All Chapters of FALLING FOR MY BROTHER'S RIVAL: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

Sophia’s PovI opened Margaret’s email slowly, my earlier anticipation tempered slightly by months of learning exactly how complicated seemingly simple discoveries about my past could actually become, though something in the gentle, careful tone of her message suggested this particular revelation carried none of the danger that had characterized so many previous surprises.Dear Sophia,I hope this message finds you and your family well. I wanted to reach out personally regarding something that surfaced during our routine review of historical adoption records connected to your case. It appears your biological mother, before her passing, filed additional paperwork with our agency that we only recently discovered while digitizing older physical files.This paperwork indicates she gave birth to another child, a daughter, approximately three years before Tyler was born, placed for private adoption through an entirely separate arrangement. I understand this may come as unexpected news, and

Noah’s PovMason arrived at Renee’s office early the following morning, both of us settling into the small conference room with cautious curiosity rather than the instinctive dread that had accompanied so many previous revelations throughout this exhausting journey, though months of hard-earned peace hadn’t entirely erased our wariness whenever Victor’s name resurfaced unexpectedly.“What did you find?” Mason asked immediately, unable to fully mask his impatience.Renee slid a folder across the table, her expression carrying none of the alarm that had characterized our previous meetings regarding Victor’s financial dealings. “An offshore account, opened nearly fifteen years ago, shortly after Tyler’s death. It was established under his name specifically, though the funding source appears considerably more complicated than we initially assumed.”“Victor set this up?” I asked, confusion evident in my voice.“Not entirely,” Renee explained carefully. “The initial deposit came from Victor

Noah’s PovRenee’s mention of additional victims settled quietly into the room, none of the sharp panic that once accompanied every revelation about Victor’s crimes, but a steady, sober weight instead, the kind that came with understanding exactly how far his corruption had likely reached beyond the single tragedy that had shaped so much of our lives.“Who reached out?” I asked, setting my own tea aside.“A man named Owen Castellano,” Renee explained. “He played at the same camp several summers after Tyler, apparently. He recognized details from the foundation’s public materials about Tyler’s case and reached out asking whether the organization would be willing to hear his own story.”“Is he alleging the same kind of exploitation?” Sophia asked carefully, her hand resting protectively over her stomach.“Financial manipulation, primarily. He claims Victor’s associates pressured him into throwing games during his junior career, threatening to expose fabricated allegations against his fa

Noah’s PovNeither of us slept much that night, Sophia shifting restlessly beside me while I stared at the ceiling, running through every possible reason a doctor’s office would call late in the evening requesting an urgent morning appointment rather than simply waiting until the scheduled checkup already on the calendar for later that week.“It could be nothing,” I said quietly, more for my own reassurance than hers. “Routine follow-up on something minor from her last scan.”“They don’t usually call the night before to say that,” Sophia replied, her hand resting against her stomach in the same protective gesture that had become so familiar throughout both pregnancies.We arrived at Dr. Harper’s office the following morning nearly twenty minutes early, sitting together in the waiting room in tense, quiet anticipation until a nurse finally called us back, guiding us into an examination room where Dr. Harper waited with an expression that offered little immediate reassurance.“Thank you

Noah’s PovSophia read the message twice, and I watched her face go pale before she even looked up at me. She held out the phone with a shaking hand, and I read it myself, my stomach tightening the same way hers must have.“It’s probably nothing,” I said, though I wasn’t sure I believed it. “Labs flag things all the time that turn out to be simple mistakes.”“They don’t usually text you the same night, Noah,” Sophia said quietly. “They wait for the regular appointment unless something feels urgent to them.”Neither of us slept well again that night. I lay awake listening to her breathing beside me, feeling her shift restlessly every hour, both of us pretending to rest while our minds ran through every possible explanation.We called first thing the next morning, and the receptionist told us Dr. Harper wanted to see us in person rather than explain everything over the phone. That alone made my chest feel tight the entire drive over, Sophia’s hand gripping mine tightly in the passenger