The mansion fell into complete silence after Alaric revealed the timing.
"…the switch happened the exact moment you stepped out."
Sebastian stood still.Cold.Unreadable.
But behind his eyes, something dark had already begun forming.
Because whoever did this— Planned it perfectly. Not randomly. Not emotionally.
Precisely.
Vivian sat slowly, clutching the baby tighter against her chest. Her fingers trembled around the blanket as her mind replayed everything again and again.
The delivery. The exhaustion. The emptiness she had felt afterward.
That emptiness.
At that time, she blamed herself for it.
Thought maybe motherhood had not settled inside her yet.
But now— She understood.A mother knows.Even before proof. Even before science. Somewhere deep inside her body, she had known the child she carried home was not truly hers.
Across the room, Isabella suddenly spoke quietly."I felt it too."Everyone turned toward her.Her eyes remained on the baby in Vivian's arms.
