Chapter 4: The Name on the Test Results
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
The words on Garrett’s message sat on the screen like a threat.
*“You need to know the truth about who the father really is.””*
My first reaction wasn’t anger.
It was confusion.
A deep, painful confusion that spread through me faster than fear.
Because there was one thing I knew with absolute certainty.
The baby was Garrett’s.
Or at least, I thought he was.
I looked down at my son sleeping peacefully against my chest.
His tiny hand was curled around my finger.
He had just entered the world.
And already, adults were surrounding him with secrets.
“Vivian,” Rachel whispered.
I looked up.
“What is he doing?””
Rachel shook her head slowly.
“I don’t know.””
“No.””
My voice became stronger.
“He knows exactly what he’s doing.””
The nurse stood awkwardly near the door, unsure if she should leave.
I looked at her.
“Can you give us a minute?””
She nodded and stepped outside.
The second the door closed, I turned to Rachel.
“What does he mean?””
Rachel looked terrified.
“I don’t know.””
“Rachel.””
“I swear.””
She sat down beside me.
“I don’t know what Garrett is talking about.””
I stared at my son.
“But he does.””
The silence that followed felt heavier than anything.
Because a terrifying possibility was forming in my mind.
Garrett wasn’t just trying to hurt me.
He was trying to control the situation.
Even now.
Even after leaving me.
Even after missing the birth of his son.
He was still trying to make sure he had the power.
My phone buzzed again.
Another message.
This time, I didn’t want to look.
But I did.
*Garrett: “Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise. I have proof.””*
My jaw tightened.
Proof.
That word.
People used that word when they wanted you to panic.
When they wanted you to doubt yourself before they even showed you anything.
I placed my phone face down.
“I don’t want to hear from him.””
Rachel looked at me.
“Vivian…”
“No.””
I shook my head.
“Not tonight.””
My eyes filled with tears.
“Tonight was supposed to be the day I met my son.””
I looked down at him.
“Not the day I found out my husband might have been lying to me.””
Rachel reached for my hand.
But before she could say anything, there was a knock.
The door opened.
And Garrett walked in.
I almost didn’t recognize him.
Not because he looked different.
Because he looked normal.
That was the worst part.
His hair was neatly styled.
His shirt was still pressed.
His expensive watch was still on his wrist.
He looked like a man arriving at an important meeting.
Not a man who had abandoned his wife during childbirth.
Not a man who had missed the first hours of his son’s life.
He stopped when he saw me holding the baby.
For a brief moment, something crossed his face.
Regret.
Maybe.
Or maybe I wanted it to be regret.
“Vivian.””
I didn’t answer.
His eyes moved to the baby.
“Our son.””
The words almost made me laugh.
Almost.
“You weren’t here.””
His face tightened.
“I know.””
“No.””
I looked at him.
“You don’t.””
My voice shook.
“You don’t know what it was like.””
“Vivian—”
“I was on the kitchen floor.””
The room became silent.
“I begged you.””
His jaw moved slightly.
“I thought you were overreacting.””
The honesty of that sentence hurt more than any excuse.
Rachel stood.
“You thought?””
Garrett glanced at her.
“This is between me and my wife.””
Rachel stepped forward.
“She was alone because of you.””
Garrett ignored her.
He looked at me.
“I came as soon as I could.””
I stared at him.
“Where were you?””
His silence answered before he did.
“At my mother’s.””
“After that?””
Nothing.
That was enough.
I looked away.
“Get out.””
His expression changed.
“You don’t understand.””
“No.””
I held my son closer.
“You don’t understand.””
Garrett took a step forward.
“I need to explain something.””
“You mean the thing in your messages?””
His face froze.
Rachel watched him carefully.
“You saw those?””
I laughed quietly.
“Of course I saw them.””
His expression hardened.
“Vivian, you need to listen to me before you make assumptions.””
“Assumptions?””
I stared at him.
“You left me during labor.””
His eyes dropped.
“I know.””
“You were planning to leave me.””
“That’s complicated.””
“No.””
I shook my head.
“It isn’t.””
Then I asked the question that had been burning inside me.
“Who is Lena?””
Garrett went completely still.
Rachel noticed.
So did I.
That reaction told me everything.
“You know exactly who she is.””
Garrett rubbed his forehead.
“This isn’t the time.””
“When is the time?””
I looked around the hospital room.
“After you destroy everything?””
His voice lowered.
“Vivian, I came here because I need to protect you.””
The irony almost made me smile.
“Protect me?””
“Yes.””
“From what?””
He looked at the baby.
Then back at me.
“From a mistake that was made.””
My heart sank.
“What mistake?””
He didn’t answer immediately.
And that scared me more.
“Garrett.””
Finally, he reached into his jacket.
He pulled out a folder.
The same kind of folder Rachel had mentioned.
The one he took from home.
My breathing slowed.
“What is that?””
He placed it on the table.
“Something you need to see.””
I didn’t move.
“Open it.””
“No.””
His eyebrows pulled together.
“Vivian.””
“You don’t get to walk in here after everything and decide when I’m ready for the truth.””
His expression softened slightly.
“You deserve to know.””
I looked at him.
“Then tell me.””
He looked toward Rachel.
“Alone.””
“No.””
I answered immediately.
“If you have something to say, say it.””
Garrett’s mouth tightened.
Then he opened the folder.
Inside were documents.
Medical records.
A DNA test.
My heart began pounding.
No.
Not because I believed him.
Because I was terrified of what he was trying to do.
He pulled out the paper.
“I found this three days ago.””
My eyes moved to the page.
I couldn’t read it.
Not from where I was.
“What is it?””
Garrett looked at me.
“A paternity test.””
The room felt like it stopped.
Rachel whispered.
“Oh my God.””
Garrett continued.
“The results came back yesterday.””
My fingers tightened around my son.
“And?””
He hesitated.
That hesitation destroyed me.
“And they show something you need to know.””
I stared at him.
“Say it.””
Garrett looked down.
Then he said the words that shattered the only certainty I had left.
“Vivian, the test says I’m not the biological father.””
The room went completely silent.
I looked at my baby.
At the tiny face I had loved before I even met him.
Then I looked back at the man standing in front of me.
The man who had abandoned me.
The man who had lied to me.
The man holding a piece of paper that could change my entire life.
“No.””
The word came out barely audible.
Garrett stepped closer.
“I’m sorry.””
“No.””
I shook my head.
“You’re lying.””
His face hardened.
“I knew you would say that.””
“Because you’re lying.””
“Vivian—”
“Who ordered this test?””
He stopped.
That question caught him off guard.
I looked at the folder.
“Who?””
Garrett didn’t answer.
And that was when I knew.
The test wasn’t the only secret.
“Garrett.””
My voice became cold.
“Who ordered the DNA test?””
His eyes moved away.
Finally, he said:
“Lena.””
My entire body went numb.
The woman he told me he hadn’t spoken to.
The woman from the messages.
The woman he was supposedly leaving me for.
She had a DNA test done on my unborn child.
I looked at Garrett.
“Why would she do that?””
He didn’t answer.
“Why would she test our baby?””
Still nothing.
Then my phone buzzed.
A new message.
From an unknown number.
I opened it.
And the moment I saw the picture attached, I forgot how to breathe.
It was a photo of Garrett and Lena.
Standing together.
Holding a baby.
Not mine.
Not newborn.
A few months old.
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Under the picture was a single sentence:
*“Vivian, Garrett has been lying to both of us.””*
