Chapter 4
+25 BONUS
He glared at me, his face red with fury. “I’m giving you one last chance. You’d better tell me, once and for all, whose child Christopher is. If you don’t, the only one who’ll be embarrassed is you when this gets out!”
I touched my throbbing cheek, feeling the heat from the slap, and let out a bitter laugh. “Go ahead and spread the word. I’ve got nothing to hide. You can say whatever you want.”
Hanley grabbed my collar and hissed, “How many years have you been sneaking around behind my back? And you still expect to keep your dignity? I’m the one who’s embarrassed, not you! I was blind to have married a woman like you!”
I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to steady myself. “Then let’s get a divorce. I have nothing more to say to you or your family. Christopher stays with me–since you clearly don’t want him.”
The mention of divorce seemed to be the final straw. Hanley’s anger exploded. “You still have the nerve to bring up divorce? Take your son and get out of my house–right now! I can’t stand to look at either of you! I should’ve killed him the moment he was born!”
I froze in shock. In six years, I had never heard him speak such venomous
Seeing that I wasn’t reacting, Nicole stormed into the bedroom. She grabbed my things and threw them out, packing them into the hallway with angry force.
The loud noise woke Christopher, who came running out of the bedroom, crying. When he saw Hanley, he threw himself into his arms. “Daddy! You’re back! I missed you so much—”
Before Christopher could finish his sentence, Hanley shoved him away with a violent jerk.
- Bang!
Christopher didn’t have time to react. His head collided with the sharp corner of a table, and blood began to pour from the wound. His cries echoed through the room.
I rushed to him, scooping him into my arms. The sight of his pain pierced my heart like a thousand needles. “Hanley! How could you do thi
to a child? He’s only three years old! What kind of man are you?”
Hanley glanced at Christopher with cold indifference. “We don’t even know whose child he really is. What’s the big deal? He’s already ruined my reputation, and he’s lucky I didn’t kill him when I had the chance. Don’t try to guilt–trip me.”
The room fell silent. The disgust I felt for this family deepened, and I realized there was no point in trying to reason with them.
Kennard stood up and pointed to the door. “Why are you still here? Look at what you’ve done, dirtying up the house. This family’s gone to hell ever since you showed up!” 1
Nicole threw my identification papers onto the floor. “Didn’t you hear me? Get out of here with your kid that nobody wants!”
Christopher’s cries only grew louder. I wiped his tears and stood, casting one last look at the people who used to be my family.
“Hanley, you’ll get what’s coming to you.”
With that, I turned and walked out, holding Christopher tightly in my arms.
As I closed the door behind me, I could still hear their voices–insults and curses, each one more vicious and
+25 BONUS
Chapter 4
vulgar than the last. Each word felt like a knif
stabbing deeper into my heart.
After we got Christopher’s wound treated at the hospital, I checked into a hotel. By the time we settled in, dawn was breaking, and Christopher had fallen asleep again. I sat there, staring at his peaceful face, lost in thought.
Though it was obvious that Christopher Ook like Hanley, I knew for sure that I had never been with another
But why didn’t Christopher share any blood with Kennard? According to genetics, a grandson should have at least
a quarter of his bloodline from his grandfather. So what was going on?
I replayed the paternity report in my mind. It had the hospital’s official stamp, and it came from a well–known public hospital in the city. There was no way the report could be wrong.
The problem had to lie with Kennard or Christopher.
After thinking it over, I decided to go to the hospital in person to get some answers.
The next morning, after dropping Christopher off at kindergarten, I headed straight for the hospital.
While waiting, I casually glanced at the various genetic charts and diagrams on the walls. That was when I spotted something that would change everything.
