I made my way to my mother’s house. The moment she opened the door, she gasped. “Carol? What happened?”
I broke down again. She pulled me inside, listening in horror as I told her everything. She held me as I cried.
Days passed. My body grew stronger. Once I had recovered enough, I left Eliza with my mom and went to see Bill.
I knocked on the door, my heart steady. Bill opened it, his face unreadable. “What do you want?” he asked.
Wordlessly, I handed him an envelope. “This is the real DNA test,” I said. “I took your toothbrush. In case you didn’t notice.”
His brows furrowed. “So that’s where it went.” He tore the envelope open. His eyes scanned the page. “99.9%,” he read aloud. His breath caught.
“Eliza is your daughter,” I said firmly.
Bill looked at me, his expression shifting. “Carol, I’m so sorry,” he said. “I’m sorry I believed my mother.”
I shook my head. “No.”
His face fell. “I thought she wasn’t mine. But now that I know she is, I want you both to come back.”
I stared at him, my hands tightening. “You don’t deserve to be her father. You never questioned whether Jessica’s test was real. You didn’t stop for a second to think about me or Eliza. I did this so you would know exactly what you lost. Because of your mother, you threw us away.”
His voice broke. “Please. I’ll cut her off. Just come back.”
I took a step back. “I’m filing for divorce. I want full custody.”
“Carol—”
I turned away. “Goodbye, Bill.”
As I got into my car, I heard him call my name. But I drove away, knowing Eliza and I would be just fine.
