"I got what is needed, Navian," Mikel said as he placed the envelope containing the DNA samples on the desk."Good job, man," Navian said while removing the stethoscope that was hanging on his neck.He just stepped out of a tough surgery and his face was showing how tired he was as he sat limply in the chair. But, this was not something he could afford to overlook; it was about Anna and Owen’s life and there was no place for relaxation."I'll send this to the lab techs right away," Navian said, eyeing the envelope. He couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of unease wash over him."My current fear is Anna and Owen’s safety. There's more to all of this, and I can feel it."Mikel leaned against the wall, his arms crossed, face dark with worry."Gerald’s involvement with Hannah is still shocking to me. I never saw it coming." His voice was low, almost as if saying it aloud would make the situation more real.Navian looked up, meeting his gaze. "The web is too entangled, Mikel. Your Beta may
“I don’t believe this.” Navian’s hand trembled as he stared at the DNA test results. His eyes darted over the confirmation again and again, but the words refused to change.Gerald is Jasper’s father. The thought slammed into him like a sledgehammer. He had suspected it after Mikel’s investigation, but now the proof in front of him, glaring in black and white.He snatched his phone, dialing Mikel immediately. His heart raced as the call rang.The stakes were too high. When Mikel picked up, Navian didn’t waste time.“Mikel, it’s true. The DNA confirms it—Gerald is Jasper’s biological father.”There was silence on the other end for a moment, as if Mikel was trying to process the weight of what Navian had just said. Then came his voice, low and tense,“Are you absolutely sure?”“Yes, Mikel, there’s no mistake. Jasper isn’t Landen’s son.”“Damn it,” Mikel muttered, his voice cracking. “This changes everything.”Navian sank into his chair, feeling the gravity of the revelation pulling him d
Elena paced in the hallway, her heart pounding in her chest as she replayed Navian’s outburst in her mind. He had been yelling in frustration just moments ago, slamming the file in his hands.“Haa, what more do we do? How did she manage to hide her track so well?”Navian’s voice still echoed in her ears. The exhaustion, the helplessness—it cut through her like a knife.She stood there, staring at the door, her hands trembling as guilt washed over her.“This is my fault,” she thought. “I’m the reason he’s falling apart. I’m the reason Anna and Owen are still missing.” The guilt was a constant ache in her chest, an invisible weight pressing down on her shoulders. She’d never seen Navian this desperate, not even after the most grueling surgeries. And it was all because of her.She swallowed hard, feeling her throat tighten. The room seemed to spin as her emotions churned inside her. She loved him—she loved Navian with everything she had, but how could she live with herself, knowing she
Anna's povI was stiff and sore from having my hands tied for most of the day; the skin on my wrists was rubbed sore from the ropes. Owen rolled across my lap, curled up and asleep; his body twitched in the darkness.He had stopped crying hours ago—maybe days ago, I wasn’t sure anymore. The clocks ceased to exist and all that separated them from one another was the dim light that came in through the little crack in the door separating night from day.My eyes opened, they were sticky and droopy, they had not been shut for long, given the terror that I was going through. My body started getting dizzy and I couldn’t understand where I was, my tongue felt fleshy and swollen. And how long had we had been in here? Weeks? I was worried when Owen became silent, but his whimpering was unbearably pitiful and pained. I pulled with all my strength on the ropes in an attempt to loosen them but my arms felt so weak and with each movement, I felt the bolts of pain in my aching muscles. It was no u
Anna’s POVSuddenly, as the door shut behind them, I got a sickening recollection of the next few minutes that was almost physically hard to bear.My hands were tied firmly behind my back, my hands and arms began to feel a pins-and-needles sensation, and the rope left red marks on the surface of my skin as I tried to move.Except for a small lamp that was shedding its pallid light on the room, the rest of the world was dark and even the shadow of a doubt was suffocating in my heart. Owen’s small body lay limp on my lap, his breaths shallow but steady. That was my only comfort now—he was still alive.But for how long?Hannah had left with that vile smirk on her face, and Gerald... Gerald had been the final blow. It wasn’t just the betrayal of Landen, the man I had once trusted with my life, but the way they both took pleasure in revealing the truth to me, piece by piece as if they were savoring my anguish.I rested my forehead against the cold stone wall, trying to hold on to any rema
The moment he stepped through the door, there seemed to be a tension charge in the air. He appeared to have all the time in the world as he walked slowly and diligently. I pressed my lips tightly and turned away not to yield to agony which I knew he was enjoying watching. “Still holding up, are we?” He said it more like a statement and to me there was something sinister in his jovial tone that made the bristles of my hair stand on end at the back of my neck. I didn’t respond. I couldn’t. I wouldn’t let him have the pleasure of seeing my voice shaking. Frowning, Gerald huffed and pretended as if I had let him down by not responding to his joke. “I suppose you are angry with me now,” he said in a sarcastic and harsh manner.“But you shouldn’t be. After all, everything I have done has been for the greater good. ” My brows drew together, and at long last I opened my mouth to speak, my voice hoarse and ragged. “Greater good?” I spat. “You are being very selfish, Gerald. Very selfish.
ANNA’S POVIf it were 12 months ago, before my son was even conceived, I would have let this darkness swallow me. But now that I have found a reason to live, a reason to walk the earth without shame, I want to fight the things that pull me into the embrace of death.The faint sound of the medical equipment came in gaps. I would have succumbed to the darkness that enveloped me but right now, I want to live for my pup. He should not live a life without his mother and his father beside him.Memories came rushing through my mind, was this what they meant when they said ‘Your life flashes before your eyes?’“You are pregnant, Mrs. Luther. You’re three months along,” the doctor’s voice echoed in my memory.“That is impossible, Doctor Sara. You are aware of my infertility. So how could it have happened?” I jolted up from my seat, bending across to her, my whole body trembling.“I should say miracles happen, Mrs. Luther,” she responded with a shrug.I should be happy. After three years of mar
The news Doctor Sara gave me wasn’t very good, but I will take the good part and forget the bad one. I was going to have this child by all means."I will fight for you," I promised, my voice trembling with a mixture of hope and fear. "You are my miracle, and I will do everything in my power to bring you into this world."I found strength in my unborn child. The thought of holding him in my arms gave me the courage to face my reality.It was time to bring him into this world after nine months, but my life was hanging in the balance. I had told Doctor Sara that if there were any complications, she should by all means save my child.The pain was undeniably unbearable. I was so determined to give birth to my baby, but I had absolutely no strength at all. The strength of each contraction seemed like a wave coming over me and almost drowning me. The intense desire to bring my pup into the world and the agony of labor caused my body to become a battlefield."You have to give your all, Mrs. L