Chapter 8 - The Final Envelope
Luka walked slowly toward Julian, his boots crunching on the shattered glass of the French doors. He grabbed Julian by the throat, slamming him against the cold stone pillar of the entrance.
"Please... please, Luka!" Julian sobbed, his pants wet with fear. "Don't kill me! I’ll sign whatever you want! I’ll leave the country! Just don't release the DNA files! Don't open the last envelope!"
I stepped out of the panic room, holding Maya securely wrapped in her blanket, and walked down the grand staircase into the foyer.
"What last envelope, Julian?" I asked, my voice ringing clear through the room.
Julian looked at me with wild, bloodshot eyes, weeping openly. "Elena... please... tell him to stop! The last envelope in your father's safe... it’s the full DNA analysis from the hospital..."
Luka pulled a sealed white envelope from his inner pocket—the document we had retrieved from the hospital's secured vault earlier that afternoon.
"Read it to him, Elena," Luka said, tossing the envelope at Julian's feet while holding him pinned against the pillar.
I picked up the envelope, unsealed it, and pulled out the official state laboratory results.
I scanned the medical terminology, my eyes widening as I read the final conclusion printed at the bottom of the page:
Biological Father Compatibility Test: Julian Vance — 0.00%. Subject is biologically sterile due to long-term chemical exposure.
Biological Father Compatibility Test: Luka Moretti (Donor ID: M-17-Alpha) — 99.99%.
My mouth fell open. I stared at the paper, then at Luka, then down at the little baby sleeping peacefully in my arms.
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"Your father knew Julian was a monster three years ago, Elena," Luka whispered softly, his eyes filled with a raw, vulnerable warmth he had never shown before. "When you were undergoing fertility treatments, your father asked me to be the anonymous genetic donor to protect your family line from Julian's poisoned blood. Maya isn't Julian's daughter. She never was. She has always been mine."
Julian let out a pathetic, broken shriek, falling onto his knees as federal agents—called by Luka's team minutes earlier—swarmed into the mansion, slapping heavy iron cuffs around his wrists.
