Joanne knew Heather was lying. She didn't have the full picture yet, but her instincts screamed it loud and clear. Something was rotten in Heather's carefully curated sob story.
And honestly? She wasn't even shocked.
There were women out there who'd fake a pregnancy to trap a man. Lie about a child just to win him back. Heather Nelson wouldn't be the first—and she certainly wasn't clever enough to be the last.
But if she thought Joanne would quietly step aside?
She picked the wrong woman.
Joanne didn't know what Jeffrey had heard. Didn't know how much of this mess he was aware of. Maybe he was in shock. Maybe he didn't know if it was true. Maybe—just maybe—he was trying to figure out if he had a daughter out of nowhere.
But Joanne? She knew one thing for sure.
She wasn't leaving.
Robert's cruel little voice tried to echo in her head, but she shut it down before it gained traction. She trusted Jeffrey. He showed her how much he loved her. She was not going to doubt his love.
