“Keep digging,” I said. “I want every single record he has ever touched. We need undeniable proof of the fraud.”

“We can get the financial records, but we will need more than that to prove paternity in court,” Marcus warned.

“I know,” I said, staring at the gray road ahead. “I am going to contact Maren. I will ask her for a formal DNA test with Noah and Lila.”

“Are you sure about this?” Marcus asked. “If this goes public, it will destroy your mother’s standing, and it will complicate your divorce from Celeste.”

“I have never been surer of anything in my life,” I said. “Draft the paperwork for the testing. I want it ready by the end of the week.”

“I’ll have it on your desk tomorrow morning,” Marcus said.

I hung up the phone and merged onto the highway, heading back toward my office.

As I drove, my mind raced with the logistical nightmare of what lay ahead.

I had to protect Maren and the children from the inevitable storm my mother would unleash.