Chapter 5
The result came on a Friday morning.
I opened it alone in my apartment. I had told Dad I would call after I read it.
The report confirmed that Marcus was not my biological father.
I sat on the edge of my bed until the screen went dark. I had expected the answer. The first report and Mom’s account had prepared me. Seeing my name on a test I had chosen still hurt.
I called Dad.
“I got it,” I said.
He waited.
“It’s the same result.”
“All right.”
I could hear him breathing.
“I’m coming over,” he said.
“You don’t have to.”
“I want to.”
He arrived with coffee and a box of doughnuts. We sat at my little table.
“I keep thinking about the day you were born,” he said. “The nurse handed you to me. You grabbed my finger, and I thought I understood everything there was to understand about being a father.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. None of this is yours to carry.”
“I feel like I’m taking something from you.”
“You didn’t take anything. I have every one of those years.”
He pushed the doughnut box toward me. I took one because it gave my hands something to do.
“I might need time to figure out how I feel about Julian,” I said.
“Take it.”
“I don’t want you to think meeting him would mean—”
“Daniel. You are allowed to learn about the man who helped bring you into the world. I’ll still be here afterward.”
I looked away, trying to keep my voice steady.
“Even if I’m angry with Mom?”
“I’m angry too. She needs to hear it. You can tell her.”
That weekend, I met Mom at a park near my apartment. She arrived early and sat on a bench beneath a tree. I stopped a few feet away.
“I got my result,” I said.
She nodded.
“I’m sorry, Daniel.”
“I know. I need you to hear more than that.”
“I’m listening.”
“You let me believe Dad was my biological father. You let him believe it too. You had doubts for years. Then Lily knew, and you asked her to live with a secret she couldn’t fix.”
Mom pressed her hands together.
“You’re right.”
“I’m not asking you to say that so we can be done. I want to know why you trusted Julian with the truth before you trusted us.”
Her eyes filled.
“I was ashamed of being with him. After you were born, Marcus loved you so completely that I told myself the question didn’t matter. Every year I waited made it harder to speak.”
“It mattered to me.”
“I see that now.”
I sat at the other end of the bench.
“Did Julian ever help you with me when I was little?”
“No. He bought gifts sometimes. He never offered to pay for your care. I didn’t ask him because I was afraid the question would make him tell Marcus.”
That answer stung, though I had asked for it.
“Grandma knew?”
“I don’t think so. She treated you like every other grandchild because she believed Marcus was your father. The trust listed you by name. Julian had no right to take it.”
I stared across the park.
“Do you still want to be in my life?” Mom asked.
I turned toward her.
“You raised me. I love you. I’m furious with you. Both are true.”
She nodded, crying silently.
“I can live with you being furious. I want to answer whatever you ask, whenever you ask.”
“Start by being honest with Dad. I don’t want to carry messages between you.”
“I will.”
We sat for another few minutes. I did not hug her when we parted, but I told her I would call.
The trust investigation moved forward. Angela received records showing Julian had submitted my forged acknowledgment to the bank. The payment went first to an account he controlled, then into one of his businesses.
For Lily’s share, he had used a similar document while she was still a minor. Angela said the records raised serious questions and that the bank and authorities would review them. She advised us not to accept any private offer from Julian without counsel.
Of course, Julian made one.
He sent me a letter offering to repay my original share if I agreed not to discuss the trust with Simone or Lily. He also asked to meet “father to son” to settle our differences.
I read the letter with Dad beside me.
“He thinks he can buy quiet,” Dad said.
I folded it and sent it to Angela.
That night, Lily called.
“Julian told Simone I’m lying,” she said. “He says I knew the money was going into a family account.”
“You were sixteen.”
“I know. But Simone is upset.”
“Have you talked to her?”
“She called me. She said she believes I didn’t know. She’s angry Dad used her name too.”
I heard the strain in Lily’s voice.
“Do you want me to come home this weekend?”
“You don’t have to keep rescuing me.”
“I want to see you.”
“Then yes.”
I went. We ordered food and watched a terrible movie. Mom stayed upstairs for part of the evening, giving us space. When she came down, she asked before sitting with us.
May you like
Lily moved over. I did too.
It was a small thing. It was also the first time in weeks I wanted all three of us on the same couch.
