Chapter 5 - The Paternity Trap
The public narrative shifted with the speed of a guillotine blade. It didn't take long for the "anonymous sources" to leak the truth to the press. Vivian Cole was a master at feeding the media just enough breadcrumbs to let them bake their own scandalous cake.
The headline on Vanity Fair digital read: A Family Affair: The Devereaux Brothers and the DNA Disaster.
The internet, which just a week ago had romantically swooned over the "method acting" kiss, now ruthlessly mocked Ryan. The memes were merciless. He was no longer the tragic hero; he was the gullible fool who blew up his marriage to a billionaire heiress for a child that belonged to his own brother.
Inside Ryan’s luxury penthouse in Los Angeles, the atmosphere was poisonous. He had locked himself in his screening room, refusing to take calls from his agent. He had violently kicked Miles out, severing their professional and personal relationship. Brielle had tried to stay, crying perfect, telegenic tears, swearing she didn't know, swearing the lab made a mistake. But even Ryan, blindingly vain as he was, couldn't ignore the dates Vivian had meticulously circled in red ink on the documents.
Brielle and Miles had been sleeping together during the press tour in London, weeks before Brielle had seduced Ryan on the set of Mercy House. Miles had orchestrated the entire thing, convincing Brielle that Ryan was the bigger prize, but failing to stop his own affair with her. When Brielle got pregnant, she pinned it on the wealthier, more famous brother. It was a classic, desperate trap.
Meanwhile, Mara was thriving. The tumor had been benign, a terrifying false alarm that had ultimately served as the catalyst to save her life in a different way. She spent her days walking the private beaches, breathing in the cold, salty air, and reviewing legal documents with Vivian.
She received hundreds of text messages from Ryan. They evolved from angry, to defensive, to pathetic, to desperate.
May you like
Mara, I was manipulated. She played me. Miles played me. You're the only real thing I've ever had. Please, let me come see you. Let me explain. I'll do anything.
Mara read them, felt absolutely nothing, and forwarded every single one to Vivian to add to the harassment files for the divorce proceedings. She realized that she didn't miss him. She missed the illusion of him. And illusions, once shattered, can never be reassembled.
