I stepped into the small waiting area, my eyes locked on Imogen and Hugo's shocked faces. The hospital's antiseptic smell suddenly felt suffocating as silence stretched between us.
"Well?" I pressed, my voice steadier than I felt. "What truth have you been keeping from me?"
Imogen recovered first, her face transforming from shock to contempt in seconds. "You're eavesdropping now? How pathetic."
"Cut the crap, Imogen." I turned to Hugo. "You said I'm the real Johnson daughter. The legitimate one. What did you mean by that?"
Hugo's eyes darted between Imogen and me. I could almost see the calculations running through his head—who would pay more for his silence.
"Just family gossip," he said with a dismissive wave. "Nothing worth discussing."
"Funny, it sounded important enough for blackmail."
Imogen stepped forward, positioning herself between us. "This doesn't concern you, Juliana. It's a private matter."
"If it involves my identity, it absolutely concerns me."
