Chapter 20
The screen abruptly changed, displaying evidence of Sophie Lane’s forged identity, chat logs with her ex–boyfriend, and a prenatal report proving the child was not Daniel Reed’s.
Sophie screamed and collapsed to the floor.N
“She’s nothing but a fraud,” Claire Whitmore’s voice was calm, yet carried the weight of a hammer blow. “For this fraud, you lost your daughter, drove an unborn child to death, betrayed your marriage, and now you barge into my press conference to disgrace yourself. Daniel Reed, do you regret it?”
“Regret…” Daniel finally found his voice, but it trembled uncontrollably.”
He looked at the radiant woman on stage, remembering the days she shared a cramped rental with him, the nights she stayed
up
late to help him revise proposals, and the shattered look in her eyes when she lost their daughter.@
He thought of the cruel, stupid words he’d once flung at her–accusing her of using her body to climb the ladder. Each memory stabbed into his chest like a blade.
Only now did he realize the treasure he had thrown away. The wealth, status, and connections he had dreamed of had always been within his reach–until he himself had pushed them away.”
Claire… I” Daniel stumbled forward, but the security guards held him firmly in place. He could only watch as she turned and walked to the center of the stage, accepting the applause and respect of the entire hall, while he stood outside that world, nothing but a pathetic clown. Hot tears finally spilled down his cheeks.
Suddenly, the doors burst open.
Several uniformed police officers strode in, accompanied by a lawyer.
“Sophie Lane, Daniel Reed,” the lead officer announced, holding up his badge, “we have received a report that you are suspected of intentional assault. Please come with us.” His tone left no room for argument.
The lawyer stepped forward, holding a thick case file, his voice carrying clearly through the hall. “Our investigation has confirmed that the mastermind behind the kidnapping of Ms. Claire Whitmore and her daughter was Sophie Lane. She hired abductors to throw the child into a snake pit, causing her death by venom, and physically assaulted Ms. Whitmore while she was pregnant. We have the kidnappers‘ confessions, surveillance footage, and medical records to prove it.” Sophie’s face drained of color, her whole body trembling. “It wasn’t me! You’re lying! Claire Whitmore is framing me!“” “Framing you?” The lawyer gave a cold laugh, producing a recorder and pressing play. Sophie’s gloating voice rang out: “How did it feel to be bitten by snakes? Do you like the anniversary gift I gave you?” This was followed by a conversation between her and the kidnappers, detailing the entire plot in her own words.
Daniel staggered back as though struck by lightning, staring at Sophie in disbelief. “It was you? It was really you? Emma… was it you who killed Emma?”
TE
“And you, Daniel Reed,” the lawyer continued, turning to him. “While you didn’t directly participate in the kidnapping, you lured Ms. Whitmore to the location, which facilitated the crime. After becoming aware of Sophie’s actions, you failed to report them and continued your relationship with her. You
Will also bear legal responsibility.”
Daniel collapsed to the floor, tears streaming down his face. “I didn’t mean to… I didn’t know she would do that…”
The police moved in and cuffed Sophie. She screamed and struggled. “Daniel, help me! I’m carrying your child! You can’t abandon me!”
“The child isn’t his,” the lawyer delivered the final blow, tossing a DNA report at her feet. “The father is someone else entirely. Evidence of your fraud has already been submitted to the court.“”
Sophie’s last hope crumbled. She was dragged away by the
police.
Daniel watched her disappear and remembered the anguish in Claire’s eyes when she lost their child. Regret swelled inside him, drowning him completely.
In the end, the court found Sophie Lane guilty of kidnapping, intentional assault, and fraud, sentencing her to multiple years in prison.
Daniel, whose involvement was deemed lesser and who had indeed been deceived, was released after a week in detention and undergoing mandatory re–education.
When he stepped out of the detention center, the sunlight was blinding.
He stood on the street, gazing at a massive billboard on the Whitmore Group’s headquarters. In it, Claire Whitmore wore a sharp suit, her gaze fixed firmly on the horizon.
He knew that between them now lay an unbridgeable chasm. The happiness he had destroyed with his own hands was gone forever.W
