Victor raised his glass with a smile that sent ice straight through my veins.
The grand dining hall sparkled under the crystal chandeliers as if nothing in the world was wrong. Fresh roses and lilies filled tall vases on the long mahogany table. Silverware gleamed beside fine china plates. Victor had ordered the staff to prepare a full celebration dinner the moment the paternity test results arrived that afternoon. Positive match. The report declared him the biological father with absolute certainty. Elena had kept her promise. Damien had risked his life to switch those vials. On paper, we had won a major battle. Yet as I sat there in my fitted navy dress, forcing a smile beside my husband, every instinct screamed that we had walked into another trap.
“To family and new beginnings,” Vict
