Chapter 1 Chapter 1

I was working late at the office, buried under piles of paperwork when I got the call from my father-in-law, Kennard Pearce. His voice, almost a roar, blasted through the phone. "Dawn, you shameless woman! You'd better come home right now, or I'll air your dirty laundry to the world!" Before I could even respond, the line went dead. I sat there at my desk, completely bewildered. I was just finishing up the work in front of me, so I quickly grabbed my bag and rushed home. As soon as I stepped inside, I saw Kennard sitting stiffly on the couch, two pieces of paper spread out in front of him. The pages were covered with dense, tight handwriting. I didn't pay much attention to them as I changed my shoes, then glanced up at him. "Kennard, what's going on? Why did you tell me to rush home?" He scoffed, his eyes flashing with anger. "You don't even know what you've done? Do I really have to spell it out for you?" Losing my patience, I snapped back, "I don't know what you're talking about. If you've got something to say, just say it." Without warning, Kennard threw the papers at my face, his voice dripping with disdain. "Take a look for yourself! Our family has really hit rock bottom, seeing as we ended up with you as our daughter-in-law!" I glanced down at the papers, and my heart skipped a beat as I saw the bold line across the top: No biological relation between the two parties. The names at the top of the report were Kennard's and my son, Christopher Pearce's. I looked up, finally grasping what had happened—Kennard had taken Christopher for a paternity test. A wave of anger surged inside me, and I couldn't hold it back. "Kennard, ever since Christopher was born, you've always said he didn't look anything like Hanley. I thought you were just making small talk and never took it seriously. But Hanley never said a word! How could you sneak behind his back and drag Christopher into a paternity test? He's only three years old!" Kennard wasn't listening. He was too enraged to care about anything I said. "What's wrong with me doing a paternity test? If I hadn't done that, I would never have known about your little secret! You'd better tell me right now—who is Christopher's father? We've been raising him for three years, and we look like fools! Hanley's too trusting, but if it weren't for me being sharp, who knows how long you would've kept this up!" I took a deep breath, trying to steady my racing heart. "Kennard, I'm telling you, Christopher is Hanley's son, and he's your grandson. I didn't cheat on Hanley. This report is a mistake, and you need to look into it again." Kennard, too furious to listen, threw his cup to the floor, shattering it. He pointed a shaking finger at me. "You're still lying! I took Christopher to the hospital myself. We had our blood drawn and tested—what, do you think I own the hospital? Do you think they'd help me fake the results? If you don't believe me, I'll retake the test with him, and you can see for yourself!" I stayed silent, my mind racing as I tried to figure out what had gone wrong. How could Christopher not be related to Kennard? Just then, my mother-in-law, Nicole Pearce, walked in with groceries. Seeing the tense atmosphere, she couldn't help but ask, "What's going on? I step out to buy some vegetables and come back to this mess. What's all the yelling about?" Kennard, still fuming, snapped, "The daughter-in-law you handpicked for us is something else. We've been unknowingly raising someone else's kid for three years! I don't know what you were thinking when you chose her!"

Chapter 2 Chapter 2

Nicole froze for a moment, then her gaze shifted to the report lying on the floor. I saw the brief flash of panic on her face, and before I could wonder what was going on, Nicole slapped me across the face. "Christopher isn't our biological grandson? How could you do something like this? Hanley's been good to you, hasn't he? How could you betray him?" Kennard chimed in, his voice sharp and angry, "I should call your parents and ask them how they raised you. Aren't you ashamed of yourself? Doing things like this without fear of retribution?" I fought to keep my emotions in check. "I'll say this one last time—Christopher is Hanley's son, and he's your grandson. If you don't believe me, we'll wait for Hanley to come home and sort this out. Worst case, let him and Christopher take the paternity test again!" Kennard didn't respond and just glared at me. Nicole, clearly agitated, snapped at me again. "You're acting so righteous after doing such disgraceful things? Even if Hanley comes back, he won't forgive you. And as for a paternity test, the truth is right here in front of you. If Christopher were really Hanley's son, how could he not be related to Kennard? Are you going to team up with the hospital to keep deceiving us?" I opened my mouth to defend myself, but then Christopher came running out of the room. "Grandpa, Grandma, Mom, what's going on? Is dinner ready?" Seeing him, Kennard seemed to lose all rationality. "Who are you calling Grandpa and Grandma? Don't you dare call us that! We don't even know who your real dad is. Get out of here!" Christopher, confused by the sudden harshness, ran straight into my arms and started crying. He had no idea why the grandparents who usually adored him had suddenly turned cold. His sobs only made Kennard more irritable. He grabbed Christopher and threw him onto the sofa, then grabbed him by the neck. "Why are you crying? Have I been too kind to you? Get out! Go find your real dad! Don't you dare stay in this house!" Nicole stood frozen, as though lost in thought. Seeing Christopher's face turning red, I rushed forward and yanked Kennard's hand off him, pulling Christopher behind me to shield him. Tears welled up in my eyes. "We'll wait for Hanley to come back before we sort this out! He'll know whether Christopher's really his son." Kennard finally let go, shooting me a cold look before turning and storming off to his room. I carried Christopher back to our bedroom and quickly texted Hanley Pearce, telling him everything that had happened. To my surprise, his response was brief. [I'm coming back now.] Those cold words filled me with an ominous feeling I couldn't shake. By the time Hanley walked through the door, it was nearly midnight. I carefully tucked Christopher in, making sure he was asleep before quietly stepping out of the room. As soon as I saw Hanley, all my pent-up frustration and hurt came pouring out. "Do you have any idea what your dad did to Christopher today? Before we got to sort things out, he nearly strangled Christopher and said he was going to throw us out. Aren't you going to do something? If I hadn't been there—""Are you done? Can't you let me rest for a second? I just got home." The indifference in his eyes made my heart sink. The paternity report still sat on the table, untouched, and Hanley didn't even seem interested in looking at it. It was like he had already accepted the result. Nicole and Kennard soon appeared in the doorway. "Hanley, you're finally home. If you hadn't shown up, this family would've fallen apart! Ask her whose child she gave birth to!" Nicole was the first to speak up. Kennard stood there with a grim look on his face, glaring at me but saying nothing. After what felt like an eternity, Hanley finally spoke. "Where's the child?"

