Chapter 8: The Blood Test
Nobody spoke after the phone call.
The silence was heavier than shouting.
I stood in the kitchen holding a dead phone.
The words repeated in my head.
*Who is his real family?*
Vanessa looked at me.
“Daniel…”
I raised my hand.
Not because I wanted to silence her.
Because I needed one second where nobody was asking me to understand something impossible.
Marcus walked closer.
“That was him.””
I looked at him.
“You know that voice?””
“Yes.””
“Who is he?””
Marcus hesitated.
Then said:
“Ethan Cole.””
The name meant nothing to me.
But the way Marcus said it did.
“You’re afraid of him.””
Marcus looked away.
“Yes.””
I stared.
I had never seen Marcus afraid of anyone.
Not business rivals.
Not angry clients.
Not anyone.
“Why?””
Marcus sat down.
“Because Ethan doesn’t threaten people.””
“What does he do?””
Marcus looked upstairs.
“He removes obstacles.””
My blood ran cold.
I immediately went toward the stairs.
Noah.
My son.
My only concern.
Maria was still holding him.
The moment she saw me, she understood.
“He’s okay.””
I took him from her carefully.
His little hand grabbed my finger.
The same way he always did.
And for the first time that night, I felt something other than fear.
Love.
Pure and simple.
No matter what anyone said.
No matter what secrets existed.
He was my son.
Vanessa watched me.
“I never wanted this.””
I looked at her.
“But you created this.””
She cried silently.
“I know.””
That answer hurt.
Because she wasn’t fighting anymore.
She knew she had crossed a line.
A few minutes later, I sat in my office.
I had called a private security company.
I had changed every lock.
I had checked every camera.
But there was one thing I couldn’t ignore.
The question.
Who is Noah’s real family?
I looked at Vanessa.
“Tomorrow morning, we do a DNA test.””
Her face changed.
Not anger.
Fear.
“Daniel…”
“No.””
She looked down.
“You don’t understand.””
“I understand enough.””
She covered her face.
“I was going to tell you.””
“When?””
She didn’t answer.
That was the answer.
Marcus stood near the window.
“There’s something else.””
I looked at him.
“What now?””
He reached into his jacket.
He pulled out a folder.
“I found this in Ethan’s files.””
I opened it.
Inside were documents.
Medical records.
Hospital information.
A birth certificate copy.
My hands froze.
Because there was one page that didn’t belong.
A handwritten note.
*Subject: Noah Walker.*
*Status: Confirm origin.*
I looked up.
“Why does someone have a file on my son?””
Marcus didn’t answer.
I flipped through more pages.
Then I saw a date.
The date Noah was born.
Below it was another name.
A woman’s name.
Not Vanessa.
Not anyone I knew.
My eyes moved down.
And I felt the world stop.
Because the document suggested Noah’s birth record had been changed.
“Daniel?”” Vanessa whispered.
I looked at her.
“Who is this woman?””
She went completely still.
Then she said:
“I thought she was dead.””
The room went silent.
“What?””
Vanessa looked terrified.
“She came to the hospital the day Noah was born.””
I stared.
“Who came?””
Vanessa’s voice shook.
“Your first wife.””
I froze.
I didn’t have a first wife.
I had never been married before Vanessa.
I looked at Marcus.
He looked just as shocked.
“Vanessa,” I said slowly.
“What are you talking about?””
She started crying.
“I made a mistake.””
“What mistake?””
She looked at Noah.
May you like
Then whispered:
“I wasn’t the first woman chosen to be his mother.””
