Autumn quietlyid out Julie''s story, telling everything about her own past with

Devin as well. She held nothing back-except for one thing: the supposed affair in the hotel. On that, Autumn was unwavering.

She insisted she''d only been at the hotel to look after Devin, who was falling apart, and she''d done it out of respect for herte daughter. That was all there was to it.

Mr. Walker believed her when it came to Julie. With Autumn''s temperament, if she''d ever known Julie was her own daughter, there''s no way she would have done nothing all these years.

Mr. Walker''s tone turned serious. "You care so much about Daria. Is it only because she''s your granddaughter? You know Julie went to prison for Grannie Anita''s murder. And what about Katelyn? Why are you so close to her? Is it all for Daria, or is there something more?"

"It''s because of Daria," Autumn cut in sharply. She''d never admit she wanted justice for her daughter, or that she was out for revenge against the Salstrom family.fn68f7 The rightful source is find?novel/fn68f7

"Daria grew up without a mother. It''s pitiful. And Joseph-he''s always been a womanizer. I already let Julie down. I want to make it right for Daria." Her voice trembled. "We''ve been married for decades. When I married you, we had nothing, and I stuck by you through it all. After everything, can''t you give me just a little trust?"

Mr. Walker didn''t know what to believe. Two people, alone in a hotel room-it was hard to swallow.

Seeing him hesitate, Autumn decided to go all-in. "Let''s go to the hospital right now. We''ll get an amniocentesis and a paternity test. If the baby''s yours, maybe then you''ll finally believe me. But if you need a test to believe me, then we''re done. I''m going to change, then we can go."

Mr. Walker was floored. "Autumn-"

But she stormed upstairs, too angry to listen.

Autumn''s open willingness to do the paternity test won back a sliver of trust. Mr. Walker had considered it, but he couldn''t bring himself to say it. Saying it out loud would be the end of them.

Now that Autumn had brought it up herself, he was the one who hesitated.

He thought back over the years, remembering how Autumn had stuck with him through poverty and hardship. His feelings were a tangled mess.

While he wrestled with himself, Autumn came downstairs, already dressed, her face set. "Let''s go. Even if you want a divorce, even if you want to throw me away, I''ll prove my innocence."

"Autumn..." Mr. Walker started, but she was already out the door.

She climbed into the car and waited, hands clenched, betting everything that Mr. Walker wouldn''t go through with it.

If she could just get past today, maybe everything would settle down.

She was nervous-so nervous her hands were shaking.

After what felt like forever, Mr. Walker got in the car and said to the driver, Joe, "Take us to the hospital."

Autumn''s heart raced. She looked at Mr. Walker, but he wouldn''t look back. The car pulled away.

She started to regret mentioning the paternity test. If it turned out the baby wasn''t his, she''d have nothing left.

The ugly truth was, she didn''t even

know for sure whose child it was When she went for her checkup, shet lied about herst period just in case.  s

Now, it was all up in the air.

They reached the hospital quickly.

Neither of them spoke. Asking for a paternity test was embarrassing enough, especially for someone in Mr. Walker''s position.

Inside, Mr. Walker put on a mask and signed in at the front desk like any ordinary person. He didn''t use his title.

It was early, so the hospital was quiet. They didn''t have to wait long before Autumn was called in.

The head of OB-GYN didn''t recognize Autumn or realize she was the mayor''s wife, so she just followed protocol.

"Doctor, can we do a paternity test now? I heard amniocentesis can do that," Autumn asked.

The doctor looked up, startled. “A paternity test?" She nced at the

couple

most people who asked for

this were much younger, nota woman in her fifties.  s

Autumn''s eyes were red, her voice soft and hurt. "Yes. A paternity test."

The doctor looked at Mr. Walker in his mask, then back at Autumn. "It''s not impossible, but the baby needs to be at least sixteen weeks along. There''s a risk-amniocentesis can cause infection, and for someone your age, the risk is higher. If you get an infection, you could lose the baby. Are you sure you want to do this? Maybe think it over?"  s