Chapter 125: Tessa’s another secret revealed
Noah bristled at Tessa’s words. He had never intended to acknowledge her as his wife. He had only married her to repay what he believed was her favor.
In his heart, the title of wife belonged to only Elena.
"Shut up." He lunged forward and wrapped his fingers around Tessa’s throat.
Tessa’s eyes widened in horror. She clawed frantically at his hand.
"N-Noah..." she rasped. "You are choking me..."
His nostrils flared with rage. "You had an affair with another man. You got pregnant."
His grip tightened. "You lied to me and fooled everyone. And you expect me to spare you? No..."
Tears streamed uncontrollably down her face. "I didn’t lie. The baby is yours. How could you hurt your own child?"
The mention of the baby made Noah hesitate. His eyes flickered with uncertainty.
’What if she is telling the truth?’
The thought made his hand tremble. His grip loosened.
Tessa collapsed onto the floor, clutching her throat as she coughed violently. After several moments, her breathing finally steadied.
She looked up at Noah with a mixture of anger, hurt, and hatred.
"Are you insane?" Her voice was hoarse. "You almost killed me because they showed you a few old photographs. Why won’t you believe me?"
Noah glared at her. Before he could answer, Elias spoke again.
"I can prove the child isn’t yours. It belongs to Dante."
Noah immediately turned toward him.
Elias met his gaze for a moment before gesturing to Owen. "Show him the reports."
Owen nodded. He walked over and handed Noah a thick file.
The moment Tessa saw it, panic flooded her eyes. She rushed toward Noah.
"Don’t look." She reached for the file, trying to snatch it away.
Noah caught her wrist before she could touch it. "If you are telling the truth, why are you so afraid?"
Tessa sucked in a sharp breath. A terrible feeling settled in the pit of her stomach.
She wanted to tear the documents apart. Yet somehow, she couldn’t move. It was as though her feet had been nailed to the floor.
Helplessly, she watched Noah open the file.
The deeper he read, the darker his expression became.
Every page pointed to the same conclusion. The child wasn’t his.
Noah slowly lifted his head. His eyes were terrifyingly cold.
"You insisted this baby is mine." He held up the file. "Then explain these."
He threw the documents at her. The papers struck her face before fluttering onto the marble floor.
Tessa hurriedly picked them up.
The moment she read the first page, all the color drained from her face.
They were paternity test reports.
’What?’
She had never done any paternity test for her baby. From where did these reports come?
"These are fake," she shouted desperately. "I never took a paternity test."
She pointed accusingly at Elias. "He used his power to forge these reports. He is trying to destroy my marriage."
"They aren’t fake." Elias’ voice remained calm. "If you don’t believe them, you’re welcome to verify them with the hospital."
He looked at her steadily. "Or we can arrange another test."
Tessa’s heart sank. Another test would expose everything. She couldn’t allow that to happen.
She immediately grabbed Noah’s sleeve. "Noah..." Her eyes filled with tears. "Don’t listen to him. He is trying to tear us apart."
This time, Noah didn’t shake her off. He simply stood there, visibly conflicted.
Seeing the hesitation in his eyes, Elena let out a cold laugh. She knew it. Even with overwhelming evidence, Noah still couldn’t completely distrust Tessa.
But Elena wasn’t about to let Tessa escape again.
"If you are so certain the child is Noah’s, why are you afraid of taking another test?"
Tessa bristled. "This is between Noah and me. You have no right to interfere."
"You accused my husband." Elena met her gaze fiercely. "You called him a liar."
She glanced at the scattered photographs and medical reports. "The evidence clearly shows that you cheated on Noah. And that the baby isn’t his. Yet you continue denying everything. If you are innocent, what are you afraid of?"
Tessa swallowed nervously. She was trapped. No matter what she said, there was no easy way out anymore. Still, she refused to surrender.
"I’m only three months pregnant." Her voice sounded much weaker than before. "It could be dangerous to perform another test."
She looked pleadingly at Noah. "You have to believe me. Please don’t let them hurt our baby."
Noah stared at her coldly. "I don’t trust your words anymore. I’ll believe the evidence in front of me. If the baby is really mine, prove it."
Tessa gasped. No matter how desperately she pleaded, she couldn’t convince him anymore.
Fury erupted inside her. And she directed every ounce of it toward Elena.
"You are doing all this because you want revenge." Her voice became shrill. "You want to destroy me. But remember this... I’m Noah’s wife, the woman he loves. I’m carrying his child."
She sneered. "You’ll never win him back."
"I don’t want him," Elena answered without the slightest hesitation. "I already have someone who truly loves me."
She slipped her hand into Elias’. "Why would I ever go back to a man who cheated on me?"
Noah’s heart clenched painfully.
Regret, heartbreak, helplessness – all of it crashed over him at once.
It hurt so much that he could barely breathe.
"But..." Elena continued. "I won’t allow you to keep deceiving him."
Those words reignited a tiny spark of hope inside Noah.
’She still cares about me. Otherwise, why would she bother?’
For a fleeting moment, the suffocating pain in his chest eased.
"You deceived the entire Sinclair family," Elena continued. "They deserve to know the truth."
"What truth?" Tessa screamed hysterically. "The lies you and your husband fabricated?"
She turned her hateful glare at Elias. "You may be powerful. You may be rich. But that doesn’t give you the right to bully ordinary people."
She turned toward the guests. "Everyone... Open your eyes."
She pointed at Elias. "He is abusing his power to suppress the weak."
She swept her gaze across the banquet hall. "If none of you speak up today, tomorrow he’ll do the same to you."
No one believed her.
"Why would Mr. Rowan fabricate something like this?" one guest said. "If there is no fire, there can’t be smoke."
Another guest bent down and picked up one of the reports. "They look authentic."
He examined the hospital seal carefully. "Why would a reputable hospital forge medical documents?"
He looked at Tessa. "You are obviously lying to cover up your affair."
Another guest nodded. "A man like Elias Rowan has no reason to target someone like you."
Soon, the crowd echoed the same opinion. No one stood on Tessa’s side.
Her attempt to turn everyone against Elias had failed. She was cornered. And with every passing second, panic consumed her.
Elias slowly raised one hand. The murmurs immediately died down. He stood there calmly, his expression unreadable.
"She claims I’m lying." His eyes settled on Tessa. "In that case, let’s hear the truth from Dante himself. Bring him in."
The moment the name left his lips, Tessa’s blood ran cold.
’Dante? He is here?’
Her mind went blank. Then she saw him.
Two men in black suits escorted Dante into the banquet hall.
Tessa’s heart plummeted. She staggered backward, her legs nearly giving out beneath her.
She had specifically warned him never to contact her again, never to appear before her until she had secured her position in the Sinclair family. Yet there he was.
’How did they find him?’