POV: Vivian Chen
I slam my laptop shut so hard Leo jumps on the couch beside me.
"Mama, you okay?" He looks up from his coloring book, crayon frozen mid-air.
"I'm fine, baby." The lie tastes bitter. "Just tired."
But I'm not tired. I'm furious.
It's 3 AM and I've been awake for twenty-six hours straight, going through every memory of that night six years ago, trying to find something—anything—I missed.
Claire's face keeps flashing in my mind. "Here, sis, drink this. You'll feel better."
The way the room spun after one sip.
How everything went fuzzy around the edges.
And now Claire's threat: "I know things about that night you don't."
What does she know? What happened in those hours I can't remember?
My phone buzzes. A text from Ethan: "Can't sleep either? We need to talk before the meeting with Claire tomorrow."
I glance at Leo, who's already fallen back asleep against my arm, his coloring book sliding to the floor.
Tomorrow. In less than nine hours, Ethan and I are supposed to walk into Claire's trap. Into that hotel room where everything started.
Or ended.
I'm not sure which anymore.
I text back: "Coffee shop on Fifth Street. 6 AM. Come alone."
His response is immediate: "See you there."
The coffee shop is nearly empty when I arrive. Just an old man reading a newspaper and a tired waitress refilling sugar containers.
Ethan sits in the back corner booth, two cups of coffee already on the table. He looks terrible—hair messy, tie loose, dark circles under his eyes that match mine.
"You look like hell," I say, sliding into the seat across from him.
"Right back at you." His lips twitch in something that might be a smile if we weren't both so exhausted. "When's the last time you slept?"
"When's the last time you trusted someone?"
The question comes out sharper than I intend, but I'm too tired to soften it.
Ethan flinches. "Fair point."
He slides a folder across the table. I recognize it immediately—DNA test consent forms.
"Not because I doubt," he says quickly. "Leo is obviously mine. Anyone with eyes can see it. But for legal proof. For when we take Claire to court."
My hand trembles as I reach for the pen. "And what happens after court? After Claire is arrested and the truth comes out? What happens to us?"
"Us?"
"You and me. Co-parents? Strangers? What?"
Ethan is quiet for a long moment. "I don't know. But I know what I don't want."
"What's that?"
"I don't want to be the father who sends birthday cards twice a year and sees his kid every other weekend." His gray eyes lock onto mine. "I missed five years, Vivian. I want to be there for every single day that comes next."
Something in my chest cracks. "Even if that means dealing with me?"
"Especially if it means dealing with you." His voice drops. "You're Leo's mother. You raised an amazing kid alone. You built a fashion empire under a fake name while pregnant and heartbroken. You're the strongest person I've ever met, even if you hate me."
"I don't hate you." The words slip out before I can stop them.
Ethan's eyes widen. "You don't?"
"I hate what you said six years ago. I hate that you didn't trust me. I hate that you let other people convince you I was lying." I grip my coffee cup so hard it hurts. "But I don't hate you. I can't. Because every time I look at Leo, I see you. And I can't hate someone who gave me the best thing in my life."
Ethan looks like I've punched him and hugged him at the same time.
"I don't deserve that," he says quietly.
"No, you don't." I sign the DNA form and slide it back. "But Leo deserves a father who's present. So we figure this out. Together."
"Together," he echoes, like he's testing the word.
We sit in silence for a moment, sipping terrible coffee and avoiding eye contact.
"I've been thinking about Claire's message," I finally say. "About what she said she knows. What if—"
"What if we weren't conscious?" Ethan finishes. "What if neither of us really remember what happened because we were both too drugged to form memories?"
"Then how..." I can't finish the sentence. Can't say the words out loud.
"I don't know." Ethan runs his hands through his hair. "But we're going to find out. Today. In that hotel room. Whatever Claire knows, whatever really happened—"
"We face it together," I interrupt. "No matter how bad it is."
"No matter how bad." He extends his hand across the table.
I stare at it for a moment. This is a deal with the devil. A partnership with the man who destroyed me.
But he's also Leo's father. And right now, Leo's safety is all that matters.
I take his hand. His grip is warm, firm, steady.
"Partners?" he asks.
"Partners," I agree. "But Ethan? If you hurt Leo—"
"You'll destroy me. I know." His eyes are serious. "And I'll deserve it."
We spend the next three hours going through everything. Sofia joins us, bringing a laptop full of evidence she's been collecting.
"Claire's been busy," Sofia says, pulling up bank records. "She's transferred $12 million out of Chen Fashion House in the last month alone. All to offshore accounts."
"She's preparing to run," I realize. "This meeting today—it's not about blackmail. She's buying time to disappear."
Ethan leans forward. "Then we don't give her time. Sofia, can you trace where those accounts lead?"
"Already done." Sofia grins. "They all connect back to one main account in the Cayman Islands. An account opened by Linda Chen three years ago."
"My stepmother." The words taste like poison. "She's been helping Claire this whole time."
"Not just helping. Planning." Sofia pulls up more files. "I found emails between them going back six years. They've been systematically destroying your mother's company from the inside, waiting for the perfect moment to cash out and start fresh somewhere else."
"And that perfect moment is now," Ethan says grimly. "With me and Vivian distracted by the truth about Leo, Claire and Linda disappear with millions."
"Not if we stop them first." I stand up, decision made. "Sofia, call the police. Tell them we have evidence of embezzlement and we're meeting the suspect at noon. Ethan, call your lawyers. I want every account frozen before Claire can move another dollar."
