Chương 5
“I ended a relationship.”
“You abandoned me.”
“I was twenty-seven years old.”
“You made promises.”
“I made mistakes.”
Vanessa’s expression darkened.
“Exactly.”
“You moved on.”
“You became powerful.”
“You found someone who gave you the family you always wanted.”
“And I was left with nothing.”
Mason looked at her with disbelief.
“So you poisoned my wife because you were angry about a relationship from years ago?”
Vanessa’s face changed.
For a moment, she looked ashamed.
Then the anger returned.
“No.”
“Then why?”
Vanessa looked toward the babies.
“Because I knew Claire would never understand what she had.”
Mason stepped closer.
“Stay away from my children.”
The words were quiet.
But everyone in the room felt the warning behind them.
Vanessa stared at him.
“You think I wanted them hurt?”
Mason said nothing.
“You don’t understand.”
“Then explain.”
Vanessa looked down.
“I didn’t poison Claire to kill her.”
The room froze.
Dr. Bennett immediately stepped forward.
“What?”
Vanessa continued.
“I wanted her unconscious.”
Mason’s face went pale.
“Why?”
“Because I needed time.”
“Time for what?”
Vanessa looked at the three babies.
“I needed the adoption documents signed.”
Nobody moved.
Mason felt his entire body go cold.
“What documents?”
Vanessa said nothing.
Ethan immediately looked toward the security officers.
“Search her belongings.”
The officers moved quickly.
Vanessa finally reacted.
“No.”
It was the first genuine panic anyone had seen from her.
One officer opened her handbag.
Inside were several documents.
A folder.
A phone.
And a sealed envelope.
Ethan took the folder and opened it.
His expression changed immediately.
“Mason.”
Mason walked toward him.
“What?”
Ethan handed him the papers.
Mason read the first page.
His hands began shaking.
The documents were legal forms.
Emergency guardianship paperwork.
Prepared with his signature already printed.
But Mason had never signed them.
“This is fake,” he whispered.
Ethan nodded.
“Someone forged your authorization.”
Mason looked at Vanessa.
“Who helped you?”
Vanessa remained silent.
Claire closed her eyes briefly.
She seemed exhausted.
But then she whispered something.
Mason leaned closer.
“What did you say?”
Claire opened her eyes.
“She wasn’t alone.”
Mason looked toward Vanessa.
“We know.”
“No.”
Claire shook her head weakly.
“She had someone inside the hospital.”
Dr. Bennett looked alarmed.
“What do you mean?”
Claire struggled to speak.
“The person who brought the tea… wasn’t Vanessa.”
Everyone looked confused.
Mason held her hand.
“Then who was it?”
Claire’s eyes moved toward the doorway.
The answer seemed impossible.
Then a voice came from the hallway.
“I think it’s time everyone heard the truth.”
A man stepped into the room.
He was wearing a dark coat and carrying a familiar hospital identification badge.
Mason stared at him.
He recognized the face.
But he could not understand why.
Because the man standing there was someone Mason believed had been helping his family.
Someone he had trusted.
Someone who had been beside Claire during the entire delivery.
Dr. Adrian Bennett slowly removed his badge.
And for the first time that night, the doctor’s calm expression disappeared.
And for the first time that night, the doctor’s calm expression disappeared.
Mason stared at Dr. Bennett as if the entire world had shifted beneath his feet.
The man who had delivered his children.
The man who had saved Claire’s life.
The man who had revealed the poison.
The man who had stood beside him while everything fell apart.
“You?” Mason whispered.
Dr. Bennett looked down for a moment.
Not with guilt.
With exhaustion.
“I never wanted it to happen this way.”
Ethan immediately stepped forward.
“Security, keep that door closed.”
The officers moved quickly.
Dr. Bennett did not try to leave.
He simply stood there, accepting the attention of everyone in the room.
Claire looked at him with disbelief.
“You knew.”
Her voice was weak but filled with pain.
Dr. Bennett looked at her.
“Yes.”
Mason felt anger rising inside him.
“What did you know?”
The doctor took a slow breath.
“That Claire was in danger.”
The room went silent.
Mason walked closer.
“Then why didn’t you protect her?”
Dr. Bennett looked away.
“Because I was trying to protect all of you.”
“No.”
Mason’s voice became colder.
“You were protecting yourself.”
The doctor accepted the accusation without defending himself.
“I made a terrible mistake.”
Ethan folded his arms.
“Start explaining.”
Dr. Bennett looked at the three newborn babies.
His expression changed.
For the first time, he looked less like a doctor and more like a man carrying years of regret.
“Fifteen years ago, before I worked at this hospital, I treated someone connected to Mason.”
Mason narrowed his eyes.
“Who?”
Dr. Bennett looked toward Vanessa.
“She knows.”
Vanessa’s face became pale.
“Don’t.”
Mason turned toward her.
“Don’t what?”
Vanessa looked at the doctor.
“You promised.”
Dr. Bennett shook his head.
“I promised to tell the truth if anyone was hurt.”
Mason felt a sudden chill.
“What are you talking about?”
The doctor looked back at him.
“Years ago, Vanessa became pregnant.”
The room froze.
Mason’s expression changed.
“I don’t understand.”
Vanessa closed her eyes.
“Stop.”
But Dr. Bennett continued.
“She lost the pregnancy.”
Mason stared at Vanessa.
A memory he had buried suddenly returned.
The painful breakup.
The arguments.
The night Vanessa had told him she needed space.
The morning he left the city to build his company.
He remembered thinking they were both moving on.
But he never knew the full story.
“I didn’t know,” Mason said quietly.
Vanessa looked at him.
“That was the problem.”
Her voice trembled.
“You never knew anything.”
Mason looked hurt.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Vanessa laughed softly.
“Because by the time I was ready to tell you, you were already gone.”
Claire watched silently.
She was weak.
But she understood enough.
“You blamed me.”
Vanessa looked at her.
“Yes.”
The honesty shocked everyone.
“I saw you with everything I lost.”
Claire’s expression softened slightly.
“But I didn’t take anything from you.”
Vanessa looked away.
“I know that now.”
Mason stared at the doctor.
May you like
“How are you involved?”
Dr. Bennett lowered his eyes.