Chapter 3 Chapter 3

He was asking "Where's the child", not "Where's Christopher". The realization hit me like a ton of bricks. Even he didn't believe Christopher was his son. I took a deep breath. "Hanley, we've been married for four years and known each other for six. Don't you know who I am by now? Even if you don't believe me, you can't deny that Christopher is your son." Hanley paused, his expression unreadable. "Four years? What does that prove? And besides, Christopher never looked like me from the moment he was born. Everyone around us says the same thing. How do you expect me to think?" I was at a loss for words. I couldn't figure out how to reason with this family anymore. "Fine. If you all refuse to believe Christopher is your son and your grandson, then let's go to the hospital and get another paternity test. Let's go now. I'll wake Christopher up," I said, determined. As I turned to head for the bedroom, Hanley grabbed my arm, pulling me back with force. His voice was laced with anger. "Enough! Do you really want to drag this to the hospital? Are you not embarrassed enough? Do you want to make this public, let everyone know I've been raising someone else's son?" I couldn't help but laugh. "What's so embarrassing about it? I have nothing to hide. If you don't believe me, then let's get another test!" My voice rang out in the stillness of the night, firm and resolute. Before Hanley could respond, Nicole cut in. "Why go to the hospital? The answer's right here in this report! Are you saying Kennard just falsely accused you? Or have you made arrangements with the hospital, waiting for us to fall for your lie?" I stared at Nicole, shocked. Her words were harsh, full of accusations, and utterly ridiculous. This wasn't like her at all. She was usually patient and kind, never someone to cause such a scene. What happened to her? Clenching my fists, I realized it didn't matter what I said anymore. No matter what, this family would never believe me. The room fell into a heavy silence. After what felt like an eternity, Hanley finally picked up the paternity test results from the table, glancing at them briefly. He tossed them at me. "It's all right here, in black and white. Christopher and my dad have no blood relation. If he was my son, why wouldn't he be related to my dad? What else do you have to say? Do you think the hospital faked this?" I gritted my teeth, barely holding back my frustration. "I don't know what happened with that report, but I know something's wrong. If you trust me, then have Christopher take another test. The results will clear everything up." Hanley let out a bitter laugh. "You really think I'd choose to believe you over my dad?" His words hit me like a slap in the face, freezing me in place. I had known he wouldn't believe me, but hearing him say it out loud… made my heart feel like it had been shattered. I didn't want to argue anymore. Instead, I asked bluntly, "So what do you want to do now? Are you going to throw us out of this house?" At the sound of my words, Kennard sprang to his feet, his anger palpable. "So you finally admit it! Can't hide it anymore, huh? I always said Hanley should never have married you! We've been taking care of you and raising another man's child for three years. What do you plan on giving us in return?" Nicole chimed in, her voice just as accusatory. "Exactly. I work myself to the bone, treating you and your son like my own, and this is the result? Where's your conscience?" I couldn't hold back my anger any longer. "When did I admit to anything? You all need to stop twisting my words! No matter what I say, you won't believe me, will you?" Slap! My cheek burned with pain as Hanley's hand hovered in the air, his eyes cold and distant.