Chapter 10 - The New Beginning
A few peaceful weeks passed since the terrifying incident at the diner.
Arthur and his men were locked away in federal prison without any chance of bail.
A court-ordered DNA test officially confirmed Arthur's cruel revelation to the public.
Chloe was not biologically related to David, but David immediately filed the paperwork to formally adopt her as an adult.
The exact same DNA test also confirmed that Marcus was indeed Richard's biological son.
With Arthur in prison, Marcus officially inherited his father's portion of the massive family trust fund.
Because Chloe and Marcus shared absolutely zero blood, their strange family tree no longer stood in their way.
They were free to love each other without any guilt or hesitation.
To make up for the disaster of their actual prom night, David rented out a beautiful local ballroom just for them.
Chloe wore her stunning dress again, and Marcus looked incredibly handsome in his tailored black suit.
They danced the entire night away under the sparkling chandelier, completely lost in each other's eyes.
Sarah and David sat at a table nearby, finally finding peace and forgiveness after eighteen years of pain.
It was the perfect, happy ending they all desperately deserved after surviving Arthur's cruelty.
They finally felt safe, wealthy, and united as one big, unconventional family.
Later that night, Chloe returned home and happily kicked off her painful high heels in her bedroom.
She noticed a plain, unmarked white envelope sitting perfectly in the center of her neatly made bed.
She frowned in confusion and carefully tore the seal open.
Inside was an old Polaroid photograph of her late mother sitting intimately with a menacing, heavily scarred stranger.
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The handwritten note on the back of the photo made Chloe's blood run completely cold.
It read: "David played daddy very well, but I recently got out of prison, and I am coming to claim what is rightfully mine."
