His words were unshakable.


    For years, people sneered that the twins were in, nothing like him—that they must not be his at all. He''d dismissed the rumors, never once feelingpelled to get a paternity test. But this time, it was different. These words weren''t whispered behind his back anymore; they were hurled at him, close enough to sting.


    And it wasn''t just strangers anymore-it was friends, acquaintances, people he couldn''t ignore. “Those kids aren''t his, just look at them!" "If Adelle cheated, her lover must have been some low-life, too!" Every usation was a steel barb, digging deep into his chest.


    Suddenly, Derek was seized by the urgent need for the test. He wanted proof- undeniable, public proof—that they were his children. In this moment, nothing else would give him peace. Only the results would silence everyone, including that voice inside himself.


    Seeing the set of Derek''s jaw, her anxiety spiking. “Do you have any idea what''ll happen if you go through with this?" she pressed. "How will people see Leanne and Ivanna? You''d mark them as girls their own father suspected-how could they ever outlive that?” Her voice trembled. "You''d ruin their chances before they''ve even begun."


    Adelle was desperate, hoping if she pleaded for their daughters, she might change his mind.


    But Derek stood firm. He gave her a cold, level look. "If they''re my daughters, what''s stopping them from holding their heads high?" he said tly.


    Adelle fell silent.


    Derek pressed on, his words sharp as knives. “People have whispered for years that they''re not mine. Has that let them walk proud?”


    Though his anger was blinding, his logic cut through hers with precision.


    Adelle faltered, his challenge catching her off guard.


    He was right. For years, people had questioned the girls'' parentage. "But... you always ignored them before!" she protested weakly. "Now, suddenly, you want a test -how is that fair to them?"


    Derek''s reply came quick, incisive: "Is it the girls who can''t bear it, or is it you who''s really afraid of the truth?"


    Adelle felt exposed. Was she protecting her daughters? Or was she only shielding herself? Derek''s steely gaze left her breathless.


    "I won''t allow it," she forced out, each word resolute.


    Irritation shed across Derek''s face, turning his expression even bleaker.


    "If you go through with this, you''ll destroy them," Adelle insisted, clinging to herst defense. "Being doubted by their own father how could they survive that? I won''t let you do it."


    Derek''s stare was icy, fiercer than she''d ever seen before.


    Adelle''s anger simmered. "What did Susanna say to you?" she snapped, frustration leaking into her voice. That conniving brat-she''d weed Susanna back into.


    cktower, and now the el


    girl


    stabbed her in the back at every turn. Derek''s talk of the twins not resembling him had only started since Susanna came back to


    tamark Just like her mother,


    pretending to be indifferent, but always scheming behind the scenes for more.


    Adelle tamped down her indignation and tried once again for calm.ē "Derek, please, don''t make our girls carry such shame. They''re still se young-they should have the world ahead of them."


    Derek was unmoved. "You didn''t care when people gossiped all these years. Why does a single test suddenly threaten their reputation?”


    The tension between them sizzled, crackling in the space where there''d never been a fight before.


    Adelle gazed at him, her chest full of hurt. "It was strangers before—this time it''s their own father. How can you say it''s the same?"


    Derek''s eyes were like stone. "The test will be done. Whether you approve or not."


    Adelle could only stare, uprehending, as Derek''s determination bulldozed past her protests—unable to fathom how easily he could disregard everything she said, everything she believed.