Chapter 450: Paternity Test

Nathaniel wanted to explain his innocence regarding Stella, but his feigned amnesia prevented him. “No,” he murmured, closing his eyes. “Go to sleep.” Cecilia, slightly disentangling herself, drifted off. She needed rest for her pregnancy check-up the following day.

Meanwhile, at Tudela Hospital, Cassandra had calmed down. Her father, Ralph, had dispatched people to identify her humiliator, but the Evans family’s many enemies made the task difficult. Paula, still upset about the engagement party, rushed to Cassandra’s side. “Cassandra, are you alright?”

Cassandra’s response was sharp. “Do you really need to ask? Can’t you see?” Her previous respect for Paula, Ralph’s wife of five years, had evaporated due to Cecilia’s perceived betrayal of Nicholas.

Paula, unfazed by Cassandra’s impatience, gently tucked her in. “I’m sorry, I don’t know how to comfort you. Don’t be upset. Everything will be alright.” Her maternal demeanor, however, only fueled Cassandra’s suspicion.

“Stop pretending,” Cassandra retorted. “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to. Did you have Cecilia seduce Nicholas because you resented my preventing you from speaking at the engagement party?”

Paula, stunned, collected herself. “Cassandra, have you misunderstood something? How could I possibly orchestrate Cecilia seducing Nicholas?”

Cassandra remained unconvinced, believing Paula's concern to be a performance. Paula's mention of Cecilia's long-standing acquaintance with Nicholas and her alleged attempts at seduction only exacerbated the situation. Paula, enraged, retorted, “I truly underestimated her! Cassandra, rest assured, I will handle this. You’re the only one who can be the lady of the Rainsworth family.”

Cassandra’s skepticism remained. “You would offend your own daughter for my sake?”

Paula decided to reveal a shocking truth. “Cassandra, I am actually your biological mother.”

Ralph’s past penury and powerlessness, his inability to rival Queenie, were the reasons Paula had kept this secret for five years.

Cassandra’s eyes narrowed. “What did you say?”

“I said I’m your biological mother, not Queenie. Queenie couldn’t have children.”

Cassandra scoffed, “You’re talking nonsense.”

Paula produced the paternity test results. “Take a look at this.”

The results confirmed their mother-daughter relationship. Cecilia, then, was her half-sister. Cassandra, regaining composure, asked, “So my father is…”

“Ralph,” Paula confirmed promptly.

Cassandra understood: Paula had betrayed Cecilia’s father. They were half-sisters, sharing a mother but having different fathers.

“No need for explanations,” Cassandra interrupted. “Please leave. I need some time.”

After repeated assurances, Paula departed. Immediately, Cassandra tore up the paternity test and discarded it.