The phone rang once.
Twice.
Adrian answered on the third ring, his voice low and sharp.
"Report."
"Sir… the DNA results are ready."
A pause.
"Send it."
Seconds later, an encrypted file appeared on his screen.
Adrian clicked it open.
Two names.
Two genetic sequences.
A single line at the bottom:
> Probability of paternity: 99.99%.
His hand tightened around the mouse.
The sound of cracking plastic echoed in the silent office.
He stood abruptly, chair scraping the floor.
His reflection in the glass window looked like a stranger—
eyes dark, trembling with fury and disbelief.
> She lied to me.
Five years.
He had grieved, buried her memory, forced himself to forget.
And yet she had lived. Hidden.
Raising his son in another man's name.
"Prepare the car," he ordered.
His voice was ice.
"I want every record on Elena Carter—now."
---
That same night, far from the city lights,
Elena was packing a suitcase.
"Mommy, are we going somewhere?" Ethan asked sleepily, clutching his toy car.
Elena forced a smile.
"Just a small trip, sweetheart."
Sophie's voice echoed from the phone on speaker.
> "The earlier you leave, the better. I'll cover your shift at the clinic."
Elena zipped the suitcase shut, her fingers trembling.
"I should've left earlier. I was foolish to think I could hide forever."
> "You weren't foolish, Lena," Sophie said softly.
"You were in love."
Elena froze.
For a moment, she couldn't breathe.
Before she could respond, headlights flashed across the window—
a black car stopping outside.
Her blood ran cold.
No one should know this address.
She rushed to the window.
The car door opened.
Adrian stepped out.
Tall, calm, devastatingly composed.
He looked up, straight into the apartment window—
and their eyes met.
Elena's knees went weak.
He didn't knock.
He didn't call.
He simply climbed the stairs, one steady step after another.
A moment later, the doorbell rang.
Ding—
Ethan tugged her sleeve.
"Mommy, someone's here."
Her lips trembled. "Go to your room, sweetheart. Don't come out."
She opened the door.
And there he was.
Adrian stood in the doorway, soaked in rain, his gaze a storm barely contained.
"Elena Moore," he said, voice breaking the fragile silence.
Not Carter.
Not Ms. Carter.
Her real name.
Her heart stopped.
"You lied to me."
He stepped closer, eyes blazing.
"For five years—was it fun? Watching me mourn you while you raised my son?"
Tears welled in her eyes, but she bit her lip until it bled.
"It wasn't like that."
"Then tell me," he demanded, voice shaking. "Tell me why."
Elena closed her eyes.
When she spoke, her voice was barely above a whisper—
> "Because five years ago… I died in your world, Adrian.
And I never wanted our son to live in it."
For a moment, silence devoured everything.
The rain fell harder outside, like the sky itself couldn't hold back anymore.
Adrian's breath hitched, his anger cracking under the weight of her words.
But before he could say another word—
a small voice broke the tension.
"Mommy?"
Ethan peeked from the hallway, sleepy-eyed, holding his blanket.
Adrian turned—his fury melting into disbelief.
Elena's tears finally fell.
Her voice trembled.
> "Ethan… go back to your room."
But the boy shook his head.
He walked to Adrian and looked up curiously.
"You're the man from my dreams again," he said softly.
"Are you here to take Mommy away?"
Adrian's lips parted, but no words came out.
Because in that moment—
he realized the truth was no longer something he could run from.
It was standing right in front of him,
calling him Daddy without even knowing it.
🌹 Chapter 9 Pacing & Structure Analysis (Webnovel Viral Beat Pattern)
Pacing Beat Function
1. DNA Report Revealed → Delivers the first major emotional and plot climax
2. Male Lead Takes Action → Drives the story into the confrontation stage
3. Female Lead Prepares to Escape → Heightens suspense and urgency
4. Doorway Confrontation → Creates visual shock + emotional peak
5. Child Steps In → Softens the ending while planting deeper fate and emotional foreshadowing
💬
If you were Elena, would you run — or stay and fight?
👉 Tell me in the comments — I'm curious!
⚔️ Suspense Focus:
Now that he knows the truth, what will he do with it?
Hook Sentence:
> "You lied to me," he said—and the past they buried rose from its grave.