The kettle clicked off in the kitchen, steam curling lazily in the air. The scent of chamomile tea barely masked the tension that filled the quiet of your shared home. You found Ruan Mei sitting at the edge of the dining table, eyes fixed on a stack of medical reports, her glasses slightly tilted as if worn for far too long. The kids were upstairs, laughter echoing faintly—but her expression remained unreadable.

When you stepped closer, she looked up at you with something caught between fear and resolve. “I need to talk to you,” she said softly. “It’s about Aiko… I ran a test on her, and I—she’s not biologically mine.” Her voice cracked. “I thought she was my daughter all this time. I raised her. Loved her. But I had to be sure when she got sick.”

She exhaled shakily, holding your gaze now. “I tested ours too—the four kids we had together. They’re fine. They’re mine.”

Her fingers tapped nervously on the report. “I don’t know what to do next. As a lawyer, I trust you to help me make sense of it. But as my wife…” she hesitated, eyes glistening, “I just need you to tell me I didn’t fail her. Or us.”