Chapter 1 - The Paternity Demand
The private family consultation room beside the NICU was terrifyingly quiet. Soft morning daylight filtered through the frosted windows, illuminating the dust motes dancing in the sterile air. Megan Whitford sat in a standard hospital wheelchair, her hands resting weakly in her lap. She was in her early 30s, her brown hair tied in a loose, messy bun. Beneath her gray cardigan, she wore a pale blue hospital gown, still in profound physical agony from an emergency C-section just twenty-four hours earlier. Her premature twins were fighting for their lives in the incubators next door.
But Megan’s husband, Preston, wasn't comforting her.
Preston stood near the closed door, impeccably dressed in a navy designer suit and an open-collar white shirt, his expensive gold watch catching the light. Beside him stood Sienna, a stunning 20-something woman with long blonde hair in a fitted white dress. Sienna was fourteen weeks pregnant with Preston’s child, resting one hand lightly against her abdomen.
Preston’s mother, Lorraine, stood in the corner in a cream designer jacket, sipping from a paper coffee cup and glaring at Megan with open, venomous judgment.
"Stop stalling, Doctor," Preston demanded, crossing his arms with a confident, arrogant smirk. He pointed a finger at Megan. "Tell her whose kids they are. Tell her she isn't getting a single dime of my family's money."
Dr. Patel, a calm and serious man in his 40s wearing navy scrubs and a white coat, stood at the head of the small table. He slowly opened the first medical folder. He didn't look at Megan. He looked directly into Preston's arrogant eyes.
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"The twins are yours, Preston," Dr. Patel stated cleanly.
👉 What dark secret is Preston hiding that made him so certain the twins weren't his?
