Fletcher's face drained of color. He tried again to pull his father away. "Dad, I'm the one who gave up custody. Let's just go."
"Why would you give it up? He's a son, our heir! We must have him!" Dylan roared, shoving his son aside with surprising strength.
Vivica knew Fletcher would never admit the truth himself. He was too ashamed to confess that he was sterile, unable to father a child.
Fine, if he wouldn't say it, she would.
"What heir? The Sanford family line was destined to end with Fletcher," Vivica said, her voice light and airy.
Dylan, who was still struggling with his son, froze. He turned to stare at her. "What did you say?"
Vivica was about to speak when Fletcher, his face crimson with rage, shouted, "Vivica, that's enough! I haven't treated you badly all these years. Do you have to strip me of every last shred of my dignity?"
Vivica met his gaze, pausing for a moment. She knew how humiliating it would be for a man to have this secret revealed in public. She had once promised to take it to her grave. But she never expected him to betray her, to hurt her like this.
He had shown her no mercy, so she would show him none.
After a brief moment of consideration, she disregarded Fletcher's plea and looked directly at Dylan. "Your son can't have children. He's impotent. Chaim was conceived through a sperm donor. In simple terms, he is not a Sanford. He is my son, and my son alone."
The words hung in the air like a death sentence. The muscles in Fletcher's face twitched violently. Dylan's breathing grew ragged. Even Loretta stood there, mouth agape, her disbelieving eyes darting from her brother's face down to his groin.
The silence in the room was so absolute you could hear a pin drop.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABEL
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: The IVF Secret That Shook a Dynasty