Chapter 3

Over the next two days, I pretended nothing had happened and continued playing the role of the loving, family-oriented husband.

On Friday evening, Vera came home unusually early, carrying takeout from my favorite seafood restaurant.

“Honey, work wasn’t busy today, so I came home to spend time with you and Maya.”

As she changed into her house slippers, she walked over and instinctively leaned in to kiss my forehead. I fought back the nausea rising in my stomach and subtly turned my head away, pretending to take the food from her hands.

“Perfect timing. Keith said he received a bonus today and wanted to stop by to see Maya. He’ll be here soon.”

Vera’s hand froze for a split second, but she quickly recovered, slipping back into her usual gentle smile.

“Is that so? That’s nice. The more, the merrier.”

Half an hour later, the doorbell rang.

Keith stood outside, holding an expensive Barbie Dreamhouse playset. He was dressed in a fitted casual shirt and wearing cologne, looking less like a friend dropping by for dinner and more like someone arriving for a date.

“Tate!” Keith called the moment he stepped inside. He gave my shoulder an affectionate pat before crouching down and opening his arms to Maya.

“Maya, come here and let me hug you. I’ve missed you so much!”

Maya squealed and ran into his arms.

“Keith, did you bring me a present?”

“Of course. You know I love you more than anyone.”

Keith smiled and kissed Maya on the cheek.

I stood to the side, coldly observing the tenderness between father and daughter.

I used to think Keith simply loved children. But the way he looked at Maya revealed a hidden possessiveness and an unmistakable paternal instinct.

At dinner, Vera, wearing an apron, placed the shrimp she had peeled onto my plate.

“Honey, you haven’t been looking well lately,” she said softly. “Eat a little more. You need to build your strength back up.”

Across the table, Keith’s expression darkened ever so slightly as he watched Vera fuss over me.

A moment later, he picked up a piece of belly meat from the fish with his fork and placed it on Maya’s plate.

In an offhand tone, he said, “Vera, I remember this has always been your favorite part of the fish. Maya really takes after you. Even her taste in food is the same.”

Vera’s hand paused midair. She instinctively glanced at me before forcing a laugh.

“Yeah. I mean, she’s been around me her whole life.”

“Indeed.” I set down my fork and gave Keith a faint smile that did not reach my eyes.

“Maya didn’t just inherit Vera’s taste. The older she gets, the more I swear she looks like you, Keith.”

The air seemed to freeze in an instant.

Keith’s smile stiffened, and his fork nearly slipped from his hand.

Vera’s expression changed just as quickly, but years in the corporate world had given her exceptional composure. She immediately jumped in to smooth things over.

“Honey, what are you talking about? Maya’s adopted. How could she look like Keith?”

“T-Tate… come on, don’t mess with me like that.”

Keith finally recovered and forced an awkward laugh to hide his panic.

“If I had a daughter that beautiful, I’d wake up smiling every day.”

“I was just kidding. Look how nervous you two got.” I let out a soft chuckle and picked up my fork again.

“But seriously, Keith, you’re not getting any younger. Aren’t you thinking about finding a girlfriend and settling down? You can’t be everyone else’s godfather forever.”

Keith lowered his head and picked at his food, his voice tight.

“I… I’m not in any rush. I’ll settle down when I meet the right person.”

I sneered inwardly as I watched the furtive glance they exchanged beneath the table.

“Keep pretending. Let’s see how much longer you can keep this up,” I thought.

After dinner, Keith offered to help me with the dishes and followed me into the kitchen.

Once the sliding door closed, we were completely hidden from view.

As he washed the plates, Keith cautiously asked, “Tate, did you and Vera fight recently? You’ve been acting a little strange today.”

I leaned against the counter and stared at the fake concern on his face. The whole thing suddenly felt utterly absurd.

“No,” I said flatly. “I just realized that some things aren’t yours, and even if you go to great lengths to take them, you can never truly hide them.”

The plate in Keith’s hand struck the sink with a loud clatter, sending water splashing everywhere.

He turned sharply toward me, and for a split second, pure terror flashed in his eyes.

Just then, my phone vibrated inside my apron pocket.

It was a text message from the DNA testing lab.

[Mr. Lunsford, your expedited DNA test results are ready. A digital copy has been sent to your email.]