Silent Manipulation.

Lyra's POV

My bedroom floor became my pacing space after I completed a face-to-face confrontation with Aria. My mind raced with pure anger and rock-solid determination like I had never felt before in my life. Her face had gone completely white as a sheet when I threw the truth right in her face about those exact six weeks she spent alone in this house and she had just stood there frozen like a statue without managing to say even a single word back to me in her own defense. The silent moment between us brought me complete knowledge because she proved herself guilty through her fear of me exposing her entire fabricated story. With each passing hour of the wedding countdown the sound of the clock became louder. The time had arrived to begin working on my plan which required me to collect actual evidence that would bring about her total destruction to all important people who existed. I locked my bedroom door after making sure no one could enter my room. I pulled my desk chair out from under the wooden desk. The screen glowed bright white in the dim light of my room as I cracked my knuckles loudly and started typing fast and furious into the search bar at the top of the page.

I needed complete information about every detail of pregnancy timelines so I began my research about pregnancy timelines. When does the baby bump actually start showing up visibly? Six weeks matched perfectly with that exact week when Selene left town to visit Mom and Aria stayed behind claiming she needed to "care" for Dad's so-called sprained ankle that healed way too fast. I examined numerous medical websites to find information which I read very carefully while I created mental notes of the content. "The time of conception happens when a woman reaches her ovulation period. Early symptoms like nausea and fatigue often start between 4 to 6 weeks after conception. The ultrasound shows heartbeat detection from the sixth week of gestation. The doctor confirmed all details about Aria's fainting incident at school. Everything fitted perfectly with the evidence. The ultimate proof I required was solid paternity test information for unborn babies. "The process of prenatal paternity testing begins at seven weeks through invasive testing methods like CVS or amniocentesis which specialists perform. The schedule was too late because the wedding needed to take priority. I found a better solution that provided non-invasive prenatal paternity tests which use only the mother's blood sample alongside a sample from the alleged father beginning from eight weeks.

The results were delivered from private labs within a few days. The costs were high yet I could achieve my goals through proper planning. I saved the locations of nearby laboratories which provided services without requiring identification. Mom's credit card would cover it easily without her even noticing or I could figure out how to get into Ronan's wallet later if needed. The majority of physicians advised patients to postpone pregnancy testing until the second trimester because it was safer while private laboratories conducted early testing for patients with high-risk conditions and suspicious partners. I considered Aria to be a high-risk liar according to my standards. I needed to use my intelligence to avoid taking on more work than I could handle which would force me to keep secrets from others just like Aria did.

I leaned back in my desk chair because the excitement caused my heartbeat to increase while all the information started to become clearer in my mind like a complete puzzle. I required a small sample from Aria herself to proceed with the testing process. The bathroom accessible hairs from her hair brush and the kitchen left saliva from her water bottle created easy access points. That would be simple enough. The timeline established direct responsibility for Dad despite her claims of innocence. I could take items from the trash can such as used coffee filters or I could use his favorite mug to collect samples at breakfast time tomorrow. The testing lab would receive samples through discreet mailing which involved obtaining cheek swabs from both individuals. The testing results would arrive before their honeymoon if I executed the timing precisely. The wedding altar reveal would create stronger impact because it would lead to greater disorder at the venue. I closed my eyes for a moment and pictured the whole dramatic scene playing out in vivid detail. Aria stood before everyone in her elegant white dress while she showed signs of extreme anxiety. The officiant waited for the couple to finish their half-completed vows. All eyes in the room shifted to me as I stood up from my front row seat. "Stop right there. The baby is not Ronan's at all." Behind the altar stood the projector screen which displayed all the proof through timelines and charts and photographs. The entire pack began to gasp in astonishment. Selene burst into tears because she felt betrayed. Mom held her chest tightly as if she would lose consciousness. Dad's face turned bright red with shock and fury. Ronan ran away from the gazebo without glancing back. Aria collapsed to the floor while she begged for mercy. The entire pack completely rejected her. I stood as the hero who rescued everyone from the dangerous person who infiltrated our team. I experienced pure satisfaction as I visualized her crying from humiliation while everyone watched her.

The loud phone buzz on my desk stopped me from continuing my dream state. The text from Jade my primary gossip contact outside the family arrived. "Are the rumors still working like you hoped? Has Ronan started asking more questions yet?" I typed back a quick reply with my fingers flying over the keys. "Phase two is on now. All research done and paternity test plan ready to go. Altar explosion coming soon." She sent a response that included thumbs up emojis together with fire symbols. She would provide assistance in case problems emerged at a later time.

