Chapter 3

I wasn't lying to myself. Chloe was my biological child, through and through.

Did Julian and Jasmine really think they were clever enough to pull one over on me?

Twenty-five years ago, when Julian was diagnosed with a low sperm count, we turned to IVF.

The day before the fertilization was scheduled, I caught him on the phone with Jasmine.

He was bragging about how he bribed an embryologist.

He had arranged for my eggs to be thrown out and swapped with Jasmine's.

Back then, I didn't throw a scene. I walked straight into the chief specialist's private office, wrote a check for a hundred grand, and told him to use the extra batch of eggs they had harvested from me earlier.

And just out of the kindness of my heart, I had the doctor toss Julian's weak sperm into the trash and swap it with a sample from my ex-boyfriend.

On the day the embryos were successfully formed, Julian and I stood side-by-side watching the "miracle" unfold.

He was practically vibrating with excitement, genuinely convinced he was looking at the child he made with Jasmine.

Watching him grin like an absolute idiot, I almost burst out laughing right there in the clinic.

For the past twenty-five years, watching him dote on Chloe like a proud little fool was the best entertainment of my life.

He thought he was tricking me into raising his love child with his precious Jasmine.

He had no clue he was spending twenty-five years raising my ex-boyfriend's daughter.

Julian's mocking voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Still clinging to denial, aren't you? You carried her, sure, but those eggs were never yours! Jasmine is her real mother."

I looked at him calmly, a slight smirk playing on my lips. "Keep dreaming, Julian."

"If you don't believe me, let's take a DNA test right now!" Julian declared, standing tall with supreme confidence.

"And I want a divorce! You forced me to marry you and tore me away from Jasmine twenty-five years ago. Every single day with you has made me sick to my stomach!"

When he dropped the word 'divorce,' his face practically lit up with triumph.

Looks like he had been planning this grand reveal for a very long time.

Hah. Does he really think he's the one holding all the cards?

Married to him for twenty-five years felt like living as a widow the entire time.

While I was raising our child on my own, he was off on lavish vacations with Jasmine.

While I was fighting in the corporate trenches to keep the Vance Group afloat, he was throwing money away at clubs and bars.

He got one thing completely wrong, though: I never married him for love.

Marrying him was nothing more than a stepping stone to claim the heir title and secure absolute control over the Vance empire.

And now, the Vance Group was entirely in my hands.

Julian had officially outlived his usefulness.

"A divorce sounds wonderful," I shrugged casually.

"But skip the DNA test. I know for a fact Chloe is my daughter."

Chloe turned to me, her eyes filled with unwavering trust. "Mom, I believe you."

Julian and Jasmine panicked instantly.

"Chloe, don't you even trust your own father?"

Chloe didn't bother responding. She simply pressed closer to my side.

Right then, a young man who looked like a college student barged through the door.

He headed straight toward Chloe, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Chloe!"

Everyone in the room froze.

First a surprise mother out of nowhere, and now an extra brother?