Chapter 61 The Paternity Test
I wanted to stop, but the road stretched ahead of me, deserted and eerily silent.
Too silent, that fear didn’t let me.
Instead, I pressed harder on the accelerator and increased my speed, fixing my eyes on the mirror.
Then a thought crossed my mind.
To call Marcus.
I reached for my phone, dialed Marcus’s contact, and placed the call on speaker.
It rang and rang, but there was no answer.
“Please, pick up… pick up…” I whispered.
I called him several times after that but he still didn’t pick up.
“Geez!” I banged my hand on the steering wheel, sweat still dripping down my face.
Soon, I got to a crowded place and immediately pulled over in front of a supermarket.
The car didn’t slow down.
It didn’t even hesitate.
It just zoomed right past me and drove straight down the street as if I didn’t matter.
I breathed out heavily, my heart beating aggressively against my chest, and my hands trembling so badly that I had to hold the steering wheel firmly to steady them.
Different thoughts ran through my mind as I wiped the sweat off my face with my sleeve.
Maybe the car wasn’t following me after all.
Maybe it was truly a coincidence and maybe I was overthinking it.
I looked at my hands and they were still trembling.
I tried to steady myself for a few minutes before turning back towards my street.
I didn’t even know how I drove myself back home, I just found myself in front of my house, my heart still beating rapidly.
I stepped out of my car, looked around to see if I wasn’t followed, then I walked into the house, and made sure to lock my door very well.
What terrified me most was that I couldn’t prove that I was being followed, but I couldn’t shake off the feeling that I was.
Then my mind drifted back to the two messages I got from the unknown number some days earlier.
The ones I had dismissed.
“Could they be connected?”
“Or am I still overthinking it?”
I asked myself numerous questions, but no answer was forthcoming.
I sank down onto the couch, leaned back against it, and stared blankly at the ceiling, hoping it was truly a coincidence.
JOAN COLE’S POV
A few days later, my team and I arrived at Jane’s office building to begin her workspace redesign.
I walked into the space with my clipboard tucked under my arm with my team behind me like Power Rangers.
Work had always been my prop. It’s always structured, and obedient to effort unlike emotions.
Jane welcomed us warmly, and showed us around, her energy as bright as ever.
“I’ve been looking forward to this,” she smiled, clapping as she looked around the office floor.
“And I trust you completely to do a great work,” she added.
“I promise you won’t regret it,” I replied and smiled professionally.
We unpacked and got straight to work.
We started by measuring walls, marking out layouts, discussing lighting, texture, and spatial flow. I loved around the space, giving instructions, adjusting placements, and redesigning everything in my head before the real work started.
Jane supervised sometimes and watched with keen interest.
“You are good at this,” she said, folding her arms as she watched me explain a concept to one of my team members.
“Like… scary good,” she added.
“I will take that as a compliment,” I laughed softly.
“It is,” she assured me.
“I love the way you think. You are strategic,” she added.
Her words made my heart warm more than I expected.
Around noon, I asked my team to go on a lunch break while I stayed behind checking the layouts.
I was still checking the measurements when I heard movements behind me.
I looked up and saw Dave and Jane.
Dave was looking at me, calmly.
For a second, my breath hitched, but I quickly recovered.
“I come bearing peace offerings,” he smiled, lifting a few takeaway bags slightly.
Then he walked closer to me.
“This is for you. I figured you would probably skip lunch,” he said, handing a neatly packed lunch to me.
“Aww, look at you being thoughtful,” Jane gasped dramatically.
“You didn’t have to,” I said softly, my cheeks almost turning red.
He replied with his usual line.
“I want to.”
Jane watched us as if it were live entertainment.
“You two look cute together, though,” she shrugged playfully.
I didn’t say anything, I just chuckled lightly.
Dave cleared his throat to divert the topic. Then he opened the container.
“You should eat before it gets cold,” he said.
“Thank you,” I said, my voice low.
He sat down and gestured to Jane to join us at the table. He opened Jane’s food, then he opened his too.
Jane leaned in closer to me and whispered into my ear playfully.
“What if I tell you he has never brought me lunch at work before?”
I looked at her and smiled.
ALEX HART’S POV
I had already concluded that the black car had nothing to do with me and that it was all in my head for my own sanity.
That day, Marcus sat across from me in my office, leaning on the chair with his legs crossed.
He studied my face as I worked on a design.
“So… which hospital do you have in mind for the paternity test?” he asked, with a serious look on his face.
“Any hospital would do,” I replied, looking up from my laptop.
“I have a reliable doctor I can refer you to,” he said.
“He’s professional and there would be no room for manipulation,” he added.
“That’s exactly what I need,” I sighed.
The next day, I called my mother to meet me at the hospital with Cassandra.
She didn’t argue, so I sent the address to her.
I arrived at the hospital first, and sat in the lobby as I waited with every ticking second of the wall clock feeling louder than normal.
About an hour later, my mother and Cassandra walked in together, my mother looking composed as ever while Cassandra looked calm, her heels clicking softly against the floor.
We exchanged brief greetings and Cassandra and I were ushered into the doctor’s office shortly after.
They took our samples.
We signed the forms, then we were told to wait.
As we waited for the result, I sat across from Cassandra, subtly searching her face for any sign of fear, anxiety or guilt, but her expression was unreadable.
She sat quietly, her fingers intertwined on her lap.
Even if she was nervous, she hid it so well.
I hoped for just one thing.
The test result should come out negative.
Because only then would I be able to fix things with Joan and finally breathe again.
I tapped my feet restlessly on the floor, and I didn’t even realize I had been clenching my jaw until it began to ache.
The door to the doctor’s office finally opened, and then the doctor walked out with a sealed envelope in his hand.
My heart began to pound as he walked toward us.
“This contains the test result,” he said, handing the envelope to me.
I took it and began tearing the envelope slowly and carefully.
I finally pulled out the paper.
My gaze landed on the first line and everything around me suddenly became quiet as my eyes moved to the other lines.