Grant recognized him immediately.
Ethan — his former assistant, the man Celeste’s mother had accused of stealing confidential files eighteen months earlier.
He walked toward the altar carrying a black folder.
Celeste’s mother froze.
“Don’t listen to him,” she shouted.
Ethan placed the folder in Grant’s hands.
“You were told I was fired for stealing from you,” he said. “I was actually fired because I discovered who accessed your private email account.”
Grant opened the folder.
Inside were login records.
Deleted messages.
Payments to a laboratory employee.
And copies of emails Grant had supposedly sent Elena.
His hands began to shake.
“I never wrote these.”
Elena nodded.
“I know.”
Grant turned toward Celeste.
“You told me Elena didn’t want me near the baby.”
Celeste started crying.
Her mother stepped forward.
“We were protecting you.”
“From my own daughter?”
Nobody answered.
Grant looked at the final page.
A second paternity test.
Legally witnessed.
Verified by another laboratory.
Probability of paternity: 99.99%.
Grant slowly looked at the little girl in Elena’s arms.
“She’s mine?”
Elena’s eyes filled with tears.
“Yes.”
Grant removed his wedding ring and placed it on the altar.
Celeste grabbed his arm.
“Grant, please. We can fix this.”
He pulled away.
“You didn’t just lie to me.”
He looked at Lily.
“You stole the first year of my daughter’s life.”
Then Ethan spoke again.
“There’s still one thing you haven’t seen.”
Grant turned.
Ethan opened another envelope.
“The laboratory wasn’t the first lie.”
Celeste’s mother suddenly rushed toward him.
And that was when Grant realized—
this had started long before Lily was even born.
