“Mother,” Ethan said, turning slowly to face Margaret. “You told me Olivia would raise the boy with me.”

“Olivia is unstable,” Margaret said, her voice remaining cold and steady. “She was always going to be a liability.”

“You planned this from the very beginning,” I said, looking at Margaret.

“I did what was necessary to protect the Lawson name,” Margaret said, crossing her arms.

“You forged my signature to steal my embryo, and then you set a trap to steal the child from your own accomplice,” I said.

“Olivia was a paid womb, Claire,” Margaret said, her eyes narrowing. “She was never fit to raise a child of my blood.”

“He isn’t your blood,” I said, my voice rising. “He is my son.”

Ethan looked down at the paper, his hands shaking.

“She was going to lock me out too,” Ethan whispered, looking at his mother. “If I didn’t do exactly what you wanted, you would have used this to take him from both of us.”

“Don’t be dramatic, Ethan,” Margaret said. “I did it for you.”

“You did it for yourself,” Ethan said.