Chapter 73
This was the part David could never understand either.
He'd seen photos of Lucas as a child. Compared to Damian now, the similarity was at least ninety percent. To say they weren't blood-related—who would believe that?
But how could DNA test results from a machine be wrong?
David pondered for a moment before analyzing calmly. "Mom, physical resemblance can be deceiving sometimes. The key issue right now is that Lucas already considers Damian his biological son—a son he values more than his own life. The bond between father and son runs far deeper than you imagine."
He paused. "If you go to him now with something from six years ago, when all the evidence has already been destroyed, and tell him the son he's loved all these years isn't his—what do you think his reaction would be?"
Ashley's body went rigid.
She could imagine it. Given Lucas's temperament, he wouldn't believe it. He'd only think she was being unreasonable, fabricating another lie to drive Juliana away.
And then, the rift between mother and son would become truly irreparable.
"I was deceived... that woman deceived me!" Ashley covered her face, tears of regret flooding out again. "I must have been blind to choose her! I thought her background was clean, that she was desperate for money and easy to control... who knew she'd been plotting from the start! She tricked me with someone else's child, and now she's back to seduce my son... she's nothing but a fraud!"
David watched her suffering, but a shadow of doubt rose in his mind.
He spoke with careful inquiry. "Please calm down. Could there be... some kind of misunderstanding here?"
"Misunderstanding?" Ashley acted as if she'd heard the joke of the century. "Black and white on paper—what misunderstanding could there be?!"
"Think about it. We investigated Juliana's situation thoroughly back then. She was completely desperate. In that position, what reason would she have to fake the child's parentage? If discovered, she'd get nothing. The risk would have been far too great for her. It makes no sense."
"Moreover, I remember very clearly—before the artificial insemination, we arranged for the hospital to give her the most comprehensive physical examination, including confirmation that she wasn't already pregnant. Our people supervised the entire process. She couldn't have had any opportunity to become pregnant with someone else's child."
David's words brought clarity to Ashley's chaotic thoughts.
Yes... the process back then had been flawless.
Juliana had no reason to fake it, and no opportunity to fake it.
So... which part went wrong?
Ashley couldn't figure it out. Her head throbbed, feeling like ten thousand tangled threads in her mind that she couldn't untangle.
"I don't know... I don't know what went wrong..." She shook her head in confusion. "But the results were there! The DNA report results were there! Machines don't lie!"
David saw her stubborn expression and knew further persuasion was useless.
He sighed and finally proposed the ultimate solution.
"Mom, the old report is destroyed. Anything we say now is just empty words. Lucas won't believe it, and we have no confidence ourselves."
"Since you're convinced there's a problem, let's do another paternity test."
"Find an opportunity to get samples from Damian and Lucas. We'll send them for testing again. This time, we'll supervise personally to ensure nothing goes wrong."
"If the results prove they are indeed father and son, then the old report was just an anomaly. You should let go of this obsession and stop opposing Lucas."
"But if... the results are the same as before..." A cold glint flashed in David's eyes. "Then we'll have this new, ironclad evidence. At that point, you can decide what to do with real confidence. What do you say?"
Ashley's confused gaze slowly refocused after hearing these words.
Yes.
Do it again.
She needed new evidence—irrefutable evidence!
She would see for herself what game this woman Juliana was playing!
"Fine." She forced the word through gritted teeth. "We'll do as you say."
Ashley and David's voices drifted up through the gaps in the stairwell, not missing a single word.
Logan leaned against the carved railing, a cold, amused smile playing at his lips.
……
After several hours of emergency treatment, Damian was finally out of danger.
"Mr. Sharp."
The attending physician entered with a report. "Damian is out of danger now. He's just traumatized, and his body is weakened from prolonged dehydration and hunger. He'll need good rest and recovery."
Lucas's voice was terribly hoarse. "When will he wake up?"
"Soon. He'll wake once the anesthesia wears off. However, when he does wake, you absolutely cannot give him too much food immediately, especially anything greasy. His stomach is very fragile right now. Start with warm water or light liquids to let him adjust gradually."
"Understood." Lucas nodded.
After some time, Damian's eyelashes fluttered gently.
"...Dad?"
Lucas's taut nerves relaxed instantly. "I'm here. How do you feel? Does anything hurt?"
Damian shook his head weakly.
"Did I... cause you trouble again?"
Lucas's heart twisted painfully.
"Don't talk nonsense. You're my son. Protecting you is my responsibility. This time it was my fault—I failed to protect you properly."
Damian's eyes immediately reddened.
He'd never seen Lucas like this before.
No sternness, no reproach—only overwhelming heartache and self-blame.
"Alright, that's enough." Lucas poured a glass of warm water, dipped a cotton swab in it, and moistened Damian's cracked lips bit by bit.
The little boy cooperated obediently, then suddenly remembered something and asked urgently. "Wait, what about Ms. Wells? And Matty... are they okay?"
"They're fine."
Mentioning Juliana, Lucas's expression darkened.
After comforting Damian, he stood and walked out of the hospital room.
Lucas turned and strode purposefully toward the doctor's office.
The attending physician was organizing medical records. Seeing Lucas return, he looked surprised. "Mr. Sharp? Is there a problem with Damian?"
"No, not him." Lucas got straight to the point. "I have a medical question."
The doctor was somewhat nervous at his serious demeanor, adjusting his glasses. "Please, go ahead."
Lucas's Adam's apple bobbed, his voice somewhat dry. "Artificial insemination—the kind where an embryo is implanted in the uterus—does that process damage a woman's hymen?"