I stood frozen, unable to process what I'd just heard. The elderly woman's words echoed in my mind: "Juliana is not an illegitimate child! She is Mrs. Johnson's biological daughter!"
The hospital corridor erupted into chaos. Reporters shouted questions over each other, cameras flashed incessantly, and security guards looked to each other in confusion, unsure who to restrain.
Through the crowd stepped Police Captain Claire Pierce, her uniform crisp and her expression stern. She raised her hand, and the noise gradually subsided.
"Ladies and gentlemen," she announced, her voice carrying clearly through the corridor. "I'm Captain Claire Pierce of the Oceanion Police Department. We've been investigating this case for some time now."
My mother—no, Ivy—struggled to her feet, abandoning her theatrical display of injury. Her face had drained of all color.
"This is nonsense!" she shrieked, but her voice cracked with fear. "She's lying! They're all lying!"
