Chapter 13 - THE NAME ON THE DNA REPORT
Daniel stared at the speaker.
For several seconds, he thought he had misunderstood.
He looked at Elena.
Her face reflected the same disbelief.
Marcus replayed the recording.
Rachel’s voice returned.
“You are not the father of those children.”
The message ended there.
No explanation.
No context.
Just another explosion.
Daniel looked at Charles.
“What does she mean?”
Charles’s expression gave nothing away.
Daniel crossed the aisle.
“What does she mean?”
“I don’t know.”
“You always know.”
“Not this.”
Vivienne laughed from beside an officer.
Daniel turned toward her.
“You know.”
She shook her head.
“No.”
“You reacted.”
“Because it’s funny.”
Daniel stepped closer.
“What is funny?”
“The Whitmore obsession with blood.”
Her smile was bitter.
“Your father destroyed lives trying to create the perfect heir.”
“And now perhaps none of them are yours.”
Elena’s face hardened.
“Stop enjoying this.”
Vivienne looked at her.
“You think I’m enjoying it?”
“You stole my children.”
“I raised Noah.”
“You stole him.”
“I loved him.”
Elena took one step closer.
“Then why was he afraid of you?”
Vivienne stopped smiling.
Daniel saw the hit land.
He turned back to Charles.
“We do DNA tests now.”
Charles nodded.
Marcus frowned.
“We need a lab we trust.”
Daniel looked at him.
“Police lab.”
Marcus hesitated.
Daniel noticed.
“What?”
“Given how deep this case may go, I don’t trust everyone.”
Daniel almost laughed.
“Welcome to my life.”
They drove to a university medical center Marcus trusted.
Noah and Sophie were brought under guard.
Marcus provided a sample.
Daniel did too.
Elena sat between Noah and Sophie while nurses collected cheek swabs.
Noah frowned afterward.
“Is this because of Mommy?”
Daniel crouched.
“It’s because grown-ups made things confusing.”
Noah looked at Elena.
“She’s still Mommy.”
Daniel’s throat tightened.
“Yes.”
Noah stared at him.
“Are you still Daddy?”
Daniel froze.
The entire room seemed to disappear.
He saw fear in Noah’s face.
Not curiosity.
Fear.
Daniel took both of the boy’s hands.
“Yes.”
Noah swallowed.
“Even if the test says no?”
Daniel’s eyes burned.
“Yes.”
The boy threw his arms around him.
Daniel held him.
Over Noah’s shoulder, he saw Elena crying silently.
Sophie watched them.
Her expression was cautious.
Daniel extended one arm toward her.
She did not move at first.
Then she stepped closer.
Daniel wrapped his arm around both children.
It was awkward.
Uncertain.
But real.
The results took several hours.
Marcus paced.
Charles remained under guard.
Vivienne had been transferred to police custody.
Elena barely left the children.
At 4:17 in the morning, Dr. Renee Collins entered.
She held several pages.
Daniel stood.
“Well?”
The doctor looked around.
“I need to explain carefully.”
Daniel hated those words.
“Start with Noah.”
Dr. Collins looked at him.
“Noah is Elena’s biological child.”
Elena closed her eyes.
She had known.
But hearing science confirm it was different.
Daniel asked the harder question.
“And me?”
The doctor paused.
“You are not Noah’s biological father.”
Silence.
Daniel felt nothing for several seconds.
Then everything at once.
Noah looked up from the sofa.
Daniel immediately looked at him.
He remembered his promise.
He forced himself not to break.
“Sophie?”
Dr. Collins continued.
“Elena is also Sophie’s biological mother.”
Daniel nodded slowly.
“And her father?”
“Not you.”
Elena looked confused.
“So Rachel’s message was true.”
“Yes.”
Daniel sat down.
The room tilted.
Charles stared at the floor.
Daniel noticed.
“Who is their father?”
Dr. Collins looked at Marcus.
“We compared available samples.”
Marcus stiffened.
“No.”
The doctor spoke gently.
“Marcus, Eli is not biologically related to you.”
Marcus closed his eyes.
Daniel asked again.
