Chapter 1

Prologue

The labor room was a blur of beeping machines and sterile smells. The pain rushed through her filling every part of her body. Maddie's world had narrowed to a single, overwhelming sensation: the urge to push.

"Come on, Maddie, one more push!" the nurse urged her in a gentle but firm voice of encouragement.

Her body was on fire, her muscles screaming in protest as she bore down. She felt like she was being torn apart, her very fabric unraveling with each contraction.

Her husband, Henry, held her hand, his eyes locked on hers. “You're doing great, Maddie. Just one more push.”

She took a deep breath, the air burning her lungs. She felt the pressure building, the baby's head crowning.

"Now, Maddie! Push!" the doctor commanded.

With a primal scream, she pushed with every ounce of strength she possessed. The room erupted into a cacophony of beeps and cheers as the baby slid into the world.

Maddie felt a rush of relief, followed by a wave of exhaustion. She gazed up at Henry, her eyes filled with tears.

"It's a...it's a boy," the doctor announced, holding up the squirming infant.

Her gaze drifted to the baby, and she felt her heart overflow with love. But as she reached out to touch her child, the room began to spin.

“Maddie? Maddie, stay with us!” The doctor's voice was distant, fading into the darkness.

Her eyelids fluttered closed, and she felt herself slipping away, the sound of her baby's cries echoing in her mind.

Everything went black.

—---

“Yes, everything is fine. She's just...resting.”

Henry's voice was laced with anxiety as he spoke into the phone, his eyes darting nervously around the labor room.

He glanced down at the baby in his arms, his expression twisted into a mixture of hatred and evil. The infant's tiny face scrunched up in a cry, and John hastily handed him off to a nearby nurse.

"I need to...take care of something," he muttered into the phone, his eyes locked on the nurse as she expertly soothed the baby.

The nurse's gaze met Henry's, and for a moment, they just stared at each other. Then, the nurse's expression changed.

“When am I going to get my pay?” She asked in a whisper.

His phone was still pressed to his ear. “Do the job and don't ask me stupid questions." he said, his voice low and menacing.

As he spoke, the labor room's machines began to beep erratically, and the nurse's voice rose in alarm. "The baby's heart rate is dropping! We're losing him!"

His eyes flickered towards the nurse, and for a moment, he seemed to hesitate. Then, his face hardened, and he turned away, disappearing into the chaos of the hospital.

The nurse's cry echoed down the hallway. "The baby is missing! We need to find him, now!"

But Henry was already gone, vanished into the night with a secret that would change everything.

Chapter 1

“He's mine.”

The courtroom fell silent as I stood, my voice echoing off the walls.

“You're a liar and a cheat. And he doesn't deserve such an asshole as a father.” I spat, my eyes blazing with untamed fury.

My soon to be ex-husband, sneered. "You're one to talk, Maddie. You're the one who's been sleeping around with God knows how many men. That's how you can scrape a bit of money to take care of him using that excuse of a company as a cover-up. He doesn't deserve a slut for a mother!”

I took a step forward, my fists clenched. “You have no right to say that to me. No right. I will…”

The judge banged his gavel, interrupting our argument. “Enough! This is a court of law, not a playground for petty squabbles. Let's proceed with the case.”

My lawyer stood up, her voice calm and professional. “Your Honor, my client, Maddie, is the primary caregiver of the child in question. She has been raising him on her own for the past five years, and it's in the best interest of the child to remain with her.”

Henry's lawyer countered, “But, Your Honor, my client has a right to be involved in his son's life. He's willing to provide financial support and be an active participant in the child's upbringing.”

The judge nodded thoughtfully. “I've reviewed the case files, and it's clear that both parties have valid concerns. However, the child's welfare is my top priority. I'm ordering a DNA test to establish paternity once and for all.”

I felt a surge of confidence. “If you really think I'm a cheat, go ahead then do a DNA test, I promise you you'd regret this!”

Henry's lawyer smirked, “Well, well, well, we already have.”

My eyes widened in shock as the judge nodded. “In fact, the court ordered the DNA test last week, and the results are in.”

My lawyer’s expression turned concerned as she whispered to me, “ I didn't know about the DNA test. The notification must have been lost in transit. The court clerk”

The judge cleared his throat and began to read from the report interrupting my lawyer's nervous explanation. “The DNA test results indicate that Henry is not the biological father of the child.”

