Chapter 9: The DNA Results
By noon, the hospital corridor had become a battlefield of whispered conversations, unanswered questions, and people pretending not to watch one another.
Tiana's condition had stabilized, and the doctor had reassured us that the pregnancy was continuing normally. She needed rest and follow-up care, but there was no immediate indication that she would lose the baby.
I should have felt relieved.
Instead, I sat beside her bed with my father's photograph in my lap, wondering how many more truths my family had buried.
Marcus stood near the window, scrolling through his phone.
He had barely spoken since learning that Denise might be sixteen weeks pregnant.
Every few minutes, he glanced at me as though he wanted to say something, then looked away.
Finally, I put the photograph on the bedside table.
“Marcus, sit down.””
He obeyed.
Tiana folded her arms across her chest.
“If this is about the baby, I want to hear it too.””
“It is,” I said.
“But first, I want to know why you agreed to the paternity test so quickly.””
Marcus rubbed his palms together.
“Because I need to know the truth.””
“Which truth? Whether you're the father? Or whether you can keep lying to everyone without consequences?””
He looked wounded.
I didn't care.
Tiana leaned forward.
“You told me you were certain the baby was yours.””
“I believed it was.””
“You told me the dates made sense.””
“They did.””
“Then why are you suddenly questioning everything?””
Marcus stared at the floor.
“Because Denise lied about how far along she was.””
I shook my head.
“That's not enough. You knew she was pregnant before you slept with Tiana. You knew you had a history with my mother.
You knew the dates might overlap. Why didn't you say anything before?””
He looked at me.
“Because I was afraid.””
“Of what?””
“Of losing both of you.””
Tiana let out a bitter laugh.
“You lost us the moment you decided to sleep with both of us.””
Marcus flinched.
I leaned back in my chair.
“Let's talk about the dates.””
I took out my phone and opened the calendar.
“Tiana says you started sleeping together four months ago. She's ten weeks pregnant. Mama says she was nearly twelve weeks pregnant yesterday, but the hospital thinks she's closer to sixteen.””
Marcus nodded.
I continued.
“According to what you told me, you and Mama were together years ago, then stopped. You and Tiana began an affair four months ago. So when did you last sleep with Mama?””
He hesitated.
Tiana's eyes narrowed.
“Answer her.””
Marcus exhaled.
“About four months ago.””
I stared at him.
“Before or after you started sleeping with Tiana?””
“Before.””
“How long before?””
“Two weeks.””
Tiana recoiled.
“You slept with my mother two weeks before you started sleeping with me?””
Marcus nodded.
She turned away, pressing a hand over her mouth.
I felt no satisfaction in watching her suffer. She had helped destroy my marriage, but she was still my sister, and I could see the terrible realization spreading across her face.
The man she had believed loved her had been keeping another woman close enough to create a child.
“How many times?”” I asked.
Marcus looked at me.
“Once.””
“Do you expect me to believe that?””
“No.””
“Good. At least we're making progress.””
A knock sounded at the door.
A nurse entered with a clipboard.
“Mr. Carter? The laboratory has scheduled the collection for the paternity testing. We need your consent before proceeding.””
Marcus signed the forms.
Tiana watched him with hollow eyes.
The nurse explained that the testing process would require appropriate samples and that the results would take time. Because the pregnancies were ongoing, the hospital would coordinate with specialists to determine the safest and most reliable testing method.
When she left, Marcus turned toward Tiana.
“I want you to know that I'll support you and the baby regardless of the results.””
She stared at him.
“You don't get to make promises now.””
“I mean it.””
“You meant it when you promised Naomi forever, too.””
He looked down.
Tiana wiped her eyes.
“I don't want your money. I don't want your house. I don't even know if I want you near this baby.””
Marcus said nothing.
For a moment, the room felt painfully small.
Then I stood.
“I need to speak with Mama.””
Tiana looked up.
“About the baby?””
“About everything.””
I found Denise in the hospital cafeteria, sitting alone beside a window with a cup of untouched tea.
When she saw me, she tried to smile.
I sat across from her.
“Sixteen weeks.””
Her face fell.
“I was going to tell you.””
“When?””
She looked down.
“I don't know.””
“Before or after you told us Marcus was the father?””
She gripped the cup.
“I thought he was.””
“Why?””
“Because we were together.””
“When?””
Mama swallowed.
“Several months ago.””
“Before Tiana started sleeping with him?””
“Yes.””
I studied her face.
“Was Marcus the only man you were sleeping with?””
She looked up sharply.
“Of course.””
I didn't respond.
She pressed her fingers against her lips.
“Naomi, what are you suggesting?””
“I'm asking whether the baby belongs to Marcus.””
Her eyes filled with tears.
“I don't know.””
The admission hurt more than I expected.
My mother had spent the previous evening insisting that the baby was Marcus's. She had watched me unravel, watched Tiana scream, and allowed the entire family to believe that our husband and father figure had betrayed us in the same way.
But now she was admitting that she couldn't be certain.
“Who else could be the father?”” I asked.
Mama shook her head.
“There's nobody else.””
“Then why can't you say his name?””
She looked away.
I waited.
Finally, she whispered, “Because the last time I was with Marcus, I wasn't thinking clearly. I had been drinking, and I was upset about your father.””
I felt my stomach twist.
“Your father has been dead for nine years.””
“I know.””
“Then why are you talking about him as if he was standing between you and Marcus?””
Mama began to cry.
“Because I never stopped feeling guilty.””
I stared at her.
