Chapter 271

She bolted upright and opened the mysterious file.

"Paternity Test Report?" Eleanor Langley frowned, scrolling through the document.

The final page clearly stated: No biological relationship between Isabella Langley and Eleanor Langley.

Her pupils constricted violently.

The phone slipped from her trembling fingers.

"Impossible..." Her whisper was fractured.

Over twenty years of devotion—had it all been for nothing?

Barefoot on the carpet, her body turned ice-cold.

Flashes of her childbirth surfaced in her mind.

She remembered collapsing from exhaustion, only to wake with the baby placed beside her.

If someone had switched them...

Her fists clenched abruptly.

"Vincent Langley..." The name hissed through her teeth.

Footsteps approached outside.

"Madam, breakfast is ready."

She swiftly wiped the dampness from her eyes. "Understood."

As she deleted the file, her gaze sharpened like a blade.

The bathroom mirror reflected her pallid face.

"Mom!" Isabella's voice floated up from downstairs.

Eleanor inhaled deeply, molding her lips into a flawless smile.

At the table, Isabella was placing dumplings into her bowl.

"Try these—I had the kitchen make them specially."

Eleanor studied her daughter's ordinary features.

The memory of that porcelain-perfect infant seemed like a mirage.

"Isabella," she said suddenly, "are you certain about marrying him?"

Isabella bit her straw. "Mom, not this again."

"A man like Adrian Valentine..." Eleanor trailed off.

Her gaze darkened as she stared at the chopsticks Isabella had used.

The meal turned to ashes in her mouth.

When the maid cleared the dishes, she discreetly wrapped the chopsticks in a napkin.

Today, she would visit the hospital herself.