Minutes later, the police arrived.
They moved quickly through the crowd, separating onlookers and clearing space while instructing everyone to disperse. Slowly, the tension in the mall began to break apart as people headed home in scattered groups.
Dinah and her mother took the opportunity to slip away unnoticed. Outside, they realized night had already fallen.
A few minutes after the scene was brought under control, Michael's friend arrived.
He walked straight to Michael, greeted him briefly, and was quickly briefed on everything that had happened. Michael replayed the footage for him, calm but firm.
After watching, the man's expression turned serious.
"It's clear she was targeted," he said.
Dani, who knew the man well, froze slightly at the familiarity between him and Michael. Over the years, this same man, who had no real reason to grow close to him had slowly become someone he considered a friend.
But now, something felt wrong.
He began to question everything.
Why would Michael be so involved? Why would this man suddenly be standing so close to him?
A disturbing thought formed in his mind.
Had Michael been watching them all along… and used this man to get closer to him?
And this was all because of Abi?
His chest tightened.
Then another realization hit harder.
There was a time he had casually spoken to this man about Abi, about how he didn't really want her doing anything meaningful outside the house, how she should just "stay where she belonged." He had even said he no longer loved her the way he used to.
Abi, to him, had become nothing more than a possession. A trophy to be kept in place.
He swallowed hard.
If Michael knew all this…
Then he had been exposed far earlier than he thought.
A voice pulled him out of his thoughts.
"Mr. Wellfound… Mr. Wellfound."
He blinked.
The man was now standing directly in front of him.
"Oh… Mr. Christopher," Dani replied, forcing composure.
He raised his hand to greet him, but Christopher didn't respond to the gesture. The handshake never happened.
Instead, Christopher simply smiled.
It was not a warm smile. It was the kind that made people uncomfortable, like he could see through every lie without effort.
"Well, Mr. Wellfound," Christopher began, "from the video and the evidence on ground, it's obvious Abi was targeted by your wife. She needs to be held for seventy-two hours pending further investigation so this doesn't happen again."
Chelsea immediately stepped back and hid behind Dani.
Dani's expression darkened.
"What do you mean you want to lock her up?" he snapped. "Christopher, have you forgotten they are both my wives? This is a family matter. Stay out of it."
His voice sounded confident, but inside, he wasn't sure he could actually win this fight.
Abi rolled her eyes at his words.
That foul mouth , Even now… he still uses 'family' when it benefits him, she thought bitterly.
Christopher let out a low laugh.
"From what I understand," he said calmly, "Abigail already stated that divorce papers were signed. It's only awaiting final court confirmation. Or did you forget what you signed that day while running off to your baby mama?"
Dani froze.
Abi had said it before but hearing it again from another man made it feel real.
He turned sharply toward her.
Abi didn't hesitate.
"The final hearing date is stamped on the last page of the divorce papers," she said flatly. "I was waiting for you to come home at least once in three months so I could tell you. But you were too busy playing caretaker to your side chick to remember your way home."
Silence.
Then Dani exploded.
"Abi! When and how did you steal my signature?"
She tilted her head.
"Oh please. You signed it yourself."
Chelsea's face twisted instantly.
So it was true.
Dani never wanted to let Abi go ??
All this time, she had believed Abi was the one holding him back, only to realize she had been wrong.
The shock hit her like a wave.
Her breathing became uneven. She bit her lip so hard it broke the skin.
And then she collapsed.
A police officer caught her just before she hit the ground.
An ambulance was called immediately.
Before Dani could follow her into the ambulance, Abi stepped forward.
She placed two envelopes into his hands.
"Go through them," she said quietly. "I'm only doing this because of what we had in the past."
Then she turned and walked away with Michael.
Dani stood frozen, watching Michael's car disappear into the distance.
A police officer called him back to reality and instructed him to proceed to the hospital.
He nodded absentmindedly, slid the envelopes into his pocket, and entered the ambulance.
At the hospital, Chelsea was examined quickly.
The doctor assured him there was no serious issue only emotional stress. She just needed rest and monitoring.
Dani exhaled in relief.
She would be fine.
He decided to go get a few things for her and headed to the parking lot.
Inside his car, he finally remembered the envelopes.
He sat for a moment before opening the first one.
The engine was still warm, but the silence inside the vehicle felt heavier than it should have been.
The envelope had come from Abi.
He tore it open.
Inside was a medical report.
At first, it looked ordinary clinical terms, hospital stamps, test results. He read without understanding, until one line stopped him cold.
Diagnosis: Azoospermia. Complete infertility.
He read it again.
And again.
But it did not change.
His body leaned back slowly, the paper still in his hand. The car suddenly felt too small for what he was holding.
Outside, the world kept moving.
Inside him, something collapsed into silence.
The first envelope slipped onto the seat beside him.
Then he remembered the second.
Smaller. Heavier. No hospital markings.
Just his name.
He didn't open it immediately.
Something about it felt worse than the first.
After a long pause, he tore it open.
Inside was a DNA report.
His eyes moved quickly at first, too quickly, as if speed could soften the impact.
Then it stopped him again.
Exclusion of paternity confirmed.
He frowned and read again, slower this time.
Probability of paternity: 0%.
The twins.
Chelsea's children.
Not his.
His grip tightened until the paper creased.
Two envelopes.
One stripping him of certainty.
The other stripping him of identity.
And between them nothing left untouched.
He stared at both documents lying on the seat beside him.
One said he could not have children.
The other said he was not the father of the children he believed were his.
At first, his mind refused to connect them.
Then slowly, the gap began to close.
If he had been infertile all along…
then what exactly had he believed?
And if the twins were never his…
then who had been lying and for how long?
The questions multiplied, not answered.
Only deepened.
For a moment, he tried to convince himself it was false.
Abi was playing games.
That had to be it.
He reached for his phone.
He needed confirmation.