Alpha's Regret: The Seventh Time was Forever
Chapter 431 - I’ll lose him forever
Two Days Before
Claire’s hands went ice-cold the second that DNA test result popped up on her computer screen. Her heart plummeted straight into her stomach like a rock, and all those painful memories from three years ago came flooding back in a massive wave that nearly knocked the breath out of her.
The report looked way too familiar, the same names, the same blood samples. The only thing different was the name slapped on it this time.
She just sat there staring at the glowing screen, her breathing getting all ragged and uneven. "No..." she whispered to herself, desperately hoping she’d somehow read it wrong.
Her fingers were shaking so badly as she yanked open the old files again, frantically comparing every single detail with that secret report she’d messed with years ago. But there was no mistake.
The samples matched perfectly, down to the tiniest markers. This time, the truth was screaming to get out and refused to stay buried any longer.
A heavy, suffocating fear settled deep in her chest. If this bombshell ever went public, everything she’d built, her whole life, would come crashing down around her in flames. All those years of hiding and lying were finally catching up, and it felt like the walls were closing in.
She whipped her head around the empty laboratory, heart hammering. Thank God her coworkers were all off doing their own thing, leaving her completely alone with this nightmare. Without wasting another second, she snatched up her phone and dialed her cousin with trembling hands.
Coco picked up almost instantly. "Claire? What’s going on?" Her voice sounded so cheerfully normal it made Claire’s stomach twist even harder.
Claire swallowed hard, fighting to keep her voice from cracking. "Do you remember that DNA test from three years ago?" The words tumbled out faster as pure panic took over.
"Someone just ordered a new one. Coco, if I get caught this time, I’m screwed. They’ll strip my medical license, and I could actually end up in prison. Everything I’ve worked for, gone."
The cheer drained right out of Coco’s voice. "Wait, who’s asking for the new test?"
"It’s one of the doctors here." Claire squeezed her eyes shut, wishing this whole conversation was just a bad dream. "You remember the doctor I told you about? The one who looks so much like you we used to laugh about it? The DNA belongs to her and Mr. Ashkael."
She glanced back at the report, her stomach knotting up painfully. "It says Marigold is Doctor Sera’s daughter. The samples are identical to before. Everything matches except the name on the report." Her voice dropped to a broken whisper. "It says, Esperanza Ashkael."
Silence stretched across the line. Coco’s brain spinning. After what felt like forever, she finally spoke, her tone desperate. "What do you know about this doctor?"
"Not a ton," Claire said, rubbing her forehead like she could wipe the stress away. "Just the hospital gossip. Everyone’s obsessed with her. Since she started, not a single one of her patients has died. They all worship her. And get this, our director fell head over heels for her. He even proposed." Claire let out a nervous, hollow laugh.
"But she turned him down flat. Everyone was shocked, but they’re still super close friends. That’s why I can’t do this, again, Coco. The director himself brought these samples in. He’s involved now, so it’s over. I have to come clean."
"No!" Coco’s reply came out sharp, almost like a scream. "No, Claire, please, you have to give me more time. You don’t get it. Voren’s always been into ambitious women. I know I screwed up big time."
"Back when we were together, he wanted to help me build my own business, but I was lazy and didn’t appreciate any of it. I see that now. My clothing line is finally blowing up after the launch, and I need to show him I’ve changed, that I’m not after his money. I want him to see the new me."
Claire stayed quiet, letting her cousin ramble on. "I’ve been trying to reach him nonstop, but he keeps traveling and even changed his number. The only real link I still have is Marigold. If Voren finds out I lied..." Coco’s voice broke, thick with raw fear. "I’ll lose him forever."
Claire sank slowly into her chair, her expression softening with pity. "Coco, you gotta face reality. You were the one always saying he was too serious, that he didn’t know how to have fun," Claire pointed out over the phone, Coco quickly replied from her end of the line.
"I was young and foolish and didn’t realize what I had. But now I see he’s the only guy who ever really cared."
Claire stared at the report again, her heart aching. "Even if that’s true, it might already be too late. This Doctor Sera isn’t someone you mess with. She’s got her own company, she’s loaded, powerful, and super influential. If she starts digging, this whole house of cards collapses."
"But nobody has to know," Coco begged, her voice urgent and pleading. "Please, just help me one last time. I’ll fly you out of the country, get you a brand-new identity, and give you enough money to never work again. You can retire like a queen, live the dream. No one will ever find you."
Claire shut her eyes tight. Her conscience was yelling at her to say no, screaming that this was so wrong. But fear has this nasty way of drowning out everything good. The idea of escaping all the consequences, of starting fresh with zero worries... for one weak moment, it sounded like pure heaven.
In the end, Claire picked her cousin over doing the right thing. And now she was paying for it in the worst way.
The office stayed deathly quiet once Claire spilled the entire confession. Leon stood there frozen, his face impossible to read at first. Then his jaw clenched hard, and the icy coldness that filled his eyes sent shivers racing through the whole room.
Corvine had known Leon for a few months, never seen him mad, or frustrated. This was the darkest, most terrifying look he’d ever seen on his friend’s face.
Leon turned his gaze slowly toward Claire. "You deliberately messed with official medical records," he said, his voice way too calm and controlled, which somehow made it a thousand times scarier.
"You betrayed your entire profession, betrayed every single patient who trusted this hospital." His eyes bored into hers without blinking. "I’ll make sure your medical license gets ripped away personally. And you’ll answer for every crime you committed."
Claire dropped to her knees instantly, tears pouring down her face like a dam had broken. "No... Doctor Hawthorne..." she sobbed, shaking her head wildly. "Coco’s my cousin. I made a horrible mistake, but it was only this patient, I swear it. Please, I swear it’ll never happen again. " She clasped her hands together, begging desperately.
Corvine barely registered the rest of her pleas. His mind was already miles away, laser-focused on one person. Esperanza. Without waiting for anything else, he spun around and stormed out.
When he finally reached the park, he realized just how sneaky and manipulative Coco really was.