The blood drained from my face as the judge's words echoed in my ears. “Not the biological father?” How could that be? My knees buckled, and I gripped the edge of the table to steady myself. My gaze snapped to Henry. Instead of looking confused or angry, he was wearing a smug expression.

Who then was the father of my child?

“You liar!” I shouted, my voice cracking with emotions of rage and disbelief. “You’ve fabricated this. This is your doing!’

Henry’s smirk deepened. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “Oh, Maddie, you just can’t admit the truth, can you? The boy isn’t mine. The DNA doesn’t lie.”

“Your Honor!” I turned desperately to the judge, my voice cracking. “This is absurd. He’s twisting this. He… he must have tampered with the results!”

Henry’s lawyer stood, his expression calm and calculated. “Your Honor, the DNA test was conducted under court supervision by a reputable lab. The chain of custody for the samples is intact, and we have no reason to doubt its validity.”

“That’s a lie!” I countered, slamming my fist on the table. My lawyer tugged at my sleeve, trying to calm me, but I couldn’t hold back. “Henry has been desperate to win this case. He would do anything to discredit me!”

The judge banged his gavel. “Mrs. Maddie, control yourself or I will hold you in contempt of court.” His stern eyes bore into mine, forcing me to swallow the lump of rage in my throat.

“Your Honor,” Henry’s lawyer continued smoothly, “these accusations of tampering are baseless. My client simply wants the truth to come to light. Now that it has, we believe it’s clear who has been deceiving the court.”

“That’s not true!” I yelled again, my voice trembling with emotion. I turned to Henry, pointing a shaking finger at him. “You know damn well you’re his father, Henry. You’ve always been his father!”

Henry feigned innocence, shaking his head slowly. “I wanted to believe that, Maddie. I really did. But the truth hurts, doesn’t it?”

My lawyer finally rose, her tone sharp. “Your Honor, we request a retake of the test. My client maintains her claim that Henry is the child’s father, and given the gravity of this case, we believe another test is warranted.”

The judge sighed, rubbing his temples. “I’ll consider it. However, the court will not entertain baseless allegations of tampering without evidence. For now, the results stand.”

“I’ll prove it,” I said under my breath, mostly to myself. “I’ll prove he’s lying.”

The Judge adjourned the court to be fixed for a day after the second test.

The days leading up to the second test were a blur. Memories of the past years came flooding back…the betrayal, the loneliness, and the silent strength I had to muster to protect my son.

I had married Henry young, thinking he was my fairytale ending. He was charming, ambitious, and attentive…or so I thought. The cracks in his mask showed soon after the wedding. He stayed out late nights and came home drunk. I soon discovered that he had been seeing other women.

When I had confronted him, he had laughed in my face, dismissing me as paranoid. Then I fell pregnant a year later. I thought it would change everything. I believed he might step up, become the man I had married.

But I was wrong.

I built my small company from scratch to ensure my child and I could survive if Henry ever walked away. But here he was trying to take everything away from me.

Not as long as I am alive.

The second DNA test was conducted under even stricter supervision. My lawyer insisted on transparency, ensuring every step was documented. I clung to hope as the lab tech swabbed my son’s cheek and Henry’s. ‘This time, the truth will come out,’ I told myself.

The next day came more slowly than I anticipated. I headed to the court, feeling my nerves fraying with nervousness. I sat with my lawyer, clutching my hands tightly in my lap, while Henry leaned back in his chair as if he had already won.

The judge entered, and everyone rose. As he took his seat, he motioned to the bailiff, who handed him a sealed envelope.

The judge opened it, his expression unreadable behind steel glasses. He scanned the document before setting it down and staring directly at me. His lips pressed into a thin line, and his eyes gave off a flicker of...disgust?

My heart dropped.

“Mrs. Maddie,” he began in a stern voice, “the results of the second DNA test confirm the findings of the first. Henry is not the biological father of your child.”

The expression of the judge suddenly changed from his disgust and sternness to full-blown astonishment. He glanced at the bailiff, then back at the document, his shock evident. He adjusted his glasses, rereading the page as if to confirm what he was seeing.

"How on earth is this possible?”