Chapter 4

Vivian's son was kidnapped.

I only found out three hours after the incident. Marcus was supposed to pick up my designer gown but had gone radio silent. When I called him, this was the news I received.

"An employee's child is missing, so as the boss, I couldn't just sit by," Marcus said, his tone suddenly shifting. "By the way, babe, where did you go yesterday afternoon?"

What was that supposed to mean? Was he implying I had something to do with Vivian's son's disappearance?

"I was shopping and getting coffee. Why?"

Marcus chuckled nervously to hide his embarrassment. "Nothing. I'll head back as soon as we find the kid."

But the whole situation struck me as bizarre.

I had run a background check on Vivian. She came from an ordinary, middle-class background and had never crossed paths with anyone dangerous. Why would anyone kidnap her son? Usually, only wealthy families were targeted for ransom—like the Sterling family, or...

I suddenly remembered that when I had Ryan investigate Vivian, we couldn't find any public records of her having a son. Suspicious, I reached out to Ryan again. "I need you to look into one more thing. Vivian's son goes to Harbor Preschool. I want his complete file."

Half an hour later, Ryan sent over a document that left me absolutely speechless.

The document listed the child's name as Leo Sterling.

Father: Marcus Sterling.

Mother: Nora Vance.

Seeing my own name listed as the mother sent a violent shiver down my spine. Recalling how Marcus had asked for our marriage certificate and ID cards right after our wedding under the guise of buying a house, a terrifying thought crossed my mind.

I rushed into Marcus's study. Using our anniversary date as the code, I opened his safe. At the very bottom lay our official family registry and adoption documents.

My suspicion was confirmed.

He and Vivian's son had been legally adopted under my name!

[The kid was legally adopted under your joint names, Nora.]

[I checked the records. He was taken from Sunshine Orphanage three years ago. The adoption papers were finalized that same year.]

[Legally, adoption requires both spouses to be present. Since you knew nothing about this, he must have forged your signature and used a lookalike or paid someone off to bypass the registry.]

Ryan's text messages poured in, each line a screaming reminder that I had been a pawn in their elaborate scheme from the very beginning.

While keeping tabs on Marcus's bank accounts, I drove straight to Sunshine Orphanage to meet the director.

The moment I showed her Leo's photo, she recognized him instantly. "That's little Andy!"

"He was abandoned at our doorstep as a baby. But he was adopted shortly after his first birthday."

When I asked about the adoptive parents, she was hesitant to share information. Only after I showed her my marriage certificate and ID did she agree to pull up the security footage from three years ago, which she had saved on her computer.

Seeing Marcus and Vivian holding hands in the video as they signed the adoption papers made my blood boil with sheer rage.

"I can't believe they forged your identity! This completely violates adoption laws. I'll call them in right away."

I held her hand to stop her from dialing. "Wait. Let me handle this, please."

The director handed me a folder containing Leo's childhood photos, monthly health records, and a lock of his baby hair kept from his first birthday.

I knew that to win a divorce lawsuit with maximum leverage, my evidence had to be bulletproof.

With the baby hair in hand, I went home and grabbed Marcus's toothbrush, which he had used that morning. I drove to the private hospital owned by my family and handed both samples to a trusted doctor. "Run a DNA test on these two samples immediately."