Scott pulled Toby into the embrace, holding both of us—his pregnant wife and their son—while the family that had condemned me watched in stunned silence.
I stood there, one hand on Toby’s back, the other resting on Scott’s head, crying silently. The relief was overwhelming, but so was the pain of the betrayal.
Dr. Ellis cleared his throat. “The technician has been arrested. The lab is cooperating fully with police. Charges will be filed against whoever paid her.” His eyes landed squarely on Adelaide.
She took a step back, face ashen. For the first time, the powerful matriarch looked small.
---
The night did not end quietly.
Scott stood up, wiped his face, and faced his family. “Everyone out. This dinner is over. Mom, you are no longer welcome in our home until you can genuinely apologize to my wife and son. If you ever pull something like this again, you will never see your grandchildren.”
Adelaide tried to argue, but Scott was done. He escorted her and the others out himself while I sat on the couch feeding Toby a snack from my bag, still in shock.
When the house finally emptied, Scott knelt in front of me again. The marble table nearby still held the spilled red wine from when someone had knocked over a glass in the chaos. The fake DNA papers lay soaked in it.
“I don’t deserve your forgiveness,” he said quietly. “But I will spend the rest of my life earning it. I love you, Olivia. I love our son. I love our daughter growing inside you. I let fear and my mother’s poison make me stupid. Never again.”
I touched his face, tracing the tears on his cheeks. “You broke my heart tonight, Scott. In front of everyone. I was ready to walk out of here with nothing but our children.”
“I know,” he whispered. “And I will never let you feel that way again.”
We cried together—me, him, and Toby who kept patting both our faces with his small hands, confused but sensing the love.
