Chapter 1

"Jemma Johnston, you stole my son. And now you won't even admit it. Willie is my biological child. A thief like you doesn't deserve to be his mother. You're losing today."

Linda glared at me like she already owned the verdict.

Garrett smirked. "You chased me, remember? I stopped loving you a long time ago. And you're so cold you won't even spare my son? Hand Willie over. When everyone finds out what you did, let's see how easy your life is."

Every eye in the courtroom locked on me.

I didn't blink. "I've said it before. Willie cannot be your son."

Six months after I married Garrett—twenty years ago—he cheated on me with his ex, Linda.

Said it was a class reunion. Took her overseas.

They vanished.

I was a widow before my wedding flowers even died.

And while I was breaking down, I found what they left behind—

a screaming baby boy.

Twenty years later, I posted that my "son," Willie, had passed the tests and joined the police force.

That's when Garrett and Linda—dead for years—rose from the grave and showed up at my door, demanding their child back.

I swallowed my anger. Told them flat out it was impossible for them to have given birth to Willie.

They decided I was trying to steal their successful son. Camped outside my house. Made scenes. Dragged their relatives over to pressure me into handing over the property.

I refused. Had property management remove them.

So they sued me.

My calm voice only set Linda off.

Her eyes went red. She yanked a yellowed birth certificate from her bag, hands shaking. "Look! I carried Willie for ten months. I gave birth to him!"

The paper showed an eight-pound baby boy, grinning with bare gums.

"I'd only given birth a little over a month before! He hadn't even had enough of my milk before this woman stole him!"

She collapsed into tears.

Garrett pulled Linda close and handed the old baby photo to the judge.

"This was taken on my son's one-month birthday. He was sweet. So well-behaved. It's been twenty years. This is all I have left."

They clung to each other, crying.

I didn't blink.

The livestream chat blew up.

[What a monster. She tore a family apart and let them search for their kid for twenty years. And she feels nothing?]

[She's a straight-up sociopath. Let Garrett and Linda take their son back. Throw Jemma in jail!]