But I never imagined he was preparing to publicly humiliate me.
“This is wrong,” I said, clutching the paper tightly. “Mason is Daniel’s son.”
Gloria slowly stood up.
“My son is not going to raise another man’s child.”
“Don’t talk about my son like that!”
“Your son,” she corrected sharply. “Because he means nothing to this family anymore.”
I turned toward Daniel desperately.
“Tell me you don’t believe this. Please say something.”
He swallowed hard.
“I don’t know what to believe anymore.”
That was the exact second something inside me cracked apart.
Gloria pointed toward the front door.
“You’re leaving tonight. And don’t ever come back here.”
I opened my mouth to respond, but suddenly three loud knocks echoed through the house.
Nobody moved.
Then the front door opened, and a man in a dark suit stepped inside carrying a black folder. His face looked tense and urgent.
“Sorry for interrupting,” he said while looking directly at Daniel. “I’m from the lab. There’s a serious issue with that DNA result.”
The room instantly went silent.
I couldn’t even process what was happening.
The man didn’t look like someone attending dinner. He looked like someone rushing in to stop a disaster before it ruined lives.
Gloria stepped forward immediately.
“And who exactly are you to walk into my house uninvited?”
The man calmly showed an ID badge.
“My name is Marcus Hale. I’m a quality control supervisor from Precision Gen Labs. I need to speak with Mr. Daniel Carter regarding the DNA report he received today.”
Daniel’s face lost color.
“I didn’t call anyone.”
“I know,” Marcus replied. “That’s exactly why I came myself. That report should never have been released.”
No one spoke.
Mason shifted sleepily against my chest, and I rubbed his back while trying to steady my shaking hands.
Brianna crossed her arms.