"What about the meeting?" Ethan asks.
"We still go. We hear what Claire has to say. But this time, we're recording everything."
Sofia holds up her phone. "Already set up a backup system. Whatever happens in that room, we'll have proof."
At 11:45 AM, Ethan and I stand outside the Jade Garden Hotel.
It looks exactly the same as six years ago. Same revolving doors. Same marble lobby. Same terrible memories.
"You ready?" Ethan asks.
"No." I grab his hand without thinking. "But let's do it anyway."
We walk through the lobby together. People stare—of course they do. Ethan Sterling and Vivian Chen, holding hands, heading toward the elevators.
Let them stare. Let them gossip. After today, the truth comes out anyway.
The elevator ride to the fifty-seventh floor feels like it takes forever. Ethan's hand is warm in mine, his thumb tracing small circles on my palm.
"Thank you," he says quietly.
"For what?"
"For not giving up on the truth. For protecting Leo. For giving me a second chance I don't deserve."
The elevator dings before I can respond.
Room 2847 is at the end of a long hallway. The same room where everything started.
Or ended.
I'm still not sure.
Ethan knocks.
The door swings open immediately.
Claire stands there, perfectly made up, perfectly dressed, perfectly calm.
"Right on time," she purrs. "Come in. We have so much to discuss."
We step inside. The room looks like any other hotel room—bed, desk, window overlooking the city.
But this isn't just any room. This is where Leo was conceived. Where my life changed forever.
"Sit," Claire gestures to two chairs she's set up facing the bed. "I want you comfortable for this."
"Cut the games, Claire," Ethan snaps. "What do you want?"
"What I've always wanted." Claire's smile disappears, replaced by something cold and sharp. "Everything Vivian has. Her talent. Her name. Her company. Her happy ending."
"You can't have those things by stealing them," I say.
"Why not? You stole everything from me first." Claire's voice rises. "You were the beloved daughter. The talented designer. The heir to the Chen empire. What was I? The secret. The mistake. The child no one wanted."
"That's not my fault!"
"Maybe not. But it's also not my problem." Claire pulls out her phone. "Now, about that $50 million. Transfer it in the next five minutes, or I send this video to every news outlet in the country."
She holds up her phone. On the screen is a video—grainy, dark, but clearly from six years ago.
The video shows this room. This bed.
And on that bed, two unconscious people.
Ethan and me.
But there's a third person in the video. Someone moving around the room, positioning our bodies, taking photos.
Someone whose face is clearly visible in the mirror's reflection.
"Oh my God," I breathe.
Because the person in the video isn't Claire.
It's Linda.
My stepmother. Claire's mother. The woman who married my father and destroyed my family.
"That's right," Claire says, seeing my expression. "My mother did all the heavy lifting that night. The drugs. The setup. The photos. I just helped get you two into the right place at the right time."
"Why?" Ethan demands. "Why go through all of this?"
"Because Linda wanted the company, and I wanted revenge," Claire says simply. "You two were so easy to manipulate. Add some drugs, plant some evidence, watch you destroy each other. Perfect plan."
"Except we didn't destroy each other," I say, standing up. "We found the truth."
Claire laughs. "The truth? You want the truth?" She taps her phone. "The truth is in this video. The truth is that neither of you were conscious when Leo was conceived. The truth is—"
The door bursts open.
Police flood in, followed by Sofia and James.
"Claire Chen, you're under arrest for extortion, embezzlement, and conspiracy," a detective announces.
Claire's face goes white. "What? No! I have evidence! I have—"
"We have evidence too," Sofia says, holding up her laptop. "Including this entire conversation you just had. Thanks for the confession."
Claire looks at me, then at Ethan, her face twisting with rage. "You recorded me?"
"We learned from the best," I say coldly.
As the police handcuff Claire, she screams, "You think you've won? You think this is over? Wait until you see what's really on that video! Wait until you learn the truth about Leo!"
"What truth?" Ethan demands, stepping forward.
Claire smiles, even as the police drag her toward the door. "Ask Linda. Oh wait—you can't. She's already on a plane to Brazil with $20 million of your money, Vivian. And she took something else with her too."
My blood runs cold. "What did she take?"
"The original medical records from that night." Claire's smile widens. "The ones that prove Leo isn't who you think he is."
The room spins.
"What do you mean?" My voice doesn't sound like my own.
Claire laughs as the police pull her through the door. "DNA doesn't lie, sis! And neither do hospital records! Have fun explaining that to—"
The door slams shut, cutting off her words.
I turn to Ethan, my heart pounding. "What is she talking about? What medical records?"
Ethan's face has gone completely pale. He's staring at his phone, at something James just sent him.
"Ethan?" My voice rises. "What medical records?"
He looks up at me, and I see absolute horror in his eyes.
"The hospital ran blood tests on both of us that night," he says slowly. "Standard procedure for suspected drugging. I just got the results."
"And?"
"And..." He swallows hard. "According to these tests, I was given a drug that night. A very specific drug."
"What kind of drug?"
"One that causes temporary sterility." His voice breaks. "Vivian, if these records are accurate, I couldn't have gotten you pregnant that night. It would have been biologically impossible."
The words don't make sense. Can't make sense.
"But Leo—"
"I know." Ethan's hand shakes as he holds up his phone. "Which means either these records are fake, or..."
"Or what?"
His eyes meet mine, and in them I see a question that makes my world collapse.
"Or Leo isn't mine."