“Just you wait. Lucas, let’s go!” Peggy snarled.
“He needs to eat first. Look at him!” Evelyn insisted urgently. Fumbling with the packaging, she twisted open a water bottle and pressed it into Lucas’s hands. “Lucas, drink. Your health comes first,” she urged, voice thick with concern.
“Thank you, Ms. Davis,” Lucas murmured, drawing strength from her unexpected kindness. Lucas murmured, drawing strength from her kindness. He took small bites, color slowly returning to his face.
“Take your time,” Evelyn said, gently patting his shoulder, afraid he might choke.
Peggy strode over, shoving Evelyn’s hand aside. “He’s my son. Mind your own business.” She jabbed a finger at Lucas. “Lucas, get up. We’re leaving. Dragging this out changes nothing. Remember who you are–my son—and you will obey me.” Her voice dripped venom.
Jennifer froze, struck by chilling familiarity. Watching Peggy’s vicious dominance, she saw a grotesque reflection of her past behavior towards Teresa–the same demanding control, the same insistence on blind obedience. Sharp guilt and self–reproach washed over her, fists clenching at her sides.
Lucas stood up, swaying slightly. “Ms. Davis, Teresa. It was good to meet you. I’m fine now. Thank you.” He offered a formal, mournful bow. A final goodbye.
Teresa opened her mouth, but words failed her. “What a shame, she thought, heart heavy. If only Lucas were Evelyn’s son, she could have proudly called him brother. But now, she could only watch helplessly as he walked away with Peggy.
Evelyn sighed heavily, tears welling as she looked away. “Let’s go,” she whispered, voice thick. “That poor boy… but I’m not his mother. There’s nothing I can do.”
Teresa squeezed her shoulder. “It’s not your fault,” she murmured.
Jennifer remained composed. “This is the best outcome,” she stated calmly. “There was no mix–up. My birth mother is out there, and I will find her.” She held an unshakeable belief: her real mother would be a woman of strength and integrity–nothing like Peggy
“You’ll find her,” Teresa said softly. “There’s nothing more here. It’s time to go back to Nareigh.”
Evelyn sighed again. “Yes, time to go home. isabel’s probably missing me. Well… All that for nothing.”
Teresa pulled out her phone. “I’ll book flights for tomorrow. Jennifer, what about you?”
“Mine’s already booked. Don’t worry about it,” Jennifer replied.
Teresa didn’t push it.
Back at Jonathan’s villa, Evelyn looked at Teresa. “Tell Jonathan. The results are in–identical to the first test. He needs to know.”
“I texted him,” Teresa replied. “No answer yet. He’s probably busy.”
Evelyn sighed. “All Jonathan’s effort… for nothing. Just false hope.”
Teresa looked down, heart heavy. “Yes. Just false hope.
Night fell in the hotel room, Lucas finished packing. He tore his Film Academy audition notice to shreds and dropped them in the bin. His dreams were dead. Whatever job awaited him wouldn’t be what he loved. Nothing mattered. Life or death—it made no difference.
1/3
