Chapter 44: Blood and BetrayalMy blood ran cold. DNA results? What possible game was Victoria playing now?"This is absurd," Marcus said, voice steady despite the tension radiating from him. "Another desperate manipulation. Truth is our daughter."Victoria's laugh contained no warmth, just practice
Chapter 45: Sanctuary BreachedThe police interview lasted hours. I watched Truth sleep in her portable bassinet, positioned between Marcus and me, as detectives combed through Victoria's surprise visit. The clock on the wall ticked past midnight, each second feeling like an eternity."Ms. Mitchell,
Chapter 46: A cry in the darknessThe darkness isn't complete silence. It's alive—breathing, watching, waiting.Truth's cry pierces through the blackness, a high-pitched wail that sends electricity down my spine. My hand instinctively reaches for her, fingers searching for the familiar softness of h
Chapter 47: Sanctuary unfoldedMy own face stares back at me through the flames—not as I am now, but as I might be decades from now. Lined with age, eyes hardened by experience, mouth curved into a knowing smile that I've never worn. Yet unmistakably me."What is this?" I whisper, my voice barely au
Chapter 48: Two minutesMy own face stares back at me—older, lined with years I haven't lived, eyes hardened by experiences I haven't endured. Yet unmistakably me.The room falls into stunned silence. Truth whimpers in my arms, her warm weight anchoring me to reality when everything else feels like
Chapter 49: An Accidenr"Hello again, Sophia." William Henderson's voice flows from my daughter's tiny lips. "Did you really think it would be that easy to get rid of me?"The pendant burns against my palm, pulsing with an urgency I can feel in my bones. Terror and rage war inside me—a primal, mater
Chapter 50: Manifested"Sophia, wait." Marcus catches my arm as I move toward the door. The look in his eyes—that unfamiliar shadow I'd glimpsed moments before—has vanished, replaced by raw vulnerability. "You can't seriously believe I'd hurt Truth."The pendant's glow pulses beneath our daughter's
Chapter 1: The Wedding That Wasn'tMy wedding dress cost more than my car. Funny how that's what I fixated on as I stared at its pristine white fabric, now crumpled in the corner of my hotel suite like discarded tissue paper. Twelve thousand dollars of hand-beaded lace and silk, tossed aside just li
Chapter 50: Manifested"Sophia, wait." Marcus catches my arm as I move toward the door. The look in his eyes—that unfamiliar shadow I'd glimpsed moments before—has vanished, replaced by raw vulnerability. "You can't seriously believe I'd hurt Truth."The pendant's glow pulses beneath our daughter's
Chapter 49: An Accidenr"Hello again, Sophia." William Henderson's voice flows from my daughter's tiny lips. "Did you really think it would be that easy to get rid of me?"The pendant burns against my palm, pulsing with an urgency I can feel in my bones. Terror and rage war inside me—a primal, mater
Chapter 48: Two minutesMy own face stares back at me—older, lined with years I haven't lived, eyes hardened by experiences I haven't endured. Yet unmistakably me.The room falls into stunned silence. Truth whimpers in my arms, her warm weight anchoring me to reality when everything else feels like
Chapter 47: Sanctuary unfoldedMy own face stares back at me through the flames—not as I am now, but as I might be decades from now. Lined with age, eyes hardened by experience, mouth curved into a knowing smile that I've never worn. Yet unmistakably me."What is this?" I whisper, my voice barely au
Chapter 46: A cry in the darknessThe darkness isn't complete silence. It's alive—breathing, watching, waiting.Truth's cry pierces through the blackness, a high-pitched wail that sends electricity down my spine. My hand instinctively reaches for her, fingers searching for the familiar softness of h
Chapter 45: Sanctuary BreachedThe police interview lasted hours. I watched Truth sleep in her portable bassinet, positioned between Marcus and me, as detectives combed through Victoria's surprise visit. The clock on the wall ticked past midnight, each second feeling like an eternity."Ms. Mitchell,
Chapter 44: Blood and BetrayalMy blood ran cold. DNA results? What possible game was Victoria playing now?"This is absurd," Marcus said, voice steady despite the tension radiating from him. "Another desperate manipulation. Truth is our daughter."Victoria's laugh contained no warmth, just practice
Chapter 43: Into the Dark"Get to the nursery—now," Marcus commanded, his voice barely above a whisper. His hand found mine in the darkness, squeezing once before he released me. "Take Truth and lock yourselves in."My heart hammered against my ribs as I clutched our daughter tighter. "Marcus—""Go,
Chapter 42: Blood TiesMy legs threatened to give way beneath me. I sank onto the couch, clutching Truth to my chest like a shield."You're James's half-sister?" The words felt foreign on my tongue, impossible despite the evidence standing before me. Yet looking at Rachel now—*really* looking—I coul