, go upstairs and get some sleep," Dr. Glen ordered, his brow furrowing as he saw through his granddaughter's excuses. "Ethan, come into the study with me. I have a few things to ask you."Sophia shot Ethan a venomous glare before turning on her heel and stomping up the staircase.Ethan hesitated for a moment before following Glen into the study.He stood near the door, rubbing his tired eyes. Exhaustion weighed heavily on him.Outside the wide bay window, the sky was already turning a pale, hazy gray."It's almost dawn, and I haven't slept a wink," Ethan said, his voice heavy with fatigue. "So get straight to the point. Sophia followed Chloe to the Crimson Manor tonight and was detained by the venue's security as a suspicious person. She couldn't reach her mother, but she had my number, so the police called me. That's the whole story. You people need to manage her better."He looked Glen straight in the eye."Once the sun comes up, make sure Chloe signs those divorce papers an
CHAPTER 25
Ethan stood in the room, holding his phone to his ear.He dialed Chloe's number first."The subscriber you are trying to reach is currently switched off..."He tried calling her secretary next, but after six long rings, the call went straight to voicemail. Chloe was likely at some private event, with her phone switched off.Ethan let out a long, weary breath. He couldn't leave a fifteen-year-old girl sitting in a police interrogation room until morning. He grabbed his clothes, walked out to his car, and drove toward the city center.Twenty minutes later, Ethan pushed through the doors of the Westbridge Metropolitan Police Station's central branch.The station was quiet at four in the morning, with the smell of stale coffee and floor wax lingering in the air.Behind the front counter, a young female officer in a navy uniform looked up from her computer.Her face brightened instantly. "Dr. Reynolds! It's you!"Ethan paused, recognizing Officer Taylor, a patrol officer who had brought an
CHAPTER 24
Ethan quickly switched on the heart monitor, but the green line across the screen remained flat.A steady hum filled the room as he checked the patient's pupils again. They were dilated, but he wasn't yet convinced that all signs of life were gone.“There’s still a chance,” Ethan murmured, his jaw tightening with determination.He positioned his hands in the center of the man's chest and began firm, rhythmic compressions.One, two, three, four...Sweat quickly gathered on Ethan's forehead, running down his temples and soaking his collar. The physical effort was exhausting, but he refused to lose focus.He didn't care that the previous team had stopped resuscitation. He didn't care about hospital statistics or the paperwork already completed.There was a human life in front of him, and he wasn't ready to give up.One minute passed. Then two. Then three.His arms burned with exhaustion, but he kept going, maintaining a steady rhythm.Then a beep broke the silence.A small spike appeared
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