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Chapter Twenty-Two – A War for the Truth

Author: Dreamyy
last update Last Updated: 2025-09-30 13:32:16

Maya stared at the headline until the words blurred into black smudges.

“Anonymous Source Claims Maya Rivers Was Paid to Lure Adrian Back—Surrogacy a Setup?”

Her lungs burned. It felt like drowning without water, each breath dragged from her chest.

“This isn’t real,” she whispered to herself, over and over. “It isn’t real. I didn’t do this.”

But the words on the glossy paper didn’t care. The world didn’t care.

She felt Adrian’s gaze heavy on her, sharp and unreadable. That silence between them hurt more than the lies.

“You don’t actually believe this,” she said finally, her voice trembling. “Adrian, look at me. Tell me you don’t.”

He dragged a hand across his jaw, his eyes dark with storm clouds. “I want to believe you, Maya. I do. But—”

Her chest tightened. “But?”

“But this… this looks calculated. First the photos. Now this. It feels like every step drags us deeper into a trap. And I can’t shake the question—why you? Why now?”

His words sliced through her like knives.

“Because I was
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