The DNA Test That Backfired Chapter 04
I carried Teddy back to our room and locked the door.
He cried for a long time. I held him until he finally fell asleep.
Zane stood outside the door for ages.
He knocked several times, calling my name in a low voice.
“Arlette. Arlette, open the door. Let’s talk.”
I didn’t respond.
Through the door, I heard him pacing back and forth. After a while, he spoke again.
“Arlette… I was wrong tonight. I shouldn’t have gone along with her. Please don’t be angry, okay?”
I sat by the bed, looking at my sleeping son, and said nothing.
A long time passed before it finally went quiet outside. His footsteps slowly faded away.
I barely slept that night.
Over the next few days, Zane was a different person.
He brought home my favorite desserts after work.
He sat with Teddy on the carpet, building block towers with him until his forehead was beaded with sweat.
At night, he would stand at the door and apologize.
“Arlette, I really said the wrong thing that day,” he’d plead, his eyes a little red.
“I never should have let you get hurt like that. Please forgive me, okay?”
I just looked at him and didn’t answer.
I knew him too well.
His tenderness wasn’t because he’d had a change of heart. He was just afraid.
On the evening of the third day, I was combing Teddy’s hair.
As I picked up the small wooden comb, I noticed that several of the fine, soft strands usually caught in its teeth were missing.
I stood there holding the comb, motionless for a long time.
In that moment, I understood everything.
His kindness during the day had been a performance, meant to make me lower my guard.
Meanwhile, he had secretly taken our son’s hair and sent it for testing.
I closed my eyes.
I didn’t confront him.
I wanted to see just how far he would go.
…
Three days later, there was another family dinner.
This time, more than half of the Marino relatives were there. Even people who rarely visited were in attendance.
Camille had clearly summoned them all, as if this were a special occasion.
She sat beside Zane, a manila envelope in her hand, a triumphant look on her face.
Zane sat next to her, looking deeply uneasy, not daring to meet my eyes.
I handed Teddy to the nanny and asked her to take him upstairs to play.
“Don’t let him come down,” I said quietly.
The nanny nodded and carried him upstairs.
Clutching a plain black document folio, I sat down in a corner seat.
Zane’s father had just cleared his throat to speak when Camille stood up.
She pulled the papers from the envelope and slapped them down in the center of the long table.
“The results are in.” She looked around, raising her voice. “Teddy and Zane are not related by blood.”
The room erupted.
Camille lowered her head to look at me, no longer bothering to hide the smirk on her face.
“Arlette Pierce, what do you have to say for yourself now?”