Chapter 5: The Baby That Wasn’t Mine
The photo on my phone didn’t make sense.
My brain refused to process it.
I stared at the screen.
Then I looked at Garrett.
Then back at the photo.
Garrett and Lena.
Together.
Smiling.
Holding a baby.
A baby who looked old enough to be several months old.
A baby who wasn’t mine.
A baby who wasn’t even supposed to exist.
My fingers went numb.
“Who sent this?””
My voice sounded distant, like it belonged to someone else.
Garrett’s face changed.
Not shock.
Not confusion.
Fear.
And that was the moment I knew.
He knew.
“Garrett.””
I held up the phone.
“Who sent this?””
He didn’t answer.
Rachel stepped closer.
“Vivian.””
I could barely hear her.
“No.””
I shook my head.
“No, he needs to answer.””
Garrett took a breath.
“Put the phone down.””
I almost laughed.
After everything, he was still giving orders.
“Answer me.””
“Vivian, you just gave birth. You’re exhausted. You’re emotional.””
The words hit me like a slap.
Emotional.
That was his favorite way of dismissing me.
Every concern became an overreaction.
Every question became drama.
Every feeling became something he could ignore.
I looked at him.
“Don’t do that.””
His expression tightened.
“Do what?””
“Make me feel crazy for seeing what’s right in front of me.””
The room was silent.
Garrett glanced at Rachel.
“Can you leave?””
Rachel crossed her arms.
“No.””
“Rachel.””
“She stays.””
I looked at my husband.
“For once, I’m not standing alone.””
Something flashed across his face.
Maybe guilt.
Maybe anger.
I didn’t care anymore.
“Tell me about the baby.””
Garrett looked down.
“There’s nothing to tell.””
I stared at him.
“You’re holding a folder with a DNA test. There’s a picture of you holding another woman’s baby. And you’re telling me there’s nothing to tell?””
His jaw clenched.
“It’s complicated.””
“Everyone says that when they don’t want to admit the truth.””
He looked away.
That was answer enough.
But I needed him to say it.
I needed to hear it.
“How long?””
Garrett frowned.
“What?””
“How long have you known?””
His silence stretched.
“How long have you known about Lena?””
He lowered his voice.
“Vivian…”
“How long?””
Finally, he said:
“Six months.””
The air left my lungs.
Six months.
Six months of lies.
Six months of him kissing me goodbye in the morning while hiding another life.
Six months of me preparing a nursery while he prepared an escape.
Rachel covered her mouth.
“You’ve known for six months?””
Garrett didn’t look at her.
“It wasn’t what you think.””
I laughed.
A broken, empty sound.
“Then explain it.””
He ran a hand through his hair.
“Lena contacted me.””
“Why?””
“Because she needed help.””
“With what?””
He hesitated.
And again, that hesitation told me everything.
“With the baby.””
My stomach twisted.
I looked down at my son.
My beautiful baby.
My entire world.
“What does that mean?””
Garrett sat down slowly.
For the first time since entering the room, he looked tired.
“I dated Lena before you.””
“I know.””
“She got pregnant.””
My heart stopped.
Rachel whispered:
“What?””
Garrett continued.
“I didn’t know.””
I stared at him.
“You didn’t know your ex-girlfriend had a baby?””
“She never told me.””
“Why would she tell you now?””
He looked at the floor.
“Because she needed money.””
The disgust I felt surprised even me.
Not because of Lena.
Because of him.
Because somehow, even now, his first instinct was to make himself the victim.
“You’re saying she came back into your life with a baby and you just… what?””
“I tried to help.””
“You cheated on me.””
“No.””
His answer came too quickly.
“I didn’t.””
I looked at him.
“Then why were there hotel reservations?””
His face changed.
Only slightly.
But enough.
“You saw those?””
“Yes.””
Silence.
Then he sighed.
“Those were about the baby.””
I stared.
“You expect me to believe that?””
“I’m telling the truth.””
“Were you meeting her?””
“Yes.””
The word landed hard.
“Were you alone with her?””
“Yes.””
“Did you hide it from me?””
He looked away.
“Yes.””
I closed my eyes.
The pain was overwhelming.
Not physical.
Something deeper.
Because the worst betrayal wasn’t just what he did.
It was how easily he did it.
How long he lived beside me while carrying a secret that could destroy us.
“Why?””
The question came out quietly.
“Why didn’t you tell me?””
Garrett’s voice softened.
“Because I was scared.””
I looked at him.
“Scared of what?””
“Losing you.””
I stared at him.
The irony was almost unbearable.
“You were scared of losing me?””
“Yes.””
“So you lied until you lost me anyway?””
He had no answer.
The doctor returned a few minutes later.
Her expression changed when she saw Garrett.
“Are you family?””
Garrett stood.
“I’m the father.””
The doctor looked at me.
I didn’t know what to say.
Because suddenly, that word felt complicated.
Father.
Biological father.
The man who stayed.
The man who left.
The man who held a title but failed the responsibility.
The doctor noticed the tension.
“Is everything okay?””
“No,” I said.
Garrett looked at me.
“Vivian.””
I ignored him.
“I need answers.””
The doctor looked between us.
“I can come back.””
“No.””
I shook my head.
“I’m done waiting.””
The doctor stayed.
Maybe she understood.
Maybe she had seen too many women pushed aside in their own stories.
I looked at Garrett.
“Show me the test.””
He handed it over.
My eyes scanned the page.
I didn’t understand every word.
But I understood the result.
Probability of paternity:
*0.00%*
The room blurred.
For a moment, I couldn’t hear anything.
Not the machines.
Not the voices.
Nothing.
Because a number on a piece of paper had just changed the way I saw my entire life.
I looked at my son.
Then at Garrett.
“Is this why you left?””
“No.””
The answer came immediately.
But I didn’t believe him.
“Then why?””
He swallowed.
“I found out Lena’s baby wasn’t mine either.””
I frowned.
“What?””
His eyes filled with something I couldn’t identify.
Regret.
Anger.
Fear.
“The baby in the photo.””
He pointed at my phone.
“Not mine.””
I stared at him.
“Then whose is it?””
Garrett looked at the floor.
“I don’t know.””
The room went quiet again.
Then Rachel picked up my phone.
She looked at the message.
“Wait.””
“What?””
She turned the screen toward us.
The message wasn’t just a warning.
There was another line below the photo.
I hadn’t noticed it before.
It said:
*“Ask Garrett why he’s been paying child support for a baby that isn’t his.””*
My heart sank.
Garrett looked terrified.
Because that message wasn’t a surprise.
It was confirmation.
Someone was exposing him.
Someone who knew every secret he had buried.
“Who sent this?”” I asked.
Garrett didn’t answer.
“Who?””
He slowly looked at my phone.
Then whispered a name.
A name I had never heard before.
A name that made Rachel’s face go pale.
“Claire.””
I looked at both of them.
“Who is Claire?””
Neither answered.
And that scared me more than anything.
Because whatever Garrett had been hiding…
It wasn’t just about Lena.
It wasn’t just about a baby.
It was something bigger.
Something that had been following him long before tonight.
My phone buzzed again.
Another message.
This time, there was no picture.
Just words.
*“Vivian, if you want the truth about your husband, ask him what happened three years ago in Cedarcliff.””*
I looked at Garrett.
His face had gone completely white.
Because he knew exactly what happened three years ago.
And now I knew one thing.
My husband hadn’t abandoned me because he was selfish.
He had abandoned me because he was running from something.
May you like
And whatever it was…
It had finally caught up with him.
