Chapter 169 The Question That Changes Everything
Elena： POV
Alexander's hand was locked around Julian's throat, knuckles white with pressure. Julian's face was turning red, his hands clawing at Alexander's forearm, but the older man's grip didn't waver.
"How dare you bring her here?" Alexander's voice was low, deadly. "How dare you come near my daughter?"
I stood frozen, Lila pressed against my side, her small hands clutching my coat. My heart was hammering so hard I could barely hear over the blood rushing in my ears. This couldn't be happening.
Julian managed to shove Alexander back, gasping for air.
Julian's tie was askew, his expensive suit rumpled from the fight.
When he straightened, there was something dangerous in his eyes I'd never seen before—not in the brief moments I'd known him, anyway.
"Your daughter?" Julian's laugh was bitter, sharp. "Tell me something, Uncle. Have you been honest with Elena about everything? Is Lila really yours?"
The question hit the air like a grenade.
Alexander's jaw tightened. "Of course she's mine."
"Is she?" Julian took a step closer, and I instinctively pulled Lila tighter against me. "Because there's another possibility here, isn't there? What if she's mine?"
"She's not." Alexander's denial was immediate, forceful. But something flickered across his face—something that looked almost like guilt—and I felt the ground shift beneath my feet.
I looked between them, my mind racing. Julian's dark eyes. Lila's dark eyes. The shape of their mouths, the way their noses curved just slightly at the bridge.
I'd always thought she looked like me—everyone said so when we went out together. But now, standing here with Julian in front of me, I could see it. The resemblance wasn't to me at all.
My knees felt weak.
"I didn't bring her here to hurt her," Julian said, his voice dropping. He glanced at Lila, and his expression softened in a way that made my chest ache. "I just... she was lost. She was crying. I couldn't leave her alone on the street. And when I saw her—" He broke off, swallowing hard. "She's so cute. I wanted to help her. That's all."
He turned to me then, and the weight of his gaze was almost unbearable. "Elena, I need to ask you something. Will you let Alexander and Lila take a paternity test?"
The words hung in the air between us.
A paternity test.
My mouth went dry. I could feel Alexander tense beside me, could feel Lila's confused gaze bouncing between the three of us. This was insane. This man—this stranger who claimed to have been my husband—was standing here asking me to prove whether my daughter was his.
And the worst part was, I wasn't sure I could say no.
"Mr. Sterling," I said, forcing my voice to stay steady even as my hands trembled. "Please stop interfering in my life. Ever since you appeared, everything has been chaos. I can't—" I broke off, swallowing the lump in my throat. "Whatever happened between us in the past, it doesn't matter now. You're a stranger to me. And no matter whose child Lila is, she's mine. That's all that matters."
Julian's face crumpled, just for a second, before he schooled it back into something harder. "Elena—"
"No." I cut him off, my voice sharper than I intended. "I don't know what you want from me, but I can't give it to you. You need to move on. Be a decent ex-husband and leave us alone."
"You—"
But I didn't let him finish. I grabbed Lila's hand and turned toward the door, my pulse racing. I needed to get out of here. I needed to breathe.
"Mommy, wait!" Lila's voice was small, uncertain. She tugged on my hand, her wide eyes fixed on Julian. "Is the sad uncle really my daddy?"
The question stopped me cold.
I opened my mouth to answer, but before I could, Alexander spoke.
"No."
The word came out hard, definitive. And when I glanced at him, his expression was carved from stone.
"No," I echoed, my voice quieter. "He's not."
Lila's face fell, and guilt twisted in my chest. But I couldn't deal with this right now. I couldn't unpack what it meant that she wanted Julian to be her father, that she'd looked at him with such hope in her eyes.
I pulled her toward the door, Alexander close behind us.
Julian didn't follow, but I could feel his gaze burning into my back. "You'll come to understand that he's a total liar. My uncle Alexander got close to you only because you resemble the woman he once loved deeply. You're just a substitute."
Alexander strode forward and grabbed my hand. "It's not like that. Don't believe him."
So it was true then? I'd always felt that when he looked at me, there was this quiet sadness in his eyes, as if he was looking at me but seeing someone else entirely." Relief washed over me.
The drive home was silent. I glanced in the rearview mirror; Lila was staring out the window, unnaturally quiet, her thumb stuck in her mouth—a habit she'd long since outgrown. Alexander's hands were white-knuckled on the steering wheel, his jaw so tight I thought it might crack. I stared out the window, my mind spinning in endless circles.
When we finally pulled up to the townhouse, Alexander killed the engine but didn't move to get out. Lila had fallen asleep in her car seat, her head lolled to the side.
"Elena," Alexander said quietly. "We need to talk."
I didn't look at him. "Not now."
"Yes, now." His voice was firm, but there was an edge of desperation beneath it. "You can't seriously be considering what he asked."
I turned to face him then, and the look in his eyes made my chest tighten. Fear. He was afraid.
"I need to know the truth," I said softly. "I need to know if Lila is yours."
"She is mine." His hand shot out, gripping my wrist. "Elena, you have to believe me. She's my daughter. Ours."
I pulled my hand free, shaking my head. "I'm not accusing you of lying. I just... I need to be sure. I have a right to the truth, don't I?"
For a long moment, he didn't answer. Then his expression shifted, something dark and unreadable flickering across his face.
"I'll prove it to you," he said, his voice low. "I'll prove that Lila is mine."