Chapter 4 - THE TEST THAT SAID NO
The call came Thursday morning.
Hannah was frosting cinnamon rolls at 5:43 a.m. when her phone vibrated beside the industrial mixer.
She wiped her hands on her apron.
“Hello?”
“Ms. Carter?”
“Yes.”
“This is Dr. Wallace’s office. Your paternity results are available.”
Hannah’s stomach tightened.
She had known the answer for almost seven years.
DNA could not surprise her.
But something about hearing a laboratory reduce the most painful chapter of her life to percentages made her hands cold.
“I’ll pick them up.”
At 8:10, she sat across from Ethan in the clinic.
Noah was at school.
Ethan had insisted they open the results together.
The physician entered holding two envelopes.
He looked uncomfortable.
“Mr. Blackwood. Ms. Carter.”
Hannah noticed immediately.
Something was wrong.
The physician sat.
“The analysis indicates there is no biological relationship between Mr. Blackwood and Noah Carter.”
Silence.
Hannah blinked.
“What?”
Ethan did not move.
“No,” she said.
The doctor pushed the report toward her.
“The probability of paternity is effectively zero.”
“No.”
She stared at the page.
She saw numbers.
Markers.
Scientific language.
Nothing made sense.
“That’s impossible.”
Ethan’s face became unreadable.
Hannah looked at him.
“Ethan.”
He leaned back slowly.
The emotional distance returned so quickly it terrified her.
“I told you.”
“No.”
“You told me he was mine.”
“He is.”
“Hannah.”
“He is!”
The physician shifted uncomfortably.
Hannah grabbed the report.
“Run it again.”
“We can repeat—”
“Run it again.”
Ethan stood.
“Enough.”
She turned toward him.
The hurt in his eyes was worse than anger.
“You knew I’d believe you.”
“I’m not lying.”
“You watched me hold his hand.”
“Because you’re his father.”
Ethan laughed harshly.
“Apparently not.”
He walked out.
Hannah followed him into the hallway.
“Ethan!”
He stopped near the elevator.
She grabbed his sleeve.
“Listen to me.”
He looked down at her hand.
She released him.
“I have never been with anyone else.”
“That’s impossible.”
“No. That report is impossible.”
“Science disagrees.”
“You think I invented Noah?”
“I think there’s something you’re not telling me.”
Tears filled her eyes.
“There is nothing.”
The elevator opened.
Ethan stepped inside.
Hannah stood between the doors.
“Look at me.”
He did.
She had never looked more terrified.
“I swear on my son’s life.”
His expression faltered.
For a second, doubt appeared.
Then the physician’s words returned.
Zero biological relationship.
Ethan pressed the lobby button.
The doors closed between them.
Hannah stood alone.
By noon, Victoria knew the result.
She arrived at Ethan’s office carrying coffee.
“I heard.”
He looked at her.
“How?”
She paused.
“Your father called.”
It was a mistake.
Richard had not called her in two days.
Ethan’s eyes narrowed.
“He told you?”
Victoria recovered quickly.
“He was upset.”
Ethan accepted the explanation because he was too exhausted to fight.
Victoria placed the coffee beside him.
“I’m sorry.”
He said nothing.
“You wanted him to be yours.”
Ethan looked through the windows toward Chicago’s gray skyline.
“I didn’t even know him three days ago.”
“That doesn’t matter.”
He rubbed his face.
“When he held my hand…”
Victoria touched his shoulder.
“Ethan.”
He moved away.
Not intentionally.
Instinctively.
Victoria noticed.
“So what happens now?”
“I don’t know.”
“You cut contact.”
His head turned.
“With Hannah?”
“With both of them.”
“No.”
Victoria stiffened.
“Why not?”
“Because my father cares about the boy.”
“Richard was manipulated.”
“Maybe.”
“And Hannah lied.”
“Maybe.”
Victoria stared at him.
“What more proof do you need?”
Ethan leaned back.
“Hannah swore she never slept with anyone else.”
“People lie.”
“Yes.”
His eyes held hers.
“They do.”
That evening, Richard arrived without warning.
