She Gave Me a DNA Test to Prove I Didn’t Belong—But When the Estate Lawyer Called an Urgent Meeting, Their Faces Turned Pale

too rehearsed, like she was reading from a script. When I stepped through the grand doors that evening, the familiar scent of lemon polish and aging books filled my lungs.

Naomi was already at the kitchen island, flipping through glossy brochures for resorts in the Maldives. Her skin was still bronzed from a recent trip, and she barely glanced at me continue reading …