Chapter 6

Some reporters were whispering among themselves.

Emily's tears streamed down her face even faster. "Claire, I've already moved out of that room. Why are you making me go through this in front of everyone?"

I asked, "What exactly am I forcing you to do?"

Emily choked out, "You're forcing me to admit I'm the mistress, forcing me to admit I hurt you. But I swear I didn't."

Olivia sneered, "You got pregnant by a married man, and you still need someone to spell it out for you?"

Margaret snapped, "This is a family matter for the Nolan family. Outsiders have no right to butt in."

Olivia pointed at her. "Your daughter-in-law was kidnapped and lost her baby, and you're all in a rush to defend the mistress.

"Now you're calling it a family matter? Is your family's business built on someone else's tragedy?"

The reporters' cameras pressed in even closer.

James's face darkened. "Ms. Grant, please mind your words."

I turned to the deputy director, Albert Carter, standing nearby. "Dr. Carter, did you sign my baby's death certificate?"

Albert, his glasses slightly askew and sweat beading on his forehead, looked nervous. "Yes."

"Why is the name section blank?" I asked.

Albert glanced at James. "It was an emergency, and the family didn't provide a name."

I turned to James. "When I was unconscious, why didn't you write down Andrew's name?"

James's face went stiff.

A reporter pressed, "Is Andrew the baby's name?"

I looked straight into the camera. "His father personally chose that name for him. But after he died, his name didn't even make it onto the death certificate."

Margaret quickly said, "Everyone was in chaos back then. Who had the time to worry about something like that?"

I pressed, "So, what did you actually care about?"

No one answered.

Emily suddenly spoke up, "Claire, you're making things really hard for James. He's grieving, too, you know. He lost the baby as well."

I turned to look at her. "He was so heartbroken that he moved you into the nursery?"

Emily's face went pale.

James stepped in front of her. "Claire, that's enough."

I pulled out the silver bell.

The tiny bell swayed in front of the cameras, its sound barely audible.

"This was the gift I prepared for Andrew's one-month birthday. James, can you really stand here and say you never hurt him?" I asked.

James's jaw was clenched tight. "I didn't."

I stared him down. "Can you swear you never hurt him?"

Margaret jumped in, "Claire, stop with this superstitious nonsense."

Olivia sneered, "If you can't, admit it."

Emily suddenly grabbed her stomach, wincing in pain. "James, it hurts."

James immediately reached out to steady her. "Get a doctor."

The scene descended into chaos.

As Emily was being helped off the stage, she threw a glance back at me, sharp as a needle, stabbing right through.

She was pulling the pregnancy card again, trying to wriggle her way out of trouble.

Albert was trying to slip away, too.

I stepped in front of him. "Dr. Carter, I have one more question."

He wiped the sweat from his brow, looking flustered. "Ms. Winters, the patient isn't feeling well. I need to go check on her."

"Why didn't you note the sedative traces found in my blood that day in my medical records?"

Albert froze.

The reporters immediately pressed, "What sedative?"

James said in a low voice, "Claire, don't talk nonsense here."

I held up the copy. "This is the test report. Dr. Carter signed it. But in the official medical records, this part is missing."

Albert's face twitched. "I have no idea. Maybe it was a glitch in the system."

Olivia burst out laughing. "How convenient. Your hospital's system only forgets the stuff that actually matters."

James lunged for the copy.

David caught his wrist. "Mr. Nolan, mind your manners in public."

James jerked his arm free, glaring at me with barely contained fury. "What do you want?"

I said, "I want my injuries checked again. I want to review the medical records. And I want to report the kidnapping to the police and have them investigate."

As soon as I said those words, Margaret's face went completely pale.

Suddenly, a scream rang out from Emily's side.

"Emily passed out," someone shouted.

James rushed off the stage.

As he brushed past me, he muttered, "Claire, you've caused enough trouble today. If anything happens to Emily or the baby, you'll pay for it."

I watched his back as he walked away. "Maybe you should worry about whether the cops will let you walk free."

Emily was fine.

The doctor said she was worked up.

But James still had her moved into a VIP hospital room, with four bodyguards stationed outside her door.

That night, Margaret posted a public statement online, saying I'd been jealous of Emily for years, had a breakdown after giving birth, and kept hurting a pregnant woman.

She even attached a video of me slapping Emily.

It was only the part where I slapped her that was posted.

Olivia was fuming in the Bennett family's living room, practically stomping her feet. "Why didn't she post the part before? Why not show her saying you'd have another kid?"

I sat at the table, looking over the documents David had handed me. "She doesn't dare post the full video."

Olivia said, "Then let's post the full version ourselves."

David shook his head. "If we do it now, the Nolan family will claim it's fake or edited. Let's wait until the cops officially open a case."

Olivia glared at him. "You lawyers always want to wait. What, you want to let that bastard wipe out all the evidence first?"

I asked David, "Can we get the original medical records?"

"The hospital won't release them. Dr. Carter's on leave," he replied.

"Where is he?" I asked.

"There are people watching his place," he said.

Olivia jumped in, "I'll go camp out there."

I looked at her. "Don't. The Nolan family is waiting for us to slip up."

My grandma came out of the back room, holding an old wooden box.

She set it down in front of me. "This was left by your mother."

I opened it. Inside was a jade pendant and a stack of yellowed, handwritten recipes.

My grandma said, "The old regulars at the Bennett family's herbal restaurant only trust this jade pendant. When your mom took it with her, I scolded her for being ungrateful.

"It wasn't until after she passed that I realized she was afraid the Lane family would use the Bennett family's things to help themselves."

I traced the edge of the jade pendant.

My grandma looked at me. "I'm giving this to you now. Not so you can use it to throw your weight around, but to remind you that you're not alone."

Olivia's eyes stung, but she kept up her tough front. "Yeah, we've got our own family. Who wants anything to do with that Nolan hellhole?"