Chapter 4

The DNA test results took three days.

Three days later, I pretended to have a splitting headache and begged them to take me back to the clinic.

This time, Ashley wasn't with us.

My parents and Julian had actually discouraged me from contacting her. They claimed Ashley was a parasite who kept secretly asking Julian for money behind my back. Julian even showed me their Snapchat chat history, and the voice notes indeed belonged to Ashley.

My brain was spinning.

Why would Ashley bypass me and ask Julian for money?

Was she demanding more money to keep up the lie?

Did she ask for too much, and they had a falling out?

I decided to figure that out later. Today, my only goal was to get that DNA report.

I planned to use the same trick to slip away during the check-up. But this time, my parents and Julian watched me like hawks, never leaving my side for even a second. They had clearly become suspicious.

By the time my medical exam was over and the doctor handed over my charts, I still hadn't found a single opportunity to grab the DNA envelope.

"Chloe, the doctor says your condition is perfectly stable. No signs of relapse. Just keep taking your meds and rest at home."

"Come on, sweetie, let's go home."

My mom took my left hand. My dad followed closely behind, and Julian walked on my right. The suffocating circle they formed around me made it hard to breathe.

Suddenly, a commotion broke out.

Ashley appeared at the end of the hallway, looking completely frantic and disheveled.

Her clothes were filthy, as if she hadn't changed in days. Her eyes were wide with pure terror and desperation.

We all spotted her at the same time. Julian immediately ran forward to intercept her.

They began whispering frantically. I couldn't hear a single word.

My parents tightly gripped my arms, trying to pull me in the opposite direction.

"Let go of me!"

In that moment, I snapped. I screamed at the top of my lungs.

I broke free from their grip with all my strength and ran toward Ashley.

"Ashley! What’s going on? Why are you here to see me?"

I thought she was going to expose them because she had fallen out with Julian.

But by the time I reached her, she had somehow masked her panic. "Calm down, Chloe. I... I was just worried about your health. That's all. Nothing else."

I let out a laugh.

A hysterical, broken laugh. "Nothing else?"

"Or did Julian just offer you a better deal to keep lying to me?"

My sudden outburst threw everyone into a panic.

"What lies, Chloe? You just got discharged. You’re overthinking things," Ashley stammered.

My parents and Julian immediately jumped in.

"She's right, Chloe. The doctor said you shouldn't get excited. Let's go home and talk about this calmly."

"Here, Chloe, take your medication first."

Looking at the pill Julian was holding out to my mouth, I slapped his hand away violently!

My parents tried to grab me again, but I shoved them back and scrambled several steps away, keeping my distance.

They were monitoring me so closely. If I went back to that house, I might never get out again!

The hospital was a crowded, public space. No matter how desperate they were, they wouldn't dare kidnap me in broad daylight. This was my absolute last chance to break free from their control.

"Don't touch me! Stay away!"

"Do you think I'm stupid? Do you think I don't know what's going on?"

"My boyfriend is Gavin Maxwell! He would have died for me! There is no way in hell he would have abandoned me!"

I pulled out my phone and dialed 911. "Back off! If anyone comes close, I'm calling the police!"

The scene I was making attracted a massive crowd, forcing them to freeze in their tracks.

My parents stared at me, wide-eyed and speechless.

Julian looked so devastated he was on the verge of tears. "Chloe, what are you saying? Gavin dumped you years ago. If he didn't, why would you marry me and have our child?"

"Please, stop this. Let’s go home, okay? The nanny just called. Leo is crying, asking for his mommy."

"Bullshit!" I spat, my voice laced with venom. "I would never have a child with you!"

"I submitted our hair samples for a DNA test three days ago! I’m going to get the report right now, and I’m going to expose your sick, twisted lies!"

Julian stopped talking, burying his face in his hands as he began to sob.

My parents also started crying. "Chloe, Julian has been so good to you. How can you break his heart like this over a man who abandoned you?"

Even now, they were still acting.

I didn't have the patience to waste another breath on them. I turned around and ran straight to the DNA lab window.

They followed me, but none of them dared to stop me in front of the hospital staff.

I successfully grabbed the envelope and ripped it open.

But the bold letters on the page made my stomach drop. My mind went completely blank.

"How...

...how is this possible?"

"The child is biologically mine... and biologically Julian's?"

*