Maureen had not slept. After leaving the hospital,rage had kept her awake, churning every possible way to bring Celeste down for good. She stared at the result in her hands, pacing back and forth her room she was determined to show them a reason to let Celeste go.
The next day, she wasted no time. Calls went out to the wider family, to influential board members of the company, to long-trusted family friends. She told them there was something important, something they all needed to hear about Celeste.
By evening, the sitting room of the estate was crowded with people, their murmurs a steady hum. Elise and Jean arrived, puzzled but respectful, greeting guests who looked uneasy. Celeste stayed close to Elise, anxiety tightening her chest.
Maureen stood in the center of the room, a folded paper in her hand — the DNA report. Her eyes flashed with triumph as she cleared her throat.
"Thank you for coming," she began, her voice deceptively steady. "I called you here because there is a terrible truth you deserve to know."
Jean frowned, exchanging a worried glance with Elise. "Maureen, what is this about?"
She lifted the paper. "It's about her," she spat, gesturing at Celeste. "The girl you think is your daughter. This is proof — scientific proof — that she is an impostor."
A shocked murmur swept through the crowd. Elise stiffened, while Jean stood protectively in front of Celeste.
Maureen's smile was brittle. "You took her in, let her stand in Celeste's place, but this report shows she is not who she claims to be. You have been lied to. We have all been lied to."
Someone in the room gasped. But before the judgment could settle on Celeste, Jean spoke with a calm, resolute authority that silenced them all.
"We are aware of the report," Jean said, voice controlled. "And we already confronted her. She did not deceive us on purpose. She had no memories of who she was."
Maureen faltered. "You can't just accept that! She is not your child!"
Elise stepped forward, her eyes blazing with a controlled but unmistakable anger. "And yet you saw fit to expose this in front of the entire family? You humiliated us — and her — rather than coming to us privately? How dare you."
The room fell silent, tension thick and suffocating.
Maureen felt the eyes shifting, the subtle recoil of people stepping away from her. "I was trying to protect the family!" she insisted, her voice rising.
Jean shook his head. "No. You were trying to destroy someone you envy. You have shown more cruelty than loyalty."
The shame hit Maureen like a slap. Whispers started — not about Celeste, but about Maureen's spite.
One of the board members, an older man who had known the family for decades, cleared his throat. "You went too far, Maureen. Even for you."
Maureen tried to speak, but the words tangled in her throat. Celeste, standing behind Jean and Elise, watched with wide, glassy eyes. She had braced herself to be torn apart, but instead, they had shielded her — even now, even in public.
Elise drew Celeste close, looking around at the gathering. "This is our family," she said evenly. "And no one, no one, will decide for us who belongs here."
The shame in Maureen's chest burned so hot it nearly made her sick. As the room slowly turned their backs on her, she realized she had not only failed — she had made herself the enemy.