Chapter 11 - The Test That Changed Everything
Donovan wanted to leave immediately.
He wanted to find Elena, find Victor, and demand answers from everyone who had participated in the deception.
But Maeve sat at the kitchen table, staring at the photograph of Elena outside the clinic.
“Why was she watching me?” she asked.
Donovan placed his phone facedown.
“I don't know.”
“Was she trying to protect me?”
“Possibly.”
“Or was she part of it?”
He didn't answer.
Maeve looked at him.
“I'm not asking you to defend your sister.”
“Good. Because I can't.”
She lowered her eyes.
“I need to know whether my baby is yours.”
Donovan went still.
“You believe the message?”
“I believe someone has spent weeks trying to make me doubt everything. And I don't want to build my child's future on uncertainty.”
He pulled out a chair and sat opposite her.
“Then we'll find out.”
“You won't be angry?”
“Why would I be angry?”
“Because you're being asked to prove something you never questioned.”
Donovan looked at her for a long moment.
“Maeve, I have spent the last three days discovering that my sister may be alive, my closest friend may be my enemy, and my father may have been murdered by a man I called family.”
He paused.
“A paternity test is not the worst thing that could happen to me.”
Her eyes filled.
He reached across the table, stopping just short of touching her hand.
“May I?”
She nodded.
He took her fingers gently.
“Whatever the result, I won't abandon you.”
She wanted to believe him.
This time, she allowed herself to try.
They arranged an appointment with an independent specialist recommended by Maeve's obstetrician. The test would use a maternal blood sample and a cheek swab from Donovan, avoiding any procedure that might put the pregnancy at risk.
Maeve insisted on attending alone with him.
No guards in the examination room.
No hidden cameras.
No assistants collecting results.
Donovan agreed.
For the first time, the two of them entered a hospital without bringing the shadow of his organization through the doors.
The waiting room smelled of disinfectant and fresh linen.
Maeve sat beside him, her hands folded tightly in her lap.
“What if the result is negative?” she asked.
Donovan turned.
“Then we'll face the truth.”
“What if it's positive?”
“Then we'll face that truth, too.”
She gave him a small, sad smile.
“You make everything sound simple.”
“It's usually the people who benefit from confusion who insist something is complicated.”
When the nurse called Maeve's name, she stood.
Donovan followed.
Inside the examination room, the physician explained the procedure and answered Maeve's questions. She confirmed the estimated gestational age, reviewed the risks, and reassured Maeve that the test itself would not interfere with the pregnancy.
The blood sample was collected.
Donovan provided his sample.
Then they waited.
The results would take several days.
Those days became the longest of Maeve's life.
At the townhouse, Julian discovered that the fake trust documents had been delivered to Victor's intermediary. The exchange was proceeding according to plan.
But the child had still not been recovered.
Elena remained missing.
And the anonymous messages continued.
Some were obvious attempts to frighten Maeve.
Others were worse.
They contained small details from the night of the gala: the song playing in the ballroom, the color of Donovan's cuff links, the exact time Maeve had entered the balcony.
Someone had been watching them that night.
Someone had watched them leave.
Someone had known exactly where to begin digging.
On the fourth day, Maeve received a message from Claire.
I'm alive. Don't tell Donovan. Meet me at the old conservatory tomorrow at noon. Come alone.
Maeve read it several times.
Then she showed it to Donovan.
He looked relieved for only a second before suspicion took over.
“It could be a trap.”
“It could also be Claire.”
“You can't go alone.”
“I won't.”
He frowned.
“You just told me she said to come alone.”
“She asked me not to tell you. I haven't agreed to anything.”
Maeve took a breath.
“We'll tell Julian where I'm going. He can keep his distance, and Claire can decide whether she wants to speak to me.”
Donovan considered the suggestion.
Finally, he nodded.
“You're learning to negotiate with criminals.”
“I'm learning to negotiate with you.”
The conservatory stood behind an abandoned botanical garden.
Its glass roof was cracked in several places, and weeds had begun pushing through the tiled floor. Maeve remembered visiting the place with Claire during college, before money troubles, bad relationships, and adult responsibilities had made simple afternoons feel like luxuries.
Claire was waiting beside a dry fountain.
She looked thinner.
There was a bruise on her cheek.
Maeve hurried toward her.
“Claire.”
Her friend began to cry.
Maeve hugged her carefully, mindful of her stomach.
“Are you hurt?”
“I'm fine.”
“Don't lie to me.”
Claire wiped her face.
“I'm not fine. But I'm alive.”
Maeve held her at arm's length.
“Why didn't you tell me everything?”
“Because I thought I could protect you by keeping you out of it.”
“You did a terrible job.”
Claire gave a broken laugh.
“I know.”
Then she looked down at Maeve's stomach.
“Is the baby all right?”
“So far.”
“Have you taken the test?”
Maeve froze.
“How do you know about the test?”
Claire's face drained of color.
“I shouldn't have said that.”
“Claire.”
She stepped away.
“I need you to listen to me. Victor isn't the only person who wants your baby.”
Maeve's stomach tightened.
“Who else?”
Claire looked around the empty conservatory.
“There's someone inside Donovan's family who believes your child belongs to them.”
“That's impossible.”
“Not if the trust was altered before your baby was conceived.”
Maeve stared at her.
“What are you talking about?”
Claire reached inside her coat and removed a folded document.
It was a copy of a legal amendment, signed three years earlier.
The amendment stated that if Donovan Hayes had no legitimate heir, a secondary beneficiary would inherit control of the family trust.
The beneficiary's name had been blacked out.
But the signature at the bottom was visible.
Thomas Hayes.
Donovan's father.
Maeve read the document twice.
“Why would his father create this?”
“Because he knew someone might try to steal the trust.”
“Then why hide the beneficiary?”
Claire shook her head.
“Because the beneficiary wasn't supposed to be revealed until Donovan had a child.”
Maeve felt cold.
“What happens then?”
Claire looked directly into her eyes.
“The amendment becomes invalid if Donovan's child is biologically his and registered before the review deadline.”
“And if the test says he isn't the father?”
“Victor wins.”
Maeve's heart pounded.
“So the anonymous messages, the stolen medical records, everything has been designed to make us doubt the paternity.”
“Yes.”
“Who is the secondary beneficiary?”
Claire hesitated.
Then she whispered, “The child Elena gave birth to three years ago.”
Maeve closed her eyes.
Adrian.
If Donovan's child were not his, Victor could seize the inheritance by claiming Elena's son was the only legitimate descendant.
If Maeve's child were confirmed as Donovan's, the trust would remain protected.
May you like
But the test results had not arrived.
And somewhere in the city, Victor was waiting for the chance to make sure they never did.
