\u201cI told you I would.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stood beside her in a pale linen suit, his hand spread proudly across her belly. He looked polished, smug, and painfully foolish\u2014the kind of man who mistakes silence for surrender.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou look well,\u201d he said carefully.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou look fertile,\u201d I answered.<\/p>\n
His smile twitched slightly.<\/p>\n
Camille laughed too loudly. \u201cStill bitter? Oh, sweetheart, don\u2019t be. Life gives different women different blessings.\u201d<\/p>\n
Around us, guests pretended not to listen. Daniel\u2019s parents sat beside the fireplace, his mother glittering in diamonds while his father watched me carefully like a man who remembered exactly how much I knew about his business dealings.<\/p>\n
Camille leaned closer toward me. \u201cI hope this isn\u2019t too painful for you. Watching Daniel finally become a father.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked calmly at her stomach.<\/p>\n
\u201cI imagine this situation is painful for several people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her eyes narrowed slightly, but someone called for games, and she drifted away again like a queen wrapped in stolen luxury and borrowed bloodlines.<\/p>\n
I placed my gift onto the table.<\/p>\n
A blue box tied with silver ribbon.<\/p>\n
No card.<\/p>\n
For the next hour, I watched them perform their little fantasy.<\/p>\n
Daniel kissed Camille\u2019s temple every time cameras appeared nearby. Camille told guests their baby was \u201ca Mercer miracle.\u201d Across the room, Alistair stood near the bar looking pale and sweating through his collar. Every time Camille laughed, his eyes flickered nervously toward Daniel, then toward me.<\/p>\n
There was my answer.<\/p>\n
He knew that I knew.<\/p>\n
After the cake cutting, he followed me quietly into the hallway.<\/p>\n
\u201cNaomi,\u201d he whispered. \u201cPlease.\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned slowly. \u201cPlease what?\u201d<\/p>\n
His face crumpled immediately. Alistair had always been softer than Daniel, though softness was not the same thing as innocence.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt only happened once.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen you\u2019re an incredibly efficient brother.\u201d<\/p>\n
He flinched visibly.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe told me Daniel knew,\u201d he said desperately. \u201cShe said they had an arrangement. She said he couldn\u2019t\u2026 she said they needed help.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you believed her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to.\u201d His voice cracked painfully. \u201cShe told me she loved me.\u201d<\/p>\n
For one brief second, I almost felt sorry for him.<\/p>\n
Almost.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Daniel know?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
Alistair looked toward the ballroom where Daniel accepted congratulations like royalty.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
There it was.<\/p>\n
Not destiny. Not an agreement. Just another betrayal built entirely on vanity.<\/p>\n
I opened my clutch purse and handed Alistair a folded document.<\/p>\n
His eyes scanned the page. The color drained from his face immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is this?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA notice. Your father has been funneling company money into Daniel\u2019s lifestyle while hiding it beneath consulting fees. Daniel signed false financial disclosures during our divorce. Camille helped move assets through her boutique account.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNow you do.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stared at me silently.<\/p>\n
I stepped closer. \u201cYou have two options. Continue lying for them and drown alongside them, or tell the truth when the room starts asking questions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019ll destroy me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d I said quietly. \u201cShe already has. I\u2019m simply handing you the microphone.\u201d<\/p>\n
From inside the ballroom, Camille\u2019s voice rang out brightly.<\/p>\n
\u201cGift time!\u201d<\/p>\n
Alistair looked physically ill.<\/p>\n
I touched his sleeve lightly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWrong woman,\u201d I whispered.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe thought she stole from someone weak.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then I walked back toward the applause.<\/p>\n
Camille opened lace blankets, tiny shoes, silver baby spoons engraved with Baby Mercer. Every present made her glow brighter. Every compliment made Daniel stand taller.<\/p>\n
Then she reached for my blue box.<\/p>\n
The atmosphere shifted before she even untied the ribbon.<\/p>\n
Guests leaned forward curiously. Daniel crossed his arms. Camille lifted the lid with exaggerated sweetness.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, Naomi,\u201d she said loudly enough for everyone to hear. \u201cYou really shouldn\u2019t have.\u201d<\/p>\n
Inside sat a framed document.<\/p>\n
Not a birth certificate.<\/p>\n
Not a blessing.<\/p>\n
A certified DNA report.<\/p>\n
Camille\u2019s smile froze instantly.<\/p>\n
Daniel frowned. \u201cWhat the hell is that?\u201d<\/p>\n
I stood slowly.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy gift,\u201d I said calmly, \u201cis the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n
A murmur spread through the room immediately.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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