Chapter 264 A Shocking Betrayal

Lucien’s wordsnded like a sledgehammerb, /bshattering the fragileposure bof /bZaneb, /bJoanneb, /band Alden.

Alden shook bhis /bhead bviolently/bb, /bbhis /bface a mask of stunned disbelief. b“/bNo bway/bb. /bbAre /bbyou /bbsaying /bI’m not Nic’s father?b” /b

b+2 /bbBonus /b

His voice cracked, barely ba /bwhisper as he repeated. “I’m not his father?” bThe /bwords trembled bwith /ba rawb, /bwounded edge.

“You’re telling me… I’ve been betrayedb?/bb” /bAlden’s voice broke, a bmix /bof hurt and incredulity.

Joanne lost all bcontrol/bb, /bbher /bvoice rising bto /ba nearb–/bhysterical screech. “That’s impossibleb! /bAbsolutely bimpossible/b! Lucienb, /bI know you worship the bground /bbyour /bbwife /bwalks bon/bb, /bbut how dare you make up lies just to protect her?

“How can you live with byourself, /bndering byour /bown family like this?”

Lucien shot her a withering nceb, /bba /bsardonic smirk on his lips. “I can live just fineb, /bJoanne. I’m not the one who betrayed Alden.”

Kaia stood silently by his side. She hadn’t expected Lucien to be so brutally sharp–tongued.

Nowb, /bstaying quiet was her best move. She’d said nothingb, /band

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Chapter 264 A Shocking Betrayal

they’d already been trying to pin the me on her.

b+2 /bbBonus /b

And if she ever opened her mouth, Joanne wouldtch on like a rabid dog and never let go.

*****

Lunab, /bmeanwhileb, /bwas holed up in a dingyb, /bremote warehouse. She’d ditched her phone blong /bbago/b, terrified the police might track her downb. /b

To pull off bthis /bborate charade, she’d hired someone to stage her kidnappingb, /band that aplice was already halfway across the globe.

Luna had made up her bmind/b: though bshe /bwas Nichs‘ mother, she couldn’t let Alden discover bthe /bchild wasn’t his.

Her only option was to bget /brid of bthe /bbaby.

She stuffed Nichs binto /ba trash bbin/b, then walked away without a backward nce.

She figured no one would ever knowb. /bLater, she could pin the me bon /bthe “kidnappers,” iming they’d taken the child.

No one would suspect her as the true culprit.

As for the paternity test, bwith /bthe child goneb, /bshe’d deny beverything /band bme /bthe whole mess bon /bLucien and Kaiab. /b

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Chapter 264 A Shocking Betrayal

b+2 /bBonus

Luna thought her self–directed drama was foolproof–buntil /bbit /bunraveled.

Just as she turned her backb, /bbTony /bappeared, his face twisted bwith /bfury as he scooped the child out of the garbage.

He couldn’t fathom bhow /ba bmother /bcould be so heartless as to

discard her bown /bflesh and blood.

Tony found a safe spotb, /bgave bthe /bbaby ba /bbbath/bb, /band fed him some bform/b. Then bhe /bdialed bKaia’s /bnumber.

“Hellob?/bb” Kaia /banswered.

“It’s Tony. bI /bjust found bmy /bkid in a btrash /bbbin/bb. /bHis mother left him there. What do I do? Should I call the cops?”

Kaia froze, the plot twist bhitting /bbher /blike a bfreight /btrain.

“Yes, call bthe /bpolice and let them handle it. Make sure to give them the mother’s bname/bb–/bbthey’ll /btake bit /bfrom there.b” /b

Lucien leaned inb, /bbhis /bvoice low. b“/bWho’s that?”

Kaia bshrugged /bblightly/b. “It’s the client I told you about yesterday.”

Lucien noddedb, /bbhis /bexpression unreadable. “Stay bout /bof it for

bnow/b.”

