Chapter 4 - The False Evidence
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The priest’s voice trembled near the final blessing, echoing softly against the vaulted stone ceilings. I leaned closer to the polished wood of the coffin, desperate for one final, private farewell before the world took him away forever.
“I miss you,” I whispered, my voice breaking. “I don’t know how to do this without you.”
Then, a thick manila folder slammed onto the coffin with a sound so brutal and sudden it completely silenced the cathedral.
I flinched, taking a step back, my heart hammering against my ribs.
Victoria stood right beside me, one black-gloved hand still resting heavily on the folder. She had crossed the aisle silently, like a predator, while my eyes were closed. Her intricate veil covered half her face, but her triumphant, vicious smile cut right through the black lace.
“Start packing, little actress,” she said, her voice projecting loud enough for the first five rows of dignitaries to hear clearly.
“You will leave my son’s house tonight.”
The cathedral froze. Not a single person moved or coughed.
I stared down at the document spread across the beautiful mahogany wood of the coffin. The bold black letters at the top of the page burned into my vision.
DNA Analysis. Probability of Paternity: 0.00%.
For several agonizing seconds, the letters made absolutely no sense. My mind refused to process them, not because I feared the accusation, but because the sheer cruelty of the act was too obscene to comprehend while standing beside my husband’s dead body.
“That is impossible,” I said, my voice shaking but finding its volume.
Victoria turned toward the breathless congregation like a victorious queen revealing an act of treason.
“The results are verified by a top medical lab. The child she carries is not Lucian’s. She thought she could trap my son with another man’s bastard baby and inherit the Ashcroft fortune.”
Gasps moved through the cathedral like a wild fire catching dry paper. The air left my lungs.
My body went completely cold.
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“This is a lie,” I said, looking around the room. “You know this is a lie!”
“Of course you would say that, you pathetic gold digger,” Victoria replied smoothly.
