Balanced

PART 29 — THE DOCTOR’S SECRET

We did not wait for the normal session to resume. Rachel bypassed standard protocol, utilizing every ounce of her legal leverage to demand an emergency, forced subpoena for Dr. Anderson. She argued that medical fraud was currently taking place in the courtroom, and the judge, furious at Graham's earlier stunt, signed the order immediately.

Two grueling hours later, the heavy oak doors of the courtroom swung open. Dr. Anderson walked down the center aisle. She looked exhausted, dark circles bruised beneath her eyes, but her posture was rigid, and her gaze was absolute steel. She had the look of a woman who had carried a crushing secret for far too long and was finally ready to drop the weight.

Graham Vale crossed his arms over his chest, maintaining his arrogant, smug smile, but I noticed a slight twitch in his jaw.

"Dr. Anderson," Rachel’s voice rang out, clear and commanding as she approached the witness stand. "You have been sworn in. Let’s get straight to the point. Do you recall the events of October 15th?"

"I remember them vividly," Dr. Anderson replied, adjusting the microphone.

"Were you the attending surgeon who delivered the baby for a woman named Valerie Parker, who was admitted under highly secretive circumstances?"

"Yes. I performed the emergency cesarean section."

Graham stood up, his voice booming confidently across the room. "Which perfectly proves the child was born on that date and solidifies the inheritance timeline! Thank you, Doctor, for confirming—"

"Sit down and shut your mouth, Mr. Vale!" Judge Porter snapped violently, pointing her gavel at him. "If you interrupt this witness one more time, you will spend the night in a concrete cell. Counselor Rachel, proceed."

Rachel didn't even look at Graham. She stepped right up to the wooden railing of the witness box. "Dr. Anderson, as the attending physician for a surrogacy and fertility clinic, did you run a standard, mandatory postpartum DNA panel on that newborn baby before issuing the final birth certificate?"

"I did," the doctor stated clearly.

"And what were the exact results of that genetic test?"

Dr. Anderson took a deep breath. She turned her head, looking directly into Graham Vale’s eyes. "The child in question has absolutely zero biological relation to Daniel Mitchell."

An explosion of gasps erupted through the gallery. The reporters in the back row scrambled for their phones.

Graham’s smile died instantly. The blood drained from his face, replaced by a deep, furious red. "You’re lying!" he roared, abandoning his calm facade. "I personally supervised the extraction! The DNA was verified!"

"This child," Dr. Anderson continued calmly, ignoring his outburst and pulling a certified lab report from her pocket, "is a 99.9% DNA match to a completely different man."

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She pointed a shaking finger toward the large video screen still connected to the secure hospital ward.

The screen where David was lying in his hospital bed.

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