Chapter 3

Haley Dickerson POV:

The hospital discharge papers were a blur of legalese. I signed them without truly reading, my gaze fixed on a point beyond the sterile walls. Arlena had arranged for my immediate release, dismissing the worried nurses with a regal wave of her hand. Her efficiency was both intimidating and comforting.

"Where are we going?" I asked, my voice still weak but steadily gaining strength.

"Home," Arlena replied, her arm gently guiding me. "Your real home."

The car was a sleek, black limousine, its interior plush and silent. As we drove, I watched the city lights flash by, a dizzying kaleidoscope. Midtown. The route was strangely familiar. Our old apartment, the one Devin and I shared, was tucked away in a modest corner of this bustling district.

"I need to go to the office first," I interrupted the silence. "To resign. Properly."

Arlena raised an eyebrow, a hint of steel in her voice. "There's no need. My legal team has already handled your official resignation. Effective immediately. They also ensured all your intellectual property contributions to his 'startup' are duly noted."

A small, grim satisfaction curled in my chest. So, she was already fighting for me. But I wanted to do it myself. I needed to look him in the eye one last time.

"No," I insisted, my voice firmer than I expected. "I need to do it myself. I need to face him."

Arlena studied my face for a moment, then nodded. "Very well. But you won't be alone."

We arrived at the gleaming glass tower that housed "InnovateTech," Devin's precious startup. The building, a monument to his ambition, now felt like a prison. The lobby was buzzing with activity, employees scurrying, the air thick with the scent of ambition and stale coffee. I walked past the reception desk, my head held high, Arlena a formidable shadow behind me.

As I approached my old department, the familiar faces turned, their whispers dying down. Some offered quick, sympathetic glances. Others, the ones Karly had charmed, averted their eyes. I ignored them all. My destination was Devin's office, the glass-walled corner suite.

The door was ajar. I could hear voices from within. Laughter. Karly's high-pitched giggles. My heart, which I thought was numb, pulsed with a fresh wave of ice.

I pushed the door open, stepping into the luxurious office. Devin was leaning against his desk, a possessive arm around Karly's waist. She was perched on the edge, a new, dazzling ring on her finger. His desk. My desk, for so long.

Their laughter died as they saw me. Devin's face, a moment ago filled with smug satisfaction, contorted into a mask of surprise, then something akin to irritation. Karly's smile faltered, replaced by a sneer.

"Haley? What are you doing here?" Devin asked, his voice strained. "I thought you were... recovering."

"I am." My voice was steady, each word carefully chosen. "I'm recovering my dignity. And I'm here to officially part ways with you, and with this 'company' of yours."

I held up a crisp white envelope. My resignation letter. I had printed it in the hospital, the words carefully chosen to sting, without betraying my true intent.

Karly slid off the desk, walking towards me with a predatory grace. "Oh, Haley. Still clinging on? Didn't you get the memo? You're old news. Devin has moved on. We've moved on." She gestured to the ring on her finger, then intertwined her hand with Devin's. "We're building a future here. A real future."

Devin, seeing Karly's confidence, seemed to regain some of his own. "Look, Haley, I know it's hard. But you're being emotional. This isn't the time or place."

"Emotional?" I let out a dry, mirthless laugh. "You call losing my child 'emotional'? You call being betrayed by the man I loved for eight years 'emotional'? No, Devin. This is righteous fury. This is the calm before the storm."

Karly's eyes narrowed. "Losing your child? Oh, please. Don't try to guilt-trip him with your made-up stories. You were never pregnant. You're just a sad, desperate woman."

"She knows, Karly," Arlena's voice cut through the tension, cold and sharp as a surgeon's scalpel. She stepped forward, her presence suddenly filling the room, dwarfing Devin and Karly. "She knows everything."

Devin looked from Arlena to me, then back again, confusion warring with a dawning fear. "Who... who is this woman, Haley?"

Arlena ignored him, her gaze fixed on Karly. "Karly McLaughlin. Or should I say, Karly Yates? The daughter of my former housekeeper, Huldah. The girl who was swapped in her crib with my daughter, Haley Dickerson."

The air went out of the room. Karly's face turned a ghastly white. Devin stared, his mouth agape. The few employees who had been lingering in the hallway now stood frozen, wide-eyed.

"What are you talking about?" Karly stammered, her voice thin and reedy. "This is insane! I'm Karly McLaughlin! Daughter of a prominent family! Everyone knows that!"

"Everyone knows the lie you've been living, dear," Arlena countered, her voice laced with chilling amusement. "But lies have a way of unraveling. Especially when the truth stands right in front of them." She placed a hand on my shoulder, a gesture of ownership. "My daughter. Haley Dickerson. The true heiress."

Devin finally found his voice, a strangled whisper. "Heiress? Haley? What... what is this?"

I looked at him, truly looked at him, for the first time in days. The man I had loved was gone, replaced by a pathetic, terrified stranger. "You always wanted a woman with connections, Devin. Someone who could give you access, status. Well, you found her. Just not the one you thought."

I tossed the resignation letter onto his desk, watching it flutter down among his meticulously arranged papers. It landed squarely on a photo of him and Karly. "Consider this my formal notice. And my final one. Enjoy your 'true love,' Devin. You'll be needing her. Because soon, you'll have nothing left."

Karly, recovering her composure, attempted a shaky laugh. "This is ridiculous! A desperate stunt! Devin, don't listen to this crazy woman! She's trying to ruin us!"

Devin, still reeling, could only stare at me, his eyes wide with a mixture of disbelief and a growing, sickening dread. He saw it now. Not the meek, loyal Haley. But something else. Something far more dangerous.

"You're making a huge mistake, Haley!" Karly shrieked, her veneer of sophistication cracking. "You'll regret this! You'll regret everything!"

I turned to leave, Arlena still a solid presence beside me. My final words were whispered, meant only for Devin. "Oh, I won't, Devin. Not anymore. I regret nothing. But you? You will regret the day you ever met me."

As we walked out, the whispers in the hallway erupted into a cacophony. I heard fragments: "...Dickerson family?" "...heiress?" "...baby swap?" The damage was done. The first stone had been thrown. And the storm was just beginning. Karly's desperate accusations followed us, but they were drowned out by the rising tide of speculation. Devin stood frozen, trapped in the wreckage of his own making, his eyes fixed on my retreating back. He didn't understand. Not yet. But he would.