There was no relief in the confession, for either of them.

But there was one more piece of it still to come, and it was, in some ways, the most damning of all.

A few days later, Beatrice appeared at Alex’s apartment holding a sealed yellow folder.

Inside was a private DNA compatibility report, not an official court test, but a real one, conducted just two months after the quadruplets were born.

It confirmed a familial match beyond any doubt.