Ronan needed further seeds of doubt which I had to plant in a subtle way without revealing my true feelings for Aria. I planned to meet him downstairs after everyone else finished their dinner so I could speak with him privately whenever the kitchen needed cleaning. The first step involved asking him about his college return dates in order to create a natural conversation. He would discover the massive gap himself after he examined the situation properly. 3 weeks is fucking crazy for a baby to stay hiding. I knew his college schedule by heart from all of Selene's brother stories which she shared throughout the months. Spring break occurred later that year because it happened around mid-March. Dad's ankle injury occurred on the first weekend after Selene departed to visit Mom.

The entire family assembled at the dining table for dinner time just as they always did that same night. The family discussed their upcoming wedding rehearsal dinner which was scheduled to take place at the country club the following evening. Aria remained in her usual state of pale silence while she refused to eat something which she typically did. Ronan maintained his attention on her while he sat next to her though his blue eyes had become much sharper ever since my earlier rumors began to affect him. I waited patiently for the perfect moment to strike with my next casual comment. The plates started to disappear from the table for the diners. All the dining tables received hot coffee which was poured into mugs. "Ronan are you getting excited for the rehearsal dinner tomorrow night? I asked him in my sweetest sisterly voice possible while stirring my own coffee slowly.

"Yeah I suppose so," he replied while stirring sugar into his mug with a spoon moving slow.

I leaned forward at the table while maintaining a completely innocent expression. "When did you return home from your last visit before the baby announcements started? Your school schedule seemed to show tight boundaries for the entire semester.

He stopped eating his spooning position while holding the spoon above his coffee mug because he did not understand the situation. "Uh let me think about that for a second. I guess spring break starts around mid-March.

I spoke with a questioning voice while keeping everything I said to myself. "The only thing I want to know about the timeline is what you have asked me about. Aria experienced her first fainting episode during early April while her health issues began to appear.

Selene gave me a dangerous look from across the table which she used to immediately warn me about my behavior. "Lyra should stop talking about that subject because she has to drop it down right now. I do not understand why you keep playing detective! You will discover something about yourself that will either destroy your life or destroy this house.

If I reveal the information which destroys the house because of Aria then it proves that Aria kept dangerous information which could threaten our family safety. I retorted.

Selene interrupted "Fuck" but she did not finish her Semtex explosion.

Ronan showed a slight frown after some doubt began to grow in him. "I actually left at the end of February to head back to classes. The semester proved to be extremely difficult for them. The last time I went home was during Thanksgiving break which happened before that.

The gap now appeared to stretch out to an enormous distance which became visible to everyone. I smiled at him completely innocent keeping my face neutral. "Cool that makes sense. Time really does fly by fast does it not.

He opened his calendar application at the table to browse through previous dates. He began to check everything through a serious process which made his frown become worse. "I left three weeks before Dad's ankle accident which took place mid-March.

I said "And Aria was alone with dad during that time right?" using my loudest clear voice.

Aria choked hard on her coffee right then sputtering a little. "He needed routine care to recover from his condition so we provided basic medical services to him.

Ronan's eyes narrowed at her for just one brief second before he looked away again. The doubt which he planted inside her began to grow at an accelerated pace. The plan I executed functioned perfectly without any errors.

The entire house became silent with midnight reaching its peak when night descended. The only light coming into my room came from my laptop screen which illuminated my face while I continued my online search for evidence. I examined each of Aria's previous social media posts to verify their timestamps. The all public travel photographs that Ronan posted show everything with complete timestamp accuracy. He attended a campus event on March 5th with photos of him there clear proof. Dad's ankle happened March 12th confirmed by family texts. Selene left town March 10th through 17th. Aria posted her own picture on March 14th saying "Cooking for family tonight" with no mention of anyone else around. The only person who stayed with Dad during that time period became Ronan. Home remained empty with no sign of Ronan.

I located his flight records through online access to his linked travel applications. The ticket stub showed him returning home on April 1st after her fainting episode at school. The three-week gap became impossible to ignore because it stood out like crystal. If the baby was really my brother's then she should be at least 9 weeks pregnant. Ronan disappeared from the situation completely. Dad became suddenly vulnerable because of his serious illness. Aria assumed the role of nurse in ways which made people feel extremely uncomfortable.

I leaned back into my chair while a cold smirk developed on my face. The tiny detail confirmed everything with complete proof which left no room for uncertainty. The schedule of her activities did not correspond at all with the travel schedule of Ronan.

The entire disgusting truth would become public knowledge to everyone.

But how do I deal with the implication of the truth on mom and dad’s mate bond?

What about my reputation?

My desire to expose Aria may end up harming my reputation…unless…