Chapter 3
The staff member beside me was a young woman. As I left, she gave me a hesitant glance, as if she wanted to speak.
Noticing her hesitation, I paused, pulled out my phone, and opened WhatsApp. "Mind if I get your number?"
She shook her head. "I'm afraid I can't. It's against policy."
I understood. On paper, it was a no, but really, it was fine.
"I have some questions to ask. I'll probably need you to run another test later," I said.
"Certainly. Here's my work number. You can reach me there."
I added her number, and she approved it within seconds.
"If you have any questions, just hit me up anytime on WhatsApp. I'll help however I can," she offered.
It was obviously a private number. I kept quiet, thanked her, and walked away.
By the time I got home, it was around noon. I didn't feel like cooking, so I ordered delivery.
While waiting for my food, I pulled out the photos I'd snapped while keeping tabs on Claire.
Before she got pregnant, her life was routine. She went straight from work to her apartment and back.
Sometimes she'd go out for dinner or catch a movie, but always with Frank.
After she got pregnant, she hardly ever went to the office. Most days, she stayed at home.
Every evening, she'd head downstairs to the park for a walk, usually with Edith by her side.
Everything looked perfectly normal.
Just then, the doorbell rang. I went to the door to grab my food.
Watching the delivery guy walk away, my thoughts started drifting.
Come on, there was no way the real father of Claire's kid would be hiding as a delivery guy.
Impossible. I shook my head. Why was I starting to imagine things?
As far as I knew, Claire had no contact with anyone outside Frank, Orion, and Edith.
Suddenly, a thought hit me.
I sucked in a sharp breath.
No one but Frank. No one but my in-laws.
No one but Frank. Only Orion and Edith.
Aside from Frank, the only man Claire could see, the only one she spent time with...
It was Orion.
Now it all clicked. Of course Ben shared a kinship with Orion.
But kinship? That was a father-son relationship, plain and simple.
I thought of Claire, all helpless and frail, and then of Orion, his face a mess of creases and lines.
The image of them together hit me. I ran to the bathroom and vomited.
There was nothing in my stomach, so all I puked up was just sour bile.
Claire had no education, no skills, and not a shred of decency.
And Orion? That shameless scumbag actually hooked up with his own son's woman.
Doubled over the toilet, I burst out laughing.
Well, wasn't this just the best thing ever!
I could hardly wait for the moment the venomous Edith learned the truth.
Wasn't Ben supposed to be her precious grandson? If she ever found out the child wasn't her grandson at all, but her son's half brother...
I laughed harder. Talk about karma! I couldn't wait for this trainwreck to blow up in their faces.
Now that I knew the truth, looking back, the signs were all over the place.
I thought back to when Claire, Edith, and Orion had come over.
Claire took the lead, then Edith followed with her tirade. All the while, Claire had positioned herself right beside Orion, showing no awareness of the need for distance.
And this morning at the testing center, the way they stood was just as revealing.
Claire stuck to Orion the whole time. She was practically glued to him when they looked at the report.
That kind of behavior totally crossed social boundaries, but neither of them seemed to notice anything off.
People act on instinct, and that never lies. But at the time, I was so consumed with the results not matching my expectations that I let it slide.
In hindsight, the answer was staring me in the face back then.
I pulled up Claire's chat and fired off a message.
[That kinship test means nothing to me. Do it again with me there. I don't believe Ben is Frank's son. What did he see in you? I have a college degree and skills. How are you better than me?]
Why did I go to Claire instead of Orion? Because she was the dumb one.
Once I sent that, she'd read it as panic, desperation, a futile last stand.
Sure enough, she replied quickly: [Emily, you're just jealous. Do the test a hundred times. Ben is still Frank's son. Frank chose me, not you. If you still don't accept it, then go ahead and prove it.]
I replied: [Tomorrow at the testing center.]
She replied: [Sure.]
Claire would convince Orion to go along with it. She must see my refusal to believe as delusion. And she'd be feeling pretty smug about it.