Chapter 7: The Sample She Stole
“You took DNA from my daughter?””
My voice sounded strangely calm.
Lauren stood beside the fireplace with tears sliding down her cheeks, but I felt nothing when I looked at her.
No sympathy.
No instinct to protect my little sister.
Just cold disbelief.
“I didn’t hurt her,” Lauren whispered.
James moved beside me.
“That wasn’t the question.””
Lauren looked at him.
“I used a pacifier.””
My stomach turned.
Emma had dozens of pacifiers, but one suddenly came back to me.
The pale pink one with the tiny rabbit printed on the handle.
It had disappeared after Lauren babysat Emma one afternoon.
I had searched the diaper bag twice.
Lauren had laughed when I mentioned it.
Babies lose everything, Claire.
“You took her pacifier?””
Lauren wiped her face.
“I needed a sample.””
“You needed?””
My father stared at her.
“What gave you the right?””
Lauren snapped toward him.
“You knew about the result!””
“I knew afterward.””
“And you hid it.””
“Because I was trying to determine whether it was legitimate.””
Mom finally moved away from the table.
“Lauren, tell us exactly what you did.””
Lauren laughed bitterly.
“Now you care?””
Margaret flinched.
“Yes. Now I care.””
For once, Mom didn’t soften her voice.
Lauren stared at her.
Then she looked at me.
“I found Ethan online.””
“When?””
“Before Emma was born.””
My chest tightened.
That meant this had started before the daycare incident.
Before Christmas.
Before the slap.
“How did you even know about Ethan?””
“You talked about him years ago.””
“That doesn’t explain why you contacted him.””
Lauren crossed her arms.
“I wanted to know why you never mentioned him anymore.””
“That is none of your business.””
“I know.””
“No, you don’t.””
James reached for my hand.
I let him take it.
Ethan remained near the doorway, his leather folder resting on the table.
“I didn’t know who Lauren was at first,” he said.
I turned toward him.
“What did she tell you?””
“That she was helping you.””
Lauren immediately protested.
“I never said that.””
Ethan picked up his phone.
“You want me to read the messages?””
Lauren went silent.
He scrolled.
Then read.
“‘Claire has questions about the past, but she’s afraid to contact you directly.’”
I stared at my sister.
She looked down.
Ethan continued.
“‘She needs to know whether there’s any possibility you could be connected to the baby.’”
James stiffened.
I felt his hand tighten around mine.
“I never said that.””
“I know,” Ethan replied.
“Do you?””
He met my eyes.
“Not then. Now I do.””
The distinction mattered.
He had believed Lauren.
At least enough to participate.
“Then how did the test happen?””
Ethan looked ashamed.
“Lauren said you wanted answers without James finding out.””
James gave a humorless laugh.
“So everyone was very concerned about protecting me.””
“I was wrong,” Ethan said.
“Yes.””
“I know.””
Lauren stepped forward.
“I didn’t fake the result.””
I turned on her.
“You stole my daughter’s DNA.””
“I needed proof.””
“Proof of what?””
“That your life wasn’t perfect!””
The words burst out of her.
Emma stirred against my shoulder.
Everyone froze.
Lauren immediately lowered her voice.
But the damage was done.
There it was.
The truth beneath every excuse.
Not concern.
Not confusion.
Punishment.
“You wanted something to be wrong,” I said.
Lauren cried harder.
“I wanted one thing not to work out for you.””
I stared at her.
“My daughter isn’t a thing.””
“I know.””
“You used her because you hated me.””
“I didn’t hate you.””
“Then what do you call this?””
She had no answer.
Dad picked up the DNA request from the table.
“There’s something wrong here.””
We all turned.
He was studying the document.
“What?”” James asked.
Dad pointed to the date.
“This sample was submitted when Emma was three months old.””
“So?”” Lauren said.
Dad looked at Ethan.
“When did you provide yours?””
Ethan frowned.
“Last month.””
Nobody spoke.
James reached for the document.
“That’s impossible.””
I looked between them.
“What?””
James placed both papers beside each other.
“The report Lauren gave us is dated four months ago.””
Ethan’s expression went blank.
“That can’t be right.””
Lauren stared at the papers.
For the first time, her confusion looked genuine.
“I don’t understand.””
Dad pointed again.
“The report claims both samples were tested together four months ago.””
Ethan shook his head.
“I didn’t submit anything four months ago.””
My heart started pounding.
“Then whose DNA was tested?””
Nobody answered.
Ethan opened his folder and pulled out another page.
“This is the test I received.””
He placed it beside Lauren’s copy.
Two reports.
Two dates.
Two different laboratories.
James leaned over them.
Then his entire body went still.
“What?”” I asked.
He pointed toward the bottom of Ethan’s document.
“This one says Ethan is excluded.””
I stared at him.
“What?””
“Zero percent probability.””
My knees nearly gave way.
Ethan was not Emma’s father.
I looked at Lauren.
Her mouth had fallen open.
“But mine said…”
“Yours was fake,” Dad said.
“No.””
Lauren grabbed the report.
“No, I paid for this.””
“Who did you pay?”” James asked.
She stopped.
The silence stretched.
“Lauren.””
Her hands began shaking.
“A woman contacted me after I posted in a private genealogy group.””
“What woman?””
“She said she could arrange confidential testing.””
My father’s face darkened.
“You gave a stranger your niece’s DNA?””
“I thought she worked for a laboratory.””
“What was her name?””
Lauren swallowed.
“Rebecca Shaw.””
Ethan suddenly looked up.
The blood drained from his face.
“What did you say?””
Lauren frowned.
“Rebecca Shaw.””
Ethan stared at me.
I had never seen terror appear so quickly on someone’s face.
“Claire,” he whispered.
“You know her?”” I asked.
He nodded.
“Yes.””
“How?””
He looked toward James, then back at me.
May you like
“Because Rebecca Shaw is the woman who spent six years blaming you for what happened between us.””
And suddenly, Lauren’s secret no longer looked like the biggest danger in the room.
