Chapter 6 DNA Tests Confirmed

The silence is louder than the truth.

Adrian stands across from me, holding the DNA test results. His jaw is clenched. His eyes are unreadable. And I know, at this moment,nothing will ever be the same.

"You're pregnant," he says flatly.

I nod.

"With my child."

Another nod.

"And you're not my wife."

I couldn't even answer.

He tosses the envelope onto the glass table. It flutters like a dying leaf.

Eliora is behind him, arms crossed, face triumphant. She's wearing her victory like perfume, strong enough to choke me.

"You lied to me," Adrian says.

"I didn't mean to.."

"You slept beside me. Ate with me. Kissed me. And all this time, you were her."

My voice is barely a whisper. "I was just trying to protect everyone."

He laughs once. Dry and bitter. "Protect? You pretended to be someone else and ended up carrying my child. That's not protection. That's manipulation."

Eliora steps forward.

"She used me. Lied to you. Lied to me."

"Stop," I murmur.

"She stole my marriage."

"You gave it away."

"She was supposed to fill in for a few days, not..."

"I didn't plan this," I cut in. "None of this was planned."

"But you didn't stop it either," Adrian says.

His voice is quiet now. That hurts more.

I looked down. "I was falling in love with you."

He flinches.

Eliora smirks. "Touching. Now, where do we go from here?"

Adrian doesn't answer.

His father walks in, holding a glass of bourbon.

"The board has seen the results."

My heart jumps.

"What do you mean?"

He turns to Adrian. "The heir is real. But the mother isn't your wife."

Adrian nods slowly. "I know."

"That child is the key to our legacy."

I move to speak, but he raises a hand.

"Eliana, you are no longer welcome here. The contract was with Eliora. You were a ghost in her dress."

Adrian stiffens. "Father!"

"She leaves. Today."

He walks out like a king giving his last order.

I look at Adrian.

But he won't look back.

"I'll pack my things."

He doesn't stop me.

That silence stays with me the whole way upstairs.

Packing my life in a single suitcase feels like stuffing pain into a box. Every shirt I fold, every book I zip, is a reminder that I didn't belong here.

Eliora doesn't help. She leans on the doorframe, arms crossed, victorious.

"Don't worry. I'll take good care of him. And the baby."

"You mean my baby."

"Who's legally mine once he's born," she shrugs. "Think about it. You're just a surrogate now. A glorified vessel."

My blood runs cold.

"You wouldn't."

"Wouldn't I?"

"You're not his mother."

"But I am his wife. And in the eyes of the law, that's all that matters."

I zip my suitcase with more force than needed.

"You're evil."

She shrugs. "I'm smart."

I push past her without another word.

Adrian isn't at the door when I leave.

I won't blame him.

I wouldn't be, either.

I take a cab to the only place I can think of was Aunt May's old apartment.

She moved overseas last year and left me a spare key.

It's small. Dusty. But it's mine.

That night, I sat by the window and cried until I couldn't feel my face.

Then I cry some more.

The next morning, I got a knock.

I'm not expecting anyone.

I peek through the peephole.

Adrian.

My breath catches.

I open the door slowly.

He's in the same clothes. Dark circles under his eyes. Hands in his pockets.

"I didn't come here to argue."

I nod.

He steps in, looks around.

"This where you've been hiding?"

"Not hiding. Surviving."

He sits on the armrest.

"I couldn't sleep."

I don't respond.

He sighs. "I'm angry. But I'm not blind."

"What do you mean?"

"You didn't steal my heart. I gave it to you."

Tears prick my eyes.

"And I know the baby's yours. You may not be my wife by law... but that child is mine."

My lips tremble. "Eliora wants custody."

His face hardens. "She won't get it."

"She said she's the legal wife. That she'll take everything."

"I won't let her."

I breathe out slowly. "Why are you really here, Adrian?"

He hesitates.

Then: "Because I miss you."

It's soft. Honest.

But I'm afraid to believe it.

He reaches for my hand. "You changed me. Everything I was... everything I thought I wanted,it all shifted when you came into my life."

"I didn't mean to fall in love with you," I whisper.

"But you did."

I nod.

"So did I."

A moment passes.

Then another knock at the door.

We both frooze.

I opened it.

Vanessa.

She storms in.

"You need to see this."

She shoves her phone into my hand.

It's a news alert.

BILLIONAIRE HEIR MARRIED TO THE WRONG TWIN-FAMILY SCANDAL EXPLODES

Photos. Names. Everything.

"I don't know who leaked it," she says. "But it's everywhere. Blogs. News sites. Social media."

Adrian's face goes pale.

"Dad's going to kill me."

Vanessa shakes her head. "It's worse. Marcian's calling for a shareholder meeting. He's demanding you step down."

"What?!"

She turns to me. "They're saying you tricked your way into the family to get the inheritance. That you faked a pregnancy."

Adrian runs his hands through his hair. "Uncle Marcian's going to spin this."

"He already has."

I feel sick.

"This is my fault."

"No," Adrian says firmly. "This is his move. He's been waiting for a scandal like this."

Vanessa looks at us both.

"If you don't fix this... you'll lose the company. The baby. Everything."

Adrian's phone rings.

His father.

He answers.

"What is it?"

A long pause.

His face goes white.

He ends the call.

"What happened?" I ask.

He looks up.

"Marcian just filed an emergency injunction."

"What does that mean?"

"He's pushing for full control of the company... and custody of the baby."

My stomach drops.

"What?!"

"He wants proof the heir is real. And if he can't get it, he'll claim the child doesn't belong to the family."

I grab my stomach instinctively.

Vanessa gasps. "He can't do that."

Adrian's voice is ice.

"Oh, he can."

Our child is no longer just a baby... he's the battlefield.