Chapter 8 - A Mother's Reckoning
"You... you were going to ruin us?" Celeste whispered, tears smearing her pristine makeup as she stared at Adrian. "I gave you everything! I supported you when you wanted to kick Claire out! I stood by you in this room!"
"Mom, shut up!" Adrian snapped, his composure entirely gone. "You wanted the money just as much as I did! You loved the luxury, the galas, the prestige!"
"I loved our family name!" Celeste shouted back, her voice ringing down the quiet hospital corridor. "And you just dragged it through the mud!"
The two police officers who had processed Vanessa walked back into the hospital room, accompanied by the hospital’s chief of security.
"Adrian Hale?" the officer asked, stepping forward. "You are under arrest for grand larceny, corporate fraud, and forgery."
Adrian backed away until his legs hit the end of Claire’s hospital bed. He looked down at Claire, who sat calmly cradling baby Lily, surrounded by her uncle and a team of top-tier attorneys.
"Claire... please," Adrian sobbed, sinking down onto his knees beside the bed, tears streaming down his face. "Don't do this to me. I'm Lily's father! She needs a father!"
Claire looked down at him, her expression showing no hatred, no anger—only a profound, absolute calm.
May you like
"A real father doesn't snatch his newborn child out of her mother's arms for money, Adrian," Claire said softly. "You aren't a father. You were just a terrible mistake I am finally correcting."
👉 Read PART 9 to see how Celeste tried to save her remaining property from the bankruptcy court!
