He Left Me For Her, I Married His Rival

Chapter 4

Before the test results were released, Vanessa started a livestream.

She lay in a hospital bed with her right hand wrapped in gauze, sobbing so hard she could barely breathe.

"I understand why Clara has questions about where she came from. But she's bribing the hospital and subjecting me to online harassment, all to force me to confess to something I never did..."

Ethan sat beside her and held up the severed engagement ring.

"Clara, if you stop attacking Vanessa, I'm willing to let this go. Don't ruin your life over one impulsive mistake."

Paid trolls flooded the livestream comments.

A: [She married into the Hale family and suddenly refuses to recognize her own parents?]

B: [Her sister nearly lost a finger, and she's still chasing attention!]

C: [Does her billionaire husband know she spent 5 years with Ethan Reed?]

My attorney didn't interfere with the livestream or leak any private footage.

Instead, Grandview Hotel's official account published security footage from the ballroom's public hallway, the keycard logs, and Ethan's own messages admitting the affair.

The footage showed Vanessa kissing Ethan before the two of them entered the lounge suite with their arms around each other.

They emerged 47 minutes later, their clothes in disarray.

Ethan had sent me a message on the night of the engagement party, then deleted it.

Ethan: Vanessa insisted on wearing the ring. She said the risk made it exciting. Stop making such a big deal out of it.

The recovered message had been authenticated, and its timestamp matched the footage exactly.

The livestream went silent for several seconds. Then the live comments exploded.

A: [So she didn't try on the ring. She wore her sister's engagement ring while sleeping with her sister's fiancé?]

B: [How does Ethan have the nerve to demand an apology from the victim?]

C: [She cries like an innocent saint, but she sure works hard at being a home-wrecker.]

Vanessa's attending physician also provided the relevant treatment records.

After being admitted, Vanessa had refused to let the staff cut off the ring until she finished filming an injury video. The delay had further restricted blood flow to her finger.

Her claim that I had nearly cost her a finger had been staged from beginning to end.

Vanessa hurriedly ended the livestream, but people had already turned against her.

Then the State Forensic Genetics Lab delivered the results.

I wasn't biologically related to Robert Foster or Diane Brooks.

Vanessa was their biological daughter.

A separate DNA match, verified with police assistance, confirmed that Arthur Sterling was my biological grandfather.

When I arrived at the hospital with my attorney and the police, Robert still tried to argue.

"DNA results can be faked! The Sterling family is rich enough to buy any result they want!"

The police placed the original newborn ID bracelet, an altered medical file, and a bank statement from 22 years ago in front of him.

Paula Dawson, the nurse who had assisted with the delivery, was Diane's older cousin.

After the newborn disappeared, 200,000 dollars appeared in Paula's account.

Diane lunged for the evidence, but an officer held her back.

She shouted at me through the crowd, "I may not have given birth to you, but I raised you! Without me, you would've died!"

"Would I?"

My attorney opened a file containing years of medical examinations.

"Before Ms. Foster turned 18, she suffered recurrent, unexplained headaches. Recent hair analysis shows prolonged exposure to low doses of a neurotoxic substance."

Every trace of color drained from Diane's face.

Robert grabbed an IV pole and swung it at me.

Julian pulled me into his arms. Two officers tackled Robert and pinned him to the floor.

"Take him into custody on suspicion of child a*******n and aggravated assault!"

Heavy footsteps approached from the end of the corridor.

An elderly man with silver hair stopped in front of me, his eyes red.

He was Arthur, founder of Sterling Group, one of Northgate's most powerful conglomerates.

He brought no entourage and didn't ask me to call him Grandpa. With trembling hands, he held out a half-burned photograph.

In it, a young woman cradled a newborn, her eyes crinkling with joy.

Arthur's voice broke.

"Clara, I've been searching for you for 22 years!"