Chapter 5
The next morning, the story was everywhere.
“Wife Slaps Socialite Mother-In-Law At Charity Gala.”
“DNA Bombshell: Is The Granddaughter Really Her Daughter?”
“Billionaire Family Torn Apart By Shocking Paternity Scandal.”
Every news site, every tabloid, every morning talk show was talking about us.
Someone at the gala had recorded the whole thing on their phone.
The video showed me slapping Margaret.
It showed Lily on the floor.
It showed James asking about the DNA test.
But it cut off right before Margaret admitted anything.
The comments were brutal.
“What a gold digger. Hitting an old woman like that.”
“Poor Margaret. She was just correcting the child’s manners.”
“That woman should be in jail. And lose custody of that little girl.”
“I always knew there was something wrong with Emily. No wonder Margaret didn’t like her.”
I threw my phone across the room.
It hit the wall and shattered.
James was on the phone with his lawyer, his voice tight.
“…yes, we need to file for full custody immediately. We need a restraining order. She threatened to take Lily… no, I don’t care how much it costs. Just make it happen.”
He hung up and ran a hand through his hair.
His face was gray with exhaustion.
He hadn’t slept all night.
Neither had I.
Lily was still asleep in her room.
We’d sat by her bed until four in the morning, taking turns watching her breathe.
“Ben says we have a strong case,” James said. “But he also says Margaret has already filed her own custody petition. She’s claiming I’m an unfit father because I let you assault her. She’s claiming you’re violent and unstable. She’s got ten witnesses from the gala ready to testify against you.”
“Ten witnesses who saw me slap her. But none who saw her push Lily?”
“Most of them are her friends. They’ll say whatever she tells them to.” He sat down beside me on the couch. “Ben says we need to find the surrogate. Fast. If we can get her to testify that Margaret paid her to carry the baby, that changes everything.”
“And what about our son?” My voice cracked. “What about the baby we lost? Do you think she had something to do with that too?”
James went still.
I’d been thinking about it all night.
The preterm labor.
The hemorrhage.
The “miracle twin” that no one had seen on any ultrasound.
Margaret had been the one who’d recommended the obstetrician.
She’d been the one who’d insisted I take those “special vitamins” during my pregnancy.
She’d been the one in the room when I’d started bleeding.
“James,” I said, reaching for his hand. “What if she didn’t just swap the babies? What if she caused the labor? What if she killed our son so she could put Lily in his place?”
He didn’t answer.
But I saw the fear in his eyes.
The same fear that was eating me alive.
A knock on the door made us both jump.
James stood up, his body tense.
He looked through the peephole and relaxed slightly.
“It’s Clara.”
Clara was Margaret’s younger sister.
James’ aunt.
The only member of his family who’d ever been nice to me.
He opened the door.
Clara stepped inside, her coat pulled tight against the cold, her face pale.
“I saw the news,” she said, without preamble. “I came as soon as I could.”
She looked at me, her eyes soft with sympathy.
“Emily, I am so sorry. I always knew Margaret was cruel, but this… I never imagined she could do something like this.”
“Did you know?” James asked quietly. “Did you know about Lily?”
Clara shook her head quickly.
“No. God, no. I had no idea. But I’m not surprised.” She sat down across from us, her hands folded in her lap. “Margaret has always been obsessed with legacy. When you two lost the baby, she was devastated. Not for you. For herself. She thought the Carter name would die with James. She kept saying, ‘I built this empire for nothing. There’s no heir.’”
She paused, swallowing hard.
“Then, a few months later, she came to me. She was… different. Happy. She said she’d ‘fixed the problem.’ She said you were going to have a daughter. I thought she meant you’d adopted or something. I never dreamed…”
She trailed off, shaking her head.
“I should have asked more questions. I should have seen something was wrong. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault,” I said.
“Maybe not. But I can help.” She opened her purse and pulled out a thick manila envelope. “I’ve been collecting things on Margaret for years. Not because I wanted to hurt her. Because I was scared of her. She’s done terrible things, James. To people who got in her way. I always thought one day she’d turn on me too.”
She slid the envelope across the table.
James opened it.
Inside were bank statements.
Emails.
Text messages.
Photos.
His eyes widened as he flipped through them.
“What is this?”
“Proof,” Clara said. “Proof that Margaret transferred $75,000 to a woman named Sarah Henderson six years ago. Proof that she paid Dr. Patel—your obstetrician—$200,000 two weeks after Lily was born. Proof that she had a private room in the same hospital under a fake name the week you gave birth, Emily.”
My blood ran cold.
Dr. Patel.
The doctor who’d delivered my son.
The doctor who’d told me about the “miracle twin.”
The doctor who’d retired and moved out of the country six months later.
“She paid him off,” I whispered.
Clara nodded.
“I think so. And Sarah Henderson? I did some digging. She lives two hours outside the city. She was a surrogate six years ago. She gave birth around the same time Lily was born. She’s never spoken publicly about it. But I think she’s the one.”
James stood up, the papers shaking in his hand.
“I’m going to find her.”
“James, wait.” Clara grabbed his arm. “Margaret knows I have these. She’s going to come after me. She’s going to come after all of us. We need to be careful. She doesn’t play fair.”
“I don’t care.” James’ voice was fierce. “She took my son. She stole my daughter. She almost destroyed my wife. I’m done playing her games. Whatever she’s got, whatever she throws at us… we’ll fight back. And this time, we’re going to win.”
Lily chose that moment to come padding down the stairs.
She was rubbing her eyes, her hair a mess.
“Mommy? Daddy? Who’s here?”
Clara’s face softened.
She held out her arms.
“Hi, sweetie. I’m your Aunt Clara. I brought you something.”
She pulled a small stuffed unicorn from her purse.
Lily’s face lit up.
It was the first time I’d seen her smile since the gala.
She ran to Clara and climbed into her lap.
“For me?”
“All for you.” Clara hugged her tight, then looked up at us, her eyes glistening. “No one is ever going to hurt you again, honey. I promise. All of us are going to make sure of it.”
I looked at James.
He looked at me.
For the first time since that night at the gala, I felt a tiny spark of hope.
We weren’t alone anymore.
We had Clara.
We had proof.
We had a fighting chance.
But as I looked out the window, I saw Margaret’s car drive slowly past the house again.
May you like
And I knew.
The worst was yet to come.
