The silence stretched on like a taut wire ready to snap. Twenty faces stared at me, trying to reconcile the million-dollar bracelet with the man they'd dismissed as worthless just minutes before.
"This is impossible," Zoey finally whispered, her voice trembling. "You can't afford something like this."
"Can't I?" I asked calmly.
Uncle Victor leaned forward, his businessman's instincts kicking in. "Noah, be honest with us. Who really sent this?"
"I did."
The words fell into the room like stones into still water, creating ripples of disbelief.
"Bullshit," Liam spat. "You're a delivery driver. You live off our family's charity."
"Do I?"
Chloe's fingernails dug into my arm. "Noah, stop playing games. Tell them the truth."
I turned to look at my wife. Three years of marriage, and she still didn't know who I really was. The irony wasn't lost on me.
"I am telling the truth."
