The silence that followed was heavy with a new kind of shame that seemed to suffocate everyone in the room. “That is why we are here, because the test must be repeated with legal samples collected under strict supervision,” Lawrence stated.
He then pulled out another document and informed the group that there was one more issue they needed to address. “The person who requested this study demanded that we expedite the results even after being warned the samples were insufficient for a final ruling,” he said.
Scott took the paper from Lawrence’s hand and stared at his mother’s elegant signature at the bottom of the page. “You knew this could be wrong, Mom, but you still chose to use it to humiliate Olivia tonight,” he said with a broken voice.
Adelaide did not respond and instead stared at the floor as her facade of the perfect matriarch began to crumble. I looked at the relatives who had been ready to throw me out on the street just minutes ago.
