Chapter 9

The pair stood before me, pitiful and desperate, having sacrificed their principles for personal gain. In the aftermath of the Olivia incident, my disheveled spouse and his mother approached me, their voices quivering.

"Sophia, we were mistaken! Olivia clouded our judgment. Please, grant us this one pardon," my mother-in-law implored, her tone laced with trepidation. "We're grateful you're here to rescue Jacob. You're the savior of our Bennett lineage."

I responded with a frosty glare, unmoved. "You're deluded. Jacob isn't Sean's offspring, nor does he share your family's blood."

My declaration sent shockwaves through the room.

My mother-in-law shrieked in disbelief. "Sophia, don't spout such nonsense! How could Jacob not be my grandchild? Didn't you deny swapping the infants initially?"

My husband, equally astounded, turned to me with a hint of desperation. "Sophia, surely you jest. You're fabricating this to provoke me."