“Why did you do it?! How can you stand there after you left him in the trash?!”
Elizabeth Sterling flinched as if she’d been struck. She looked at the girl, then at the baby in the girl’s arms, then at her husband.
“What? What are you talking about?” she whispered, her face turning ashen.
Sarah realized the game was up, but she tried one last desperate move.
She stepped between Elizabeth and Dana, playing the loyal protector.
“Be quiet, you little brat! Security! Get this runaway out of here! She’s clearly high or looking for a handout!”
Guards grabbed Dana’s arms, trying to drag her away.
“Let go! I’m not lying!” the girl screamed, fighting with everything she had.
As they pulled her toward the exit, Dana reached into her pocket and threw the silver chain into the air.
“Look at this!” she yelled.
The silver flashed under the chandeliers and landed with a sharp metallic ring at Elizabeth’s feet.
Everything stopped. Everyone stared at the object on the floor. It was a custom piece. Elizabeth recognized it instantly.
“The bracelet…” she whispered.
Her hand flew to the neck of the baby she was holding. There was no jewelry. Elizabeth looked at the baby in her arms with new, doubting eyes. A mother’s instinct, which had been whispering to her all morning that something felt “off”—the scent, the weight—suddenly screamed. Then she looked at the bundle in Dana’s arms.
Despite the grime, she saw the bright blue eyes—the exact shade of Timothy’s.
“That bracelet was on the baby when she dumped him!” Dana shouted, pointing at Sarah. “She left him in the mud in the middle of the storm!”
“Wait!” Elizabeth’s voice cracked like a whip, stopping the guards.
Trembling, she handed the baby she was holding to her husband, picked up the chain, and read the engraving. Then she turned slowly to Sarah. The maid was backing away, looking for an exit that wasn’t there.
“Sarah,” Elizabeth’s voice was low and dangerous. “I put this on my son yesterday. Why does this girl have it? And whose baby am I holding?”
“Answer her!” Timothy roared, stepping forward.
Sarah broke under the weight of the room’s gaze.
“Because he’s mine!” she shrieked, her face twisting with resentment. “That’s my son! You have everything! Millions, mansions, and what do I have? My son deserved this life! I just gave him the chance you were born with!”
The room was silent, stunned by the confession. Sarah turned to Dana, her eyes full of hate:
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