Maya's POV
"No," I whisper, staring at my mother's face on the screen. "No, that's not true."
"Maya" Ethan reaches for me.
I pull away. "She's lying. My mother is lying. James Walsh cannot be my father."
"Keep watching," Marcus says quietly. "Your mother explains everything."
On the screen, my mother wipes her tears. "I met James Walsh when I was nineteen. Before Richard. James was charming. Successful. We had a brief relationship. I got pregnant. When I told James, he said he didn't want children. He paid me to disappear."
My hands shake. I can barely breathe.
"I moved away," my mother continues. "Started over. Met Richard Chen. He was kind. Good. When I told him I was pregnant, he didn't care that the baby wasn't his. He married me anyway. Claimed you as his daughter. Loved you like you were his blood."
"Richard knew?" I gasp. "My whole life, Richard knew I wasn't his?"