He dropped a second laboratory report onto Ethan’s desk.
Ethan stared.
“What is this?”
“I had DNA collected from Noah’s drinking glass at the restaurant.”
Ethan shot to his feet.
“You did what?”
“I know it was wrong.”
“Completely wrong.”
“Yes.”
“But?”
Richard tapped the report.
“But Noah is biologically related to me.”
Ethan froze.
He picked up the page.
The report indicated a strong probability of grandparent relationship.
“That’s impossible.”
“I thought so too.”
“If he’s related to you but not me—”
Richard sat.
“There are only a few explanations.”
Ethan stared at him.
“Do I have a brother you forgot to mention?”
Despite everything, Richard almost smiled.
“No.”
“Then the test was wrong.”
“Or altered.”
The room went silent.
Ethan reread the result.
Once.
Twice.
Then he looked up.
“Who arranged the original test?”
Richard did not answer.
He did not need to.
Ethan’s face changed.
“Victoria.”
Meanwhile, Hannah was sitting on the floor of her apartment bathroom trying not to let Noah hear her cry.
He knocked softly.
“Mom?”
She wiped her face.
“One second.”
The door opened anyway.
Noah stood wearing dinosaur pajamas.
“You’re sad.”
“I’m okay.”
“You say that when you’re not.”
She looked at him.
Sometimes she forgot how much children noticed.
He sat beside her.
“Is complicated guy mad?”
Hannah laughed through tears.
“Yes.”
“Because I’m not his kid?”
Her heart stopped.
“Who told you that?”
“A lady outside school.”
Hannah became very still.
“What lady?”
“She had shiny hair.”
“Did she say her name?”
Noah thought.
“Victoria.”
Every muscle in Hannah’s body tightened.
“What exactly did she say?”
Noah shrugged.
“She said I shouldn’t bother Mr. Blackwood because he found out I’m not family.”
Rage moved through Hannah with frightening clarity.
“She spoke to you alone?”
“Ms. Reyes was near the door.”
“Did Victoria touch you?”
“No.”
“Did you go anywhere with her?”
“No.”
Hannah pulled him close.
“Good.”
Noah rested his head against her.
“Mom?”
“Yes?”
“Did I do something bad?”
Her eyes closed.
“No.”
“Then why doesn’t he want me?”
Hannah’s throat broke.
She held him tighter.
“You did nothing wrong.”
Across town, Ethan stood inside Victoria Hale’s penthouse.
She had opened the door in a silk robe, surprised to see him.
“Ethan?”
He held up the second DNA report.
“What did you do?”
Victoria’s face changed.
Only for half a second.
But now he knew exactly where to look.
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“My father had another test done.”
Silence.
“He is Noah’s biological grandfather.”
Victoria stared.
“That could be contaminated.”
“Interesting.”
“What?”
“You said the same thing about Hannah before even reading it.”
Victoria’s eyes hardened.
“Because this is absurd.”
Ethan stepped inside.
“Then explain something else.”
He placed his phone on the table.
A security photograph appeared on screen.
Victoria standing outside Noah’s elementary school.
Two hours earlier.
Her confidence broke.
Ethan’s voice dropped.
“You approached my son.”
Victoria stopped breathing.
He had said it without thinking.
My son.
Then he said it again.
“You went near my son.”
“Ethan—”
“If you ever approach Noah again without Hannah’s permission, I will make sure every door your family name opens in this city closes.”
Victoria’s face twisted.
“After everything I did for you?”
The sentence hung between them.
Ethan stared.
“What did you do for me?”
Victoria realized too late.
She looked away.
Ethan stepped closer.
“What did you do?”
Victoria said nothing.
His phone rang.
Richard.
Ethan answered.
“What?”
His father’s voice was tense.
“I found the attorney who prepared Hannah’s separation agreement.”
Ethan gripped the phone.
“And?”
“He’s willing to talk.”
“Good.”
“There’s one condition.”
“What?”
Richard paused.
“He says Evelyn Blackwood wasn’t the person who hired him.”
Ethan looked at Victoria.
“Who was?”
May you like
Richard answered.
“Victoria Hale.”
