“Oh, Naomi,” she said loudly enough for everyone to hear. “You really shouldn’t have.”
Inside sat a framed document.
Not a birth certificate.
Not a blessing.
A certified DNA report.
Camille’s smile froze instantly.
Daniel frowned. “What the hell is that?”
I stood slowly.
“My gift,” I said calmly, “is the truth.”
A murmur spread through the room immediately.
Camille tried slamming the box closed, but Daniel snatched the frame from her hands. His eyes moved across the page once. Then twice. His entire face emptied of color.
“What is this?”
His mother stood abruptly. “Daniel?”
“It says I’m not the father,” he whispered.
Silence exploded across the ballroom.
Camille clutched her stomach instinctively. “That’s fake.”
“No,” I replied evenly. “It’s certified. Just like the fertility records proving Daniel has been sterile since birth.”
Daniel spun toward me furiously. “You lying—”
“Careful,” Evelyn interrupted as she stepped into the room beside two men in suits. “My client is presenting documented facts. Defamation works both ways.”
Camille’s eyes darted wildly. “Your client?”
“My lawyer,” I said calmly. “You remember Evelyn. She handled my divorce after the two of you convinced me to settle for less because Daniel supposedly needed ‘emotional closure.’”
Daniel’s father rose slowly. “Who are those men?”
Evelyn opened another folder. “Forensic accountants. And also a court petition reopening the divorce settlement due to fraudulent asset disclosures.”
Daniel lunged toward the papers, but one of the men blocked him immediately.
