Chapter 2 - Poisoned Seeds
"That’s impossible," Victoria stammered, stepping between Ethan and the examination bed. Her tailored blazer seemed suddenly too tight, her hands trembling as she tucked a loose strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "Ethan, your father had sisters, not twins. The medical history Clara gave them could be fabricated. You can’t let sentiment cloud the facts we found at the office."
Clara pulled the edge of the clinical sheet over her stomach, sitting up slowly despite the pull in her lower abdomen. "You found what you wanted to find, Victoria. Because you put it there."
Ethan didn't speak. His eyes remained locked on the monitor where the two tiny pulses flickered rhythmically. The date stamped in the corner—October 14th—was burned into his memory. It was the night of the fierce thunderstorm in Como, the night he had held Clara in front of the stone hearth and whispered promises of a lifelong family. How had he let fear convince him that those memories belonged to a phantom lover?
"Get out," Ethan muttered, his voice barely audible.
"Ethan, darling—" Victoria protested, reaching for his arm.
"I said get out, Victoria!" Ethan roared, his posture breaking into raw, jagged fury. The sheer force of his command rattled the medication carts.
Victoria recoiled, shooting Clara a look of pure venom before turning on her heel and clicking down the hallway.
Dr. Hayes wiped Clara’s stomach with warm paper towels and handed her a printed sonogram strip. "I will prepare the certified medical affidavit for your legal counsel, Mrs. Mitchell." She stepped out, pulling the privacy curtain shut behind her.
The quiet returned, heavier than before. Ethan fell to his knees beside Clara’s bed, burying his face in the starched sheets. "Clara... God, Clara, what have I done?"
Clara looked down at the crown of his head. For months she had prayed for this moment, yet as his hot tears soaked through the hospital blanket, the warmth felt utterly dead.
"You signed the temporary separation papers yesterday, Ethan," Clara said softly.
He snapped his head up, eyes bloodshot. "I'll tear them up. I'll burn them! I’ll fire Victoria, I’ll—"
"You can't burn away what you said to me," Clara whispered. Before Ethan could reply, the clinic door was shoved open by Ethan’s personal security chief, Marcus, whose face was pale with panic.
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"Mr. Mitchell, you need to see this," Marcus wheezed. "The boardroom server... someone just purged the entire offshore account logs under Clara’s forged credentials."
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