Chapter 22: DNA Report

I sit calmly at the dining table, eating my dinner, but my mind is anything but calm. The plate is right in front of me, the food is good, yet every bite feels like it gets stuck in my throat before going down. My face holds a normal expression, just so no one can sense the storm raging inside me.

Kiara, Mom, and Mr. Charles are busy talking. Sometimes they talk about the past, sometimes they laugh over simple things, sometimes old memories come up the atmosphere of the house looks quite warm from the outside. Kiara’s face seems a little lighter, as if a burden is slowly lifting from her heart. Mom is deeply involved too, talking comfortably with Mr. Charles, as if they’ve known each other for years.

And in my lap… little Ria is sitting quietly.

Today, she is unusually calm. Her big eyes are fixed on her mother, as if she’s trying to understand why there is so much conversation, so much laughter. She sits comfortably in my lap, without any fuss, without any noise.

I slowly make small bites and feed Ria. Today, for the first time… she is eating happily from my hands. No turning her face away, no wrinkling her nose. After every bite, she looks at me.

My heart fills with a strange feeling.

On one side, there is peace And on the other, anxiety.

I grow more and more restless. One single thought keeps circling in my mind the DNA test.

I don’t know what the reports will say.

I don’t know what the truth is.

I don’t know whether tomorrow morning my life will change forever… or completely shatter.

Every time I look at Ria’s innocent face, my chest feels heavier. I remember my mistake from that night, that one moment, lived in intoxication, which became a burden on three lives.

I fill with shame from within.

“How can I even sleep?”

“I have ruined an innocent life…”

These thoughts don’t let me sit peacefully. My hands feel heavy. It feels like if I stay seated here any longer, I’ll suffocate.

I slowly push my chair back and stand up. Kiara looks at me with a bit of concern and says, “You didn’t even eat properly.”

I try to sound normal and reply softly, “I did.”

Then I gently lift little Ria and place her in Mom’s arms. Ria goes to her without any complaint.

I look at Kiara and say, “Kiara, I’ll be back in a little while.”

She immediately asks, “Where are you going now?”

There is a slight worry in her eyes. Looking at her, I reply calmly, “I have some work.”

Saying just that, without explaining anything further, I turn around and walk away.

I am driving the car at a very high speed. The road in front of me feels like it’s running away, streetlights blurring one after another as I pass them. My grip on the steering wheel keeps tightening. My heart is pounding with a strange kind of anxiety so fast it feels like it might burst out of my chest. My breathing is uneven, completely out of rhythm.

I am not usually this nervous. But today… today something inside me feels like it’s breaking.

Only one voice keeps echoing in my mind again and again, “What is the truth?”

“Is Ria mine… or not?”

I press the accelerator harder, as if increasing the speed will help me escape my fear. But fear is sitting right beside me, in the passenger seat. Every second feels heavy. Every signal, every turn stretches time even more painfully.

Within moments, the hospital building appears in front of me. I slam the brakes and stop the car right outside the entrance. The car jerks to a halt. I don’t waste a single second. I unbuckle my seatbelt, push the door open, and step out quickly.

As soon as I enter the hospital, the familiar smell of medicines, antiseptic, and silence hits me adding more pressure to my already overwhelmed mind. People step aside when they see me. No one stops me. Maybe it’s written all over my face that this is not the moment to question me.

I walk straight toward Max’s cabin.

I open the door and walk in without knocking.

Max is sitting on his chair, a few files spread across his desk. The moment he sees me, he straightens up, “Come in, Neil?”

His voice is calm, but his eyes carry seriousness as if he already knows how heavy this moment is for me.

I stop in front of him. My lips feel dry. My throat tightens, “Is it done?”

I try to sound normal, but the fear hidden in my voice is impossible to miss.

Without saying much, Max picks up the reports from the desk and extends them toward me, “See it yourself.”

That’s all he says.

The moment I take the reports in my hands, my fingers start trembling. The weight of the papers feels unbearable as if it’s not just reports, but my entire life placed in my hands. My breathing becomes faster. My heart starts pounding even harder.

For the first time in my life…

I feel fear inside me.

A fear I never felt before picking up a gun. A fear I never felt while standing face-to-face with an enemy.

This fear is different, This is the fear of truth.

Before opening the report, I pause for a moment. I close my eyes. Ria’s face flashes in my mind her smile, her little “thank you, daddy,” her tiny hands holding my finger.

My heart beats violently again.

Slowly, I open my eyes and I move my hand forward to open the reports.

I open the reports, and what I see leaves me stunned. My breath stops for a moment. My feet freeze where I stand, as if the ground has held me back. My fingers tremble slightly, and my heartbeat echoes loudly in my ears. Everything around me goes silent.

TO BE COUNTINUE...!!!

What is written in the reports?