Chapter 6 - The Morning After the Truth
Travis did not sleep.
Neither did Eleanor.
They remained on opposite sides of the bedroom while rain tapped against the windows.
Before sunrise, Travis called his attorney, Naomi Brooks.
Naomi arrived with two independent security officers and a family law specialist.
The specialist reviewed the documents.
“If the biological relationship is confirmed, the marriage is void,” she said. “Legally, it will be treated as though it never existed.”
Eleanor looked down.
“And publicly?”
“That will be more complicated.”
Travis stood near the window.
“We tell the truth.”
Naomi studied him.
“You may want time before making that decision.”
“Sebastian already knows. If we remain silent, he controls the story.”
Eleanor nodded.
“We tell the truth.”
At eight in the morning, they traveled separately to a medical laboratory.
The staff collected samples under strict legal supervision.
The results would take several days.
When they returned to the mansion, Sebastian was waiting.
He entered the sitting room with practiced concern.
“Eleanor, thank goodness. I have been calling all night.”
Travis closed the door behind him.
“You knew.”
Sebastian looked confused.
“Knew what?”
“That I was Thomas Hart.”
“Travis, you are clearly distressed.”
Naomi placed a copy of Ruth Bell’s letter on the table.
Sebastian glanced at it.
The movement was small, but Travis saw recognition.
Eleanor saw it too.
“You told me the letter was fraudulent,” she said.
“I said it might be.”
“You knew your father arranged the adoption.”
“My father handled thousands of confidential matters.”
“Did he take my child?”
Sebastian’s face hardened.
“Your father made difficult decisions to protect the company.”
Travis stepped forward.
“Answer her.”
Sebastian looked at him with open contempt.
“You should be grateful. The Cole family gave you a respectable life.”
“They gave me a loving life. Your family gave me a stolen one.”
Sebastian adjusted his cuffs.
“There is no reason for this conversation to leave the room. The marriage can be quietly dissolved. You can both travel until public interest disappears.”
“And the trust?” Naomi asked.
Sebastian’s attention shifted.
“What about it?”
“If Travis is Eleanor’s lawful biological son, the Hart Family Trust transfers to him rather than the Vale Foundation.”
For the first time, Sebastian lost control of his expression.
Eleanor understood.
“This was never only about hiding my father’s crime.”
Sebastian said nothing.
“You arranged for Travis and me to meet.”
“I recommended an architect.”
“You leaked our relationship to the newspapers.”
“I protected your public image.”
“You rushed the wedding after receiving the report.”
Sebastian moved toward the door.
“This conversation is over.”
The security officers blocked him.
Naomi raised a hand.
“We cannot detain him without cause.”
Sebastian smiled.
“Then move.”
Before leaving, he looked at Eleanor.
“You have spent decades protecting the Hart name. Think carefully before you burn it down for a man you met six months ago.”
Eleanor’s voice remained steady.
“He is not a man I met six months ago.”
She reached for Travis’s hand, then stopped, uncertain whether she had the right.
“He is the son your family stole from me.”
Sebastian walked out.
Minutes later, Naomi received an alert.
May you like
Someone was transferring files from the Hart legal archive.
Sebastian had begun destroying evidence.
