Chapter 65:

Chapter 65:
\-ZOEY ASHFORD-

"I called him over" Wes said out aloud, stepping out from my room and all three of us froze.

Mariah’s hand was still on the door, Chase looked like he’d rather be anywhere else, and I was just trying to process what was going on.

He adjusted his shirt like he’d been preparing for a speech.

“I asked Chase to come over,” he said. “There’s something I need to say, and I want everyone here.”

We all looked at him like he’d just announced a family meeting we never agreed to.

Mariah shut the door slowly. “What’s going on, Wes?”

He motioned toward the couch. “Just sit. Please.”

I exchanged a glance with Mariah before sitting down. She leaned close to me and whispered.

“Do you know what this is about?”

I shook my head. “No idea.”

Chase crossed his arms, waiting, his jaw tight like he was already annoyed by the whole thing.

Wes sat across from me and took a deep breath.

“So, I’ve been talking to a doctor friend of mine.” He paused like he was trying to find the right words. “And he told me something interesting. Apparently, we don’t have to wait until the baby is born to know who the father is. A DNA test can be done while the baby’s still in the womb—if it’s past eight weeks.”

My brows furrowed. “Wait, what?”

He nodded, sounding almost relieved. “Yeah. And from my calculations, Zoey… your pregnancy should be over ten weeks now.”

Mariah blinked, trying to process it. “Okay, but why go through all that trouble, Wes?”

He looked down at his hands for a moment.

“Because I need to know where I stand. I can’t keep sharing responsibility with someone else if the child isn’t mine.”

I felt my stomach twist.

He continued, his tone calm but firm.

“If the baby turns out not to be mine, I’ll step back completely. I won’t interfere again. But if the baby is mine, then Chase…” he looked at him squarely, “you’ll need to back off. Completely.”

Chase scoffed under his breath, shaking his head.

“Don’t you think you’re being a little too impatient?”

Wes’ voice sharpened. “I’m being practical and honest.”

Chase leaned forward slightly. “No, you’re being desperate.”

“Enough,” I cut in, but they both ignored me.

Wes’s jaw tightened. “I just want the truth, Zoey. That’s all. You can’t blame me for that.”

Chase’s voice was colder this time. “Fine. I’ll agree to it..on one condition.”

Wes narrowed his eyes. “And what’s that supposed to be?”

“That the test be done at a hospital Zoey chooses. And Mariah supervises everything. I’m not trusting anyone else with this.”

Wes’ face flushed slightly. “You think I’d fake a result?”

“I think you’d do whatever it takes to win,” Chase replied.

The air between them was thick with tension.

Wes eventually sighed. “Fine. I don’t care where it’s done. I’m not a fraud. I just want clarity.”

He turned to me. “Zoey, it’s your call. Will you do it?”

Mariah’s eyes darted to mine, full of uncertainty. Chase didn’t say a word..he just watched me, waiting.

I hesitated, my mind racing. It wasn’t like I hadn’t thought about it before. The truth had been hanging between all of us for weeks, heavy and suffocating. Finally, I nodded.

“I’ll do it.”

Wes exhaled like he’d been holding his breath for days. Mariah just stared at me. Chase didn’t react..just gave a small, unreadable nod before standing up.

The conversation ended there, but the silence that followed said everything that needed to be said.

_________________

Later that evening, I stood in front of the mirror, my hand tracing the soft curve of my bump.

It was starting to show more now, and somehow that made it all feel even more real. I wasn’t just carrying a secret anymore.. I was carrying a life, and I don’t even know who the father was.

The door creaked, and Mariah poked her head in.

“There’s the pregnant lady,” she teased, stepping inside with a small grin.

I rolled my eyes. “You make it sound like I’m ninety.”

“Well, you do walk like an old lady sometimes,” she joked, then joined me near the mirror. “You’re glowing though. I’ll give you that.”

“Yeah, right,” I muttered, still looking at my reflection.

She tilted her head.

“So… I need to ask. Why did you agree to Wes’ crazy plan?”

I turned to face her, leaning slightly on the table.

“You don’t think it’s a good idea?”

“I just think it’s risky,” she said carefully. “And emotional. For you.”

I shrugged. “Maybe. But I’m tired, Mariah. I’m tired of not knowing. Of seeing the two of them come around like they’re taking turns guarding me. It’s exhausting.”

She folded her arms, watching me.

“You’re really okay with this?”

“I think it’s for the best,” I said softly. “If we find out who the father is now, maybe things can finally calm down. Wes can stop buying half the baby store, and Chase can stop pretending he doesn’t care. And I can finally have a little peace.”

Mariah sighed, a small, knowing smile tugging at her lips.

“You always say you want peace, Zoey, but somehow your life keeps turning into a full-blown drama series.”

I laughed under my breath.

“Yeah, well… maybe I’m just the unlucky star of it.”

She nudged me gently.

“More like the strong one.”

I smiled faintly, turning back to the mirror, watching my reflection.

Strong or not, I couldn’t deny the flutter in my chest—the fear, the uncertainty, and the quiet hope that maybe the test would give me answers I wasn’t ready for.

\-CHASE BLUE-

Wes’s voice hasn’t left my head.

A DNA test.

He said it so casually, like it was just another conversation. But it wasn’t. It was him drawing a line, trying to define what I already can’t stop thinking about — who that baby belongs to.

I tried to keep calm, told him he was being impatient, but deep down, I was the one panicking. Because what if the child isn’t mine?

What if, after all this time, after all these feelings I’ve been trying to bury, I end up being nothing but an extra piece in Zoey’s story?

I keep trying to convince myself I’ll handle it if it turns out that way..that I’ll walk away, respect whatever truth comes out of it. But I know myself. I won’t be able to.

Because I’ve seen her... the way she touches her belly without realizing it, the way her face softens when she talks about the baby.

That small bump she’s starting to show... it’s become a part of my thoughts every damn day.

Wes wants clarity. I want peace. But peace doesn’t come easy when your heart’s in the middle of something you can’t control.

Sometimes, I wonder if I even have the right to hope. Because a part of me...a selfish, desperate part, wants the baby to be mine. Not because I think it’ll fix anything, but because it’ll mean I won’t have to lose her all over again.

But I can’t say that out loud.Not to her.

Not to anyone.

So I just sat with it. The guilt, the fear, the hope...all tangled together.

Waiting for a truth I’m not sure I’m ready to face.