Chapter 8

Haley Dickerson POV:

The collective gasp from the crowd was a symphony to my ears. Each step down the grand staircase was a declaration, a reclamation. The sapphire gown, heavy and rich, felt like armor. My heels clicked softly on the marble, echoing the beating of my own heart-a heart that was no longer broken, but forged anew.

Karly, who had been basking in Devin's attention, froze. Her triumphant smirk dissolved, replaced by a mask of utter shock. Devin' s eyes, which had been darting nervously, widened to saucers. He looked like he' d seen a ghost. A very, very well-dressed ghost.

"It can't be," I heard Tiffany gasp from somewhere in the crowd. "Is that... Haley?"

I ignored them all. My gaze was fixed on Karly. Her hand instinctively flew to her stomach, a possessive gesture that only intensified the cold rage within me. She was flaunting her pregnancy, flaunting the life she had stolen.

As I reached the bottom of the stairs, a path seemed to clear for me. The whispers erupted again, louder now, filled with bewilderment and awe. "Who is that?" "She looks... incredible." "Is that Arlena Dickerson with her?"

Arlena, a formidable presence in her own right, stood a few steps behind me, her expression regal and unyielding. Her mere presence commanded respect, and her powerful aura silenced any lingering doubt about my right to be there.

Karly, regaining some semblance of composure, pushed Devin forward. "Devin! Do something! She's crashing my party!"

Devin, still reeling, stammered, "Haley? What... what are you doing here?"

I stopped a few feet from them, my gaze sweeping across their stunned faces. "I believe I received an invitation," I said, my voice clear and steady, carrying effortlessly across the hushed room. "Though I admit, I almost didn't recognize the host. So much... has changed."

Karly' s face contorted with fury. "You manipulative witch! You're trying to ruin my birthday! You crashed my party, wearing... wearing that!"

"Darling, keep your voice down," Devin hissed, pulling Karly closer. He turned to me, trying to regain his composure. "Haley, this is inappropriate. You really shouldn't be here."

"Inappropriate?" I arched an eyebrow. "Is it inappropriate for the true heiress of the Dickerson family to attend an event in a venue owned by her own family's corporation?"

Another collective gasp rippled through the crowd. Devin's face went white. Karly looked like she might faint.

"What are you talking about?" Devin stammered, his voice cracking. "The Dickersons own this venue? And you... you're a Dickerson?"

Arlena stepped forward, her voice cutting through the stunned silence like a diamond. "Indeed. And as the matriarch of the Dickerson family, I find it quite appropriate for my daughter to reclaim her rightful place. Especially when it involves exposing a fraud."

Karly's eyes darted frantically, fear finally overpowering her anger. "This is insane! You're all crazy! Devin, tell them!"

Devin, however, was already in a cold sweat. He knew the Dickerson name. Everyone in New York society did. He knew the power. And he was starting to realize the depth of his monumental mistake.

Just then, Tiffany, Karly's sidekick, decided to intervene, stepping forward with a disgusted expression. "Oh, please. Don't listen to her. She's just a bitter ex. Probably still heartbroken that Devin chose Karly over her. And now she's making up some ridiculous story about being a long-lost heiress? How pathetic!"

"Pathetic?" I turned my gaze to Tiffany, my eyes blazing. "I assure you, dear, nothing about my current situation is pathetic. But yours, on the other hand? A sycophantic follower of a proven liar and a thief? That's quite pathetic indeed."

Tiffany reeled back, stunned by my directness. Karly, sensing her advantage slipping, stepped forward, her voice rising in a theatrical wail. "She's trying to frame me! She's trying to ruin everything! Devin, she's obsessed! She attacked me at the office, she tried to steal my ring!"

"She's lying!" Arlena's voice was sharp. "My daughter has done nothing of the sort! We have security footage proving Karly's malicious actions, including her staged fall and her destruction of Haley's personal property."

Devin's head snapped to Arlena. "Security footage? What security footage?"

"The footage from your lobby, Devin," Arlena replied, a chilling smile playing on her lips. "My team secured it. Every moment of Karly's performance. And your complicity."

Karly's face was chalk-white. She swayed, clutching Devin's arm. "No! It's a lie! It's all a lie!"

"A lie?" I stepped closer to Karly, my voice a low, dangerous whisper. "Is it a lie that you planted your grandmother's brooch to frame me? Is it a lie that you desecrated the memory of my unborn child by crushing its tiny bootie?"

Karly gasped, her eyes wide with terror. "How... how did you know about the bootie?"

"Oh, I know much more than you think, Karly," I replied, a cold satisfaction spreading through me. "I know about your mother, Huldah. I know about the baby swap. I know about the life you stole from me. And I know about the car accident."

Karly staggered back, her face a mask of abject horror. "The car... accident? No! That was... that was an accident!"

"A very convenient accident, wasn't it, Karly?" I pressed, my voice unwavering. "One that ensured I would lose my baby. One that ensured you would have Devin all to yourself. And one that almost killed me."

Devin looked from Karly to me, his face a mixture of shock, disgust, and dawning horror. He saw the genuine terror in Karly's eyes. He saw the cold, hard truth in mine.

"You... you tried to kill her?" Devin whispered, his voice barely audible. He pushed Karly away from him, his hand recoiling as if burned.

"No! Devin! She's lying! She's crazy!" Karly shrieked, desperately trying to cling to him.

But Devin didn't believe her anymore. The façade had cracked. He saw her for what she was.

Just then, a booming voice cut through the horrified silence. "Is there a problem here?"

All heads turned. An elderly man, impeccably dressed, with a stern, imposing presence, stood at the top of the stairs. He was flanked by two stern-faced security guards.

"Grandfather!" Karly shrieked, her voice filled with desperate hope. "Grandfather, she's trying to ruin my party! She's making up terrible lies!"

The man, Mr. McLaughlin, descended the stairs, his gaze sweeping over the scene. He looked at Karly, then at Devin, then at me, and finally, at Arlena. His eyes widened imperceptibly when he saw Arlena.

"Arlena Dickerson," he said, his voice surprisingly soft. "It's been many years."

Arlena simply nodded, her expression unyielding.

Mr. McLaughlin's gaze settled on Karly, a deep frown lines appearing on his forehead. "Karly, what is the meaning of this commotion?"

Karly rushed to him, clinging to his arm. "Grandfather, she's accusing me of terrible things! She's saying I swapped babies, that I tried to kill her! It's outrageous!"

Mr. McLaughlin looked at Karly, then at Arlena, then at me. His eyes, though old, were sharp. He saw something in my gaze that made him pause.

"Is this true, Arlena?" he asked, his voice low.

Arlena simply stared at him, then at Karly. "Ask Huldah, Mr. McLaughlin. Ask her why she switched my daughter with hers. Ask her why Karly McLaughlin has lived a lie for twenty-eight years."

The room erupted. The revelation hung in the air, thick with shock and disbelief. Mr. McLaughlin's face turned ashen. Karly screamed, a guttural sound of pure despair. Devin stood frozen, utterly speechless.

"I think," Arlena announced, her voice ringing with authority, "that it's time for a proper introduction. Ladies and gentlemen, may I present my daughter, Haley Dickerson. The true Dickerson heiress. And the victim of a heinous, decades-long deception."

The crowd buzzed, a cacophony of gasps and whispers. Karly collapsed to the floor, her fake pregnancy the only thing holding her up. Devin stared at me, his eyes filled with a dawning terror, a terrifying realization of the monster he had helped create, and the queen he had so foolishly discarded.