Chapter 5 - The LocketThe DNA test took forty-five minutes.
Forty-five minutes of silence. Forty-five minutes of Elara pacing, her eyes wild, her dress wrinkled from her hands fisting the fabric.
I sat on the floor, my back against the wall. Leo was next to me. He had crept over when no one was looking.
"Are you really my mommy?" he asked, his voice so soft only I could hear.
"Yes," I said. "I'm really your mommy."
"But she told me you died."
"She lied. She's been lying to everyone."
He looked at his hands. "I don't know what to call you."
"Call me whatever you want."
He was quiet for a moment. Then he said, "Can I call you Mommy? Just for now? I don't want to call her Mommy anymore."
My heart shattered. "Of course you can. Anytime."
He leaned against me, his small body warm and solid.
I'd waited four years for this.
Four years of grief and pain and hope.
And now he was here. Real. Alive. Mine.
The doctor emerged from the study, holding a piece of paper.
"The results are in," he announced.
Elara's face went gray.
Noah took the paper, his hands steady. He read it once. Then again.
His jaw tightened.
"Well?" Elara demanded, her voice shrill. "What does it say?"
Noah looked at her. His eyes were flat. Cold.
"It says you're not the mother."
The hall erupted.
Elara screamed. "It's wrong! The test is wrong! She paid him off! She—"
"Dr. Chen is one of the most respected geneticists in the country," Noah said, his voice ice. "He doesn't take bribes."
He turned to me.
"You're the mother."
I nodded, tears streaming down my face. "Yes."
He looked at Leo. "Is he... is he mine?"
I nodded again. "Yes. He's yours."
Noah closed his eyes. For a moment, he didn't move. Then he opened them. There was something new in them. Something raw. Something broken.
"Elara," he said, his voice dangerously quiet. "You're under arrest. For kidnapping. For fraud. For destroying my family."
Elara laughed. A wild, desperate laugh. "Your family? You didn't even know her! You didn't even know he existed! You're just as guilty as I am!"
"I didn't know because you lied to me!"
"I did what I had to do!" she screamed. "I loved you! I loved him! I was a better mother than she ever could have been!"
Security guards appeared, grabbing her arms.
"Take her away," Noah said. "And call the police."
"No! Let go of me! He's my son! He's mine!"
Leo flinched, pressing closer to me.
"She's not your mommy," I whispered to him. "I am. And I'm never going to let her hurt you again."
He looked up at me, his eyes wet.
"Promise?"
"I promise."
May you like
The guards dragged Elara out of the hall, still screaming.
And then there was silence.