“About the affair?””
“About everything.””
I leaned forward.
“Did you ever tell Daddy the truth about the baby you lost?””
She nodded.
“He knew.””
“Did you tell him the truth about Marcus?””
“Yes.””
“When?””
“Before he died.””
I closed my eyes.
Another truth.
Another piece of my father's final days that had been hidden from me.
“What did he say?””
Mama stared out the window.
“He said he forgave me.””
Her voice broke.
“But he told me that forgiveness didn't mean he trusted me anymore.””
For the first time, I understood something about my father's silence.
Perhaps he had forgiven my mother because he loved her. Perhaps he had chosen not to destroy his family because he believed people could change.
But he had also made arrangements to protect me from the consequences of their choices.
I looked at Mama.
“Did he know Marcus was still involved with you?””
She nodded.
“He found out shortly before he died.””
“And he still left me the business?””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
She wiped her cheeks.
“Because he wanted you to have something nobody could take away from you.””
I sat back.
For several seconds, neither of us spoke.
Then Mama reached across the table.
“Naomi, I know you may never forgive me. But I need you to understand that I didn't plan any of this.””
I looked at her hand.
“You didn't plan the affair. You didn't plan the pregnancy. You didn't plan the lies. But you made choices at every step.””
She withdrew her hand.
I stood.
“I'm going to find out who the father is. And I'm going to find out what happened to Daddy's money. After that, I'll decide what kind of relationship I can have with you.””
Mama looked up, terrified.
“You can't cut me out of your life.””
“I haven't decided anything yet.””
“But you're my daughter.””
“And you're my mother. That should have meant something when you were deciding whether to sleep with my husband.””
I walked away before she could answer.
Back in Tiana's room, Marcus was speaking quietly on the phone.
When he saw me, he ended the call.
“Who was that?”” I asked.
“My attorney.””
“Why do you need an attorney?””
“Because of the company records.””
I stopped.
“What about them?””
He looked uncomfortable.
“My attorney says the financial transfers could become a legal issue if the estate wasn't properly administered.””
“Could become?””
He nodded.
“Your father's will gave you the right to demand an accounting.””
“I know.””
Marcus rubbed his face.
“Naomi, I want to settle this privately.””
I stared at him.
“Of course you do.””
“I can repay the money.””
“All of it?””
He hesitated.
“I'll make arrangements.””
“That's not what I asked.””
He looked away.
I understood then that the money wasn't sitting in a bank account waiting to be returned. It had been spent, transferred, or hidden inside transactions that would take professionals to untangle.
“I'm hiring an attorney,” I said.
“I'm also requesting a full audit of the business records.””
Marcus nodded slowly.
“I expected that.””
“Good. Then you know not to contact Patricia or anyone else involved with the estate without going through my attorney.””
His face tightened.
“Naomi, don't turn this into a war.””
I leaned toward him.
“You brought my mother, my sister, my inheritance, and my marriage into the same mess. You don't get to complain that the consequences are complicated.””
He fell silent.
A few hours later, the first update came from the testing center.
The hospital had arranged for appropriate samples to be collected for the paternity testing, and the laboratory expected preliminary results within the next few days.
It wasn't the final answer, but it was a start.
That evening, Rachel drove me home.
I showered, changed into clean clothes, and sat at the kitchen table with the copies of my father's will spread in front of me.
For the first time in six years, Marcus wasn't in the house.
His side of the closet remained full, but I couldn't bring myself to look at it.
At 9:17 p.m., my phone rang.
It was Marcus.
I considered ignoring it, but something in his message made me answer.
“Naomi,” he said, his voice unsteady, “the lab called.””
I gripped the edge of the table.
“What did they say?””
“They've completed an initial review of the samples.””
I held my breath.
“And?””
He was silent for so long that I thought the call had dropped.
Then he whispered, “I'm the father of Tiana's baby.””
I closed my eyes.
That much, at least, had been expected.
Then he continued.
“But Denise's pregnancy is different.””
My fingers tightened around the phone.
“What does that mean?””
Marcus took a shaky breath.
“They can't establish paternity from the preliminary information they have. The dates don't fit the way Denise described them.””
I stared at the documents on the table.
“Then we wait for the final results.””
“Naomi, there's something else.””
“What?””
His voice dropped.
“The laboratory found an inconsistency in the information Denise gave the hospital.””
“What inconsistency?””
He hesitated.
“Her reported last menstrual period doesn't match the gestational age recorded during the examination.””
I closed my eyes.
“Marcus, I don't understand.””
“Neither do I.””
“Then why are you calling me?””
His answer came so quietly I almost missed it.
“Because Denise told me something tonight that changes everything.””
I sat up.
“What did she tell you?””
Marcus swallowed.
“She said she was never certain the baby was mine.””
I stared into the dark kitchen.
“Then whose baby does she think she's carrying?””
He didn't answer immediately.
When he finally spoke, his voice was barely more than a whisper.
“She thinks it might belong to the man who was with her the night your father died.””
My blood ran cold.
“Who was that man, Marcus?””
He exhaled shakily.
“Naomi, I think your mother has been hiding another affair.””
A message arrived while he was still speaking.
It was from Patricia Lewis.
*I found the original record your father was looking for. The name in it is not Marcus Carter's. Call me before you confront your mother.*
I stared at the screen.
Then I looked at the clock.
May you like
Tomorrow, I would finally learn who had been standing beside my mother on the night my father died.
And I had a terrible feeling that the answer would change everything I thought I knew about my family.