“Who is the father of Elena’s children?”
Dr. Collins hesitated.
“There is a close paternal relationship to the Whitmore line.”
Daniel frowned.
“What does that mean?”
“The father is related to you.”
Charles slowly stood.
Daniel looked at him.
A cold realization began forming.
“No.”
Charles’s face went gray.
Elena stepped backward.
“No.”
Daniel stared at his father.
“You?”
Charles shook his head quickly.
“No.”
Dr. Collins interrupted.
“Mr. Charles Whitmore is not the father.”
Daniel exhaled.
Then froze again.
“Then who?”
Dr. Collins looked at Charles.
“There is another first-degree male relative.”
Daniel stared.
“I don’t have a brother.”
Charles closed his eyes.
That was the answer.
Daniel’s voice dropped.
“Yes, I do.”
Charles said nothing.
“Don’t I?”
Still nothing.
Daniel walked toward him.
“I have a brother.”
Charles finally nodded.
Elena stared.
“Where is he?”
Charles’s face tightened.
“I don’t know.”
Daniel laughed.
“Of course you don’t.”
“What is his name?”
Charles whispered.
“Adrian.”
Daniel’s heart raced.
“How old?”
“Thirty-nine.”
Three years older than Daniel.
“Who is his mother?”
Charles looked away.
“Your mother.”
Daniel felt as though he had been struck.
“My mother had another son?”
“Yes.”
“Before me?”
“Yes.”
“And you hid him?”
Charles nodded.
Daniel’s voice shook.
“Why?”
Charles did not answer.
Daniel shouted.
“Why?”
“Because he was sick.”
Daniel stared.
“What kind of sick?”
Charles’s face hardened with old shame.
“The heart defect.”
“Severe?”
“Yes.”
“He needed surgeries.”
“Yes.”
“So you hid him because he embarrassed you.”
“No.”
“Then what?”
Charles looked at Daniel.
“Your mother tried to leave me with him.”
Silence.
Daniel’s anger faltered.
Charles continued.
“She discovered what I was becoming.”
“The clinic.”
“The deals.”
“The obsession with legacy.”
“She wanted out.”
Daniel stared.
“What happened?”
“I stopped her.”
“How?”
Charles’s eyes filled with something Daniel had never seen.
Regret.
“I had her declared unstable.”
Daniel recoiled.
“You institutionalized Mom?”
Charles whispered.
“For six months.”
Daniel’s entire childhood shifted.
His mother had always told him she spent six months in Europe when he was little.
Another lie.
“And Adrian?”
“He was placed in private care.”
“Did she get him back?”
“No.”
“Why?”
Charles swallowed.
“She died before she could.”
Daniel wanted to hit him.
Instead, he asked the question that mattered.
“What happened to Adrian?”
“He disappeared at seventeen.”
“Did you search?”
“For years.”
Daniel laughed bitterly.
“No wonder he hates you.”
Charles looked up.
Daniel froze.
“You think he is the one who took Eli.”
Charles said nothing.
Marcus stepped forward.
“You think Adrian killed Reed.”
Charles nodded.
Daniel’s mind raced.
“But why would Adrian help Victor Laurent?”
“I don’t think he did.”
“Then how did his genetic material end up in Elena’s pregnancies?”
Charles stared at him.
“He was a patient at the clinic as a child.”
Daniel understood.
Stored samples.
Just like Daniel’s.
Elena looked horrified.
“So nobody consented.”
Charles shook his head.
“No.”
Marcus whispered.
“Victor used Adrian’s samples instead of Daniel’s.”
“Why?”
Charles’s face turned cold.
“Revenge.”
Daniel frowned.
“Against whom?”
“Me.”
The hospital door opened.
An officer entered carrying an envelope.
“This was delivered downstairs.”
“For who?”
“Daniel Whitmore.”
Daniel opened it.
Inside was a photograph.
Two boys stood beside a hospital bed.
One was Eli.
The other was an adult man kneeling beside him.
Dark hair.
Gray eyes.
A face that looked disturbingly like Daniel’s.
May you like
On the back, four words were written.
COME MEET YOUR BROTHER.