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Chapter 264 A Shocking Betrayal

b+2 /bbBonus /b

He turned to Joanneb, /bbhis /bvoice as hard as steel. “Joanneb, /bbout /bof respect for Zaneb, /bI’ve treated you like bfamily/bb. /bbBut /bbif /byou keep disrespecting my bwife/b, don’t expect me to by /bnice anymore.

“You’ve got one chance to apologize to Kaiab. /bOnce the truthes bout/b, it won’t be so easy to make amends.”

His words were a tant bwarning/bb, /bsharp and unyielding.

Zaneb, /balready bbelieving /bwhat bLucien /bhad said, frowned bat /bJoanne. “You’re an elder–how can byou /btalk like that? bNo /bmatter whatb, /bKaia wouldn’t be behind a kidnappingb. /bApologize now.”

Joanne’s face twisted with indignation. They had the nerve to use her daughter of blying/bb, /bquestion her grandson’s birth, and still expect her to apologize? Her hands shook with anger.

The injustice of it all made her blood boil.

“No bway/bb! /bI’d rather die than apologize!” bshe /bspat, bher /bvoice trembling bwith /bdefianceb. /b

bKaia /btugged gently bat /bbLucien’s /barm. “Let it gob. /bIf she doesn’t want to apologizeb, /bso be bit/b.b” /b

She didn’t care about Joanne’s grudging words.

bAfter /bball/bb, /breality would teach her a lesson soon enough.

Fifteen bminutes /bterb, /bthe phone brang/b.

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Chapter 264 A Shocking Betrayal

b+2 /bBonus

A police officer’s voice came bthrough/bb, /bsteady but grave. “We’ve found byour /bgrandson.”

Joanne lunged forward, bher /bface balight /bwith desperate hope. “bWhere/b? Where’s bmy /bgrandsonb?/bb” /b

“bHe /bwas found in a trash bin. The person who found him says

the child’s bmother /bis bthe /bone who abandoned bhim/bb./bb” /b

Joanne shook her head, stunned. “That’s impossible!”

Alden’s shoulders slumped as the pieces bfell /binto ce.

“Let’s bgo /bto the stationb,/bb” /bbhe /bsaid bquietly/bb, /bbhis /bvoice heavy with resignation.

b***** /b

bWhen /bLucien and Kaia bgot /bhome, Lucien bgently /bpinched her cheekb, /bbhis /btouch tender.

“I’m sorry byou /bhad to go bthrough /bbthat /btodayb./bb” /b

Kaia blinkedb, /ba byful /bbglint /bbin /bbher /beyes. “Ohb, /bbI’m /bfine. That call from Tonyi? /iTalk about a bplot /btwist.

“But bLuna/bb… /bHow could she be so cruel to a baby? To just bthrow /bbhim /bbaway /bblike /bbthat/b?b” /b

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Chapter 264 A Shocking Betrayal

The Graves family was about to implode.

*****

b+2 /bBonus

Alden, Zane, and Joanne arrived at the police station.

Allen didn’te. He had taken two heart pills and gone straight to bed. He knew what was about to happen bin /bthere would only add to his stress.

At bthe /bstationb, /bAlden saw Tony holding bthe /bbaby and immediately understood everything.

Even bat /bjust eight months old, Nichs was bthe /bspitting bimage /bof Tony–those same eyes, nose, and lips. There was no mistaking the resemnce.

Zane and Joanne stared, btheir /bfaces ashen with brage /band betrayal, teetering on the edge bof /bcopse.

They’d poured their hearts binto /bbraising /bthis bchild /bfor beight /bbmonths/bb, /bbonly /bto learn bhe /bbwas /bthe product bof /bban /bbaffair/bb. /bJoanne, who’d bflown /boverseas countless times to care for Luna during her pregnancyb, /bfelt bher /bworld tilt, nearly fainting bfrom /bthe shock.

bThey /bcould scarcely believe that the daughter they’d raised bwith /bsuch love had betrayed their bson /bso callously.

bWrite /bbyourment /b

ir bGifts /b