Chapter 465

Nathan moved closer, his hand gently resting on Serena's trembling shoulder in a comforting gesture.

"Don't overthink this, Serena," he murmured softly. "Nathan's just upset right now. That's all there is to it."

Serena shook her head violently, her face still drained of color. "He's furious because I never should have spoken to Evelyn that way..."

"But if he doesn't care about Evelyn, why would my words affect him so much? He must care!" The realization hit Serena like a bucket of ice water.

Dylan's brow furrowed with concern as he processed her words. Before he could respond, Serena suddenly grabbed his hand with desperate urgency. "Dylan... do you think... could Nathan have developed feelings for Evelyn?"

A visible shock passed through Dylan's features, his pupils contracting sharply. He hesitated before responding firmly, "Absolutely not! Nathan loves you. How could he possibly have feelings for Evelyn? You're letting your imagination run wild, Serena. Nathan has always despised manipulative behavior. He's angry, but Evelyn isn't the reason."

He allowed his words to sink in before continuing, "Think about it logically - if Nathan had feelings for Evelyn, why would he have divorced her in the first place?"

Serena's tense expression softened slightly as she considered this. She nodded slowly. "You're right... if he cared for her, the divorce wouldn't have happened."

Dylan smiled in relief. "Exactly! And remember how Nathan reacted when Evelyn pushed you down those stairs? He ended their marriage immediately. Doesn't that prove where his loyalties lie?"

Gradually, the tension drained from Serena's shoulders, and a small smile touched her lips.

"See?" Dylan said firmly. "There's nothing to worry about. Nathan's heart belongs to you, not Evelyn." His words were as much for his own reassurance as for hers.

Serena's breathing steadied as Dylan's logic calmed her racing thoughts.

Meanwhile, at the Sterling family mansion, Lila sat alone in her room clutching the freshly delivered paternity test results. The crisp manila envelope felt heavy in her hands as waves of fear washed over her.

For the first time, she admitted to herself how terrified she was. Terrified that the contents of this report might shatter her world completely.

With trembling fingers, she finally tore open the envelope, bypassing all the preliminary pages to go straight to the final results.

She took a deep, shuddering breath before looking down at the conclusive statement.

Her eyes widened in shock, then relief flooded her features as a triumphant smile spread across her face. She knew it! There was no possible way Evelyn could be related to her mother! All her worrying had been for nothing.

Chapter 466

The revelation that both Evelyn Hartley and Diana Prescott shared allergies to seafood and artichokes turned out to be nothing more than a strange coincidence. The DNA results confirmed it—just an odd twist of fate.

A weight lifted from Lila Sinclair's chest, but one nagging thought remained: Did Grace Monroe, Evelyn's birth mother, know about her daughter's allergy? Had Grace intentionally served that dish to Evelyn, or was it merely an unfortunate oversight?

Curiosity burned in Lila's eyes. She hastily tucked the report away and dashed from her room toward Diana's.

Bursting into Diana's embrace, she exclaimed, "Mommy!"

"You little troublemaker," Diana murmured affectionately, stroking Lila's hair gently.

Clutching Diana tightly, Lila declared, "You're my only mother. You must love only me, understand?"

"What's gotten into you? Why so clingy all of a sudden?" Diana asked softly, continuing to smooth her daughter's locks.

Nestled in her mother's arms, Lila's mind wandered. The memory of her earlier suspicion—that Evelyn might be Diana's daughter—sent an icy shiver down her spine.

Lila felt reassured now. She was certain she and Evelyn couldn't possibly share parents. Their backgrounds were too different, their stories too mismatched. Evelyn was simply an illegitimate child. That was the undeniable truth. She'd been overthinking everything.

Diana patted Lila's back with a warm smile. "Enough dramatics. I have news—your cousin Nathaniel has been transferred to the Owathe Police Department."

"Really?" Lila's eyes widened with shock. She sprang up, face glowing with excitement as she turned to Diana.

Diana chuckled. "Yes, it's confirmed. Nathaniel starts next Monday and will arrive in Owathe within days."

"That's wonderful! Now I can see Nathaniel whenever I want!" Lila's joy was palpable. Then her expression dimmed slightly. "It's too bad Julian is always so busy. I haven't seen him in ages."

Diana nodded. "Julian's been filming in Chixdontely. Once he wraps up this project, he should finally get some time off."

Lila sighed. "Julian's an international superstar now—always working nonstop. When he returns, I'll take him out to relax and have fun."

"You should," Diana agreed, ruffling Lila's hair with tender affection.

Lila embraced Diana again, her face radiating complete trust and devotion.

Thankfully, Diana was hers alone—not Evelyn's mother. The thought of sharing Diana with Evelyn made Lila's stomach churn. She could never accept that. With this comforting certainty, Lila gradually closed her eyes, content.