Chapter Eight: Someone Knows the Result

Elena stared at the message until the words blurred.

The test will prove he's the father.

Her fingers went cold.

She looked around the hospital corridor.

People moved in every direction. Nurses pushed carts. Doctors hurried between rooms. Families waited outside examination areas.

Everything looked normal.

But Elena no longer felt safe.

Someone was watching them.

Someone knew about the DNA test.

And that meant whoever was behind this had access to information they shouldn't have.

"Mama?"

Noah's voice pulled her back.

She immediately put her phone away.

"What is it, sweetheart?"

"You look scared."

Elena forced a smile.

"I'm okay."

Noah didn't look convinced.

"You always say that when you're not okay."

A small laugh escaped her despite the fear tightening her chest.

"You're becoming too observant."

"I learned from you."

She crouched and hugged him.

For several seconds, she simply held him.

Whatever happened next, she couldn't let fear control her.

Noah needed her to be strong.

---

Across the city, Damien stood in his office staring at his phone.

He had received no response from the clinic.

The forty-eight-hour wait was already testing his patience.

He called Marcus.

"Any update?"

"Not yet."

Damien looked toward the windows.

"Find out who accessed the DNA testing records."

There was a pause.

"Are you sure someone did?"

"Someone knew about the test before the results were available."

Marcus became silent.

"That's impossible unless—"

"Unless they have access to the clinic."

"Or someone inside the Ashford family."

Damien's jaw tightened.

"Exactly."

He ended the call.

The room felt colder.

For years, he had trusted the people closest to him.

Now every familiar face seemed suspicious.

His phone rang again.

This time, it was Elena.

He answered immediately.

"What happened?"

Her silence told him something was wrong.

"Elena?"

"Someone changed Noah's emergency contact information."

Damien stood.

"What?"

"Your name is on the hospital record."

He frowned.

"I didn't do that."

"I know."

Her voice trembled.

"Someone also knew about the DNA test."

Damien's expression hardened.

"Did they contact you?"

"Yes."

"What did they say?"

Elena hesitated.

"They said the test would prove you're his father."

Damien closed his eyes.

For a moment, he couldn't speak.

He had spent the entire day trying to prepare himself for that possibility.

Hearing it from Elena made it real.

"Where are you?"

"The hospital."

"I'll be there."

"Damien—"

"I'll be there."

---

He arrived twenty minutes later.

Elena was waiting near the hospital entrance.

The moment she saw him, she walked toward him.

"You shouldn't have come."

"I wasn't going to stay away."

"You don't understand."

"I understand enough."

His voice softened.

"Someone is threatening you."

Elena looked away.

"And Noah."

Damien's expression changed.

"I won't let anyone hurt him."

She looked at him.

"You don't know if he's your son."

"No."

Damien held her gaze.

"But I know I care what happens to him."

That answer silenced her.

For a moment, neither spoke.

Then Damien noticed the fear in her eyes.

"You're coming with me."

"Where?"

"Somewhere safe."

Elena immediately shook her head.

"No."

"Elena—"

"I've protected Noah for five years without you."

"And someone is threatening him now."

She looked at him sharply.

"That doesn't mean I need you to take control of our lives."

Damien paused.

He understood.

She wasn't refusing his help because she didn't care.

She was refusing because she had spent five years learning how to survive without anyone.

"I won't control anything," he said quietly.

"Then what will you do?"

"Stand beside you."

Elena stared at him.

Those words reminded her of another time.

Another promise.

Five years ago, Damien had told her he would never leave her alone.

He had disappeared the next morning.

She wasn't ready to trust another promise.

But this time, she didn't walk away.

---

Later that night, Elena sat beside Noah's hospital bed.

Damien remained outside the room.

He hadn't left.

Noah eventually woke up.

His sleepy eyes moved toward the doorway.

"Is Damien still here?"

Elena smiled.

"Yes."

"Can he come in?"

She hesitated.

Then nodded.

Damien entered.

Noah smiled.

"I thought you went home."

"Not yet."

"Why?"

Damien pulled a chair closer.

"Because I wanted to make sure you're okay."

Noah looked at him thoughtfully.

"You worry like Mama."

Damien smiled.

"She worries a lot."

"She does."

Elena gave Noah a look.

He laughed.

For a few minutes, the room felt strangely peaceful.

Damien watched Noah talk about school, cartoons, and the toy car he wanted for his birthday.

He listened to every word.

He didn't know if this was his son.

But his heart had already started making room for the boy.

---

When Noah fell asleep again, Damien stepped into the hallway.

Elena followed.

"He likes you," she said.

Damien smiled faintly.

"I like him too."

She looked down.

"Don't get attached before we know the truth."

He studied her.

"Are you afraid the result will say I'm his father?"

Elena's eyes lifted.

"I'm afraid of what happens if it does."

Damien understood.

Because becoming Noah's father wasn't simply about biology.

It meant entering Elena's life again.

It meant confronting five years of pain.

It meant facing the people who had kept them apart.

"I won't force anything," he said.

Elena looked at him.

"But if he's my son..."

He stopped.

His voice became quiet.

"I'll spend the rest of my life making sure he knows I chose him."

Something inside Elena cracked.

She looked away before he could see the tears in her eyes.

---

At midnight, Damien received a call from Marcus.

He answered immediately.

"Talk."

"I found something."

Damien stepped farther down the corridor.

"What?"

"The person who accessed the hospital records used an executive access code."

"Whose?"

Marcus hesitated.

"Yours."

Damien's eyes narrowed.

"That's impossible."

"I thought so too. But the system shows your credentials."

"Can you trace the device?"

"I already did."

Damien waited.

"It's registered to Ashford Tower."

His expression darkened.

"Who used it?"

"We're checking the security footage."

"Send it to me."

A few seconds later, a video appeared on Damien's phone.

He pressed play.

The footage showed someone entering a restricted office late that evening.

The person's face was hidden.

But when they turned toward the camera, Damien noticed something.

A distinctive ring.

He knew that ring.

He had seen it every day for years.

The video froze.

Damien's blood ran cold.

Because the person who had accessed Noah's records...

was someone he trusted completely.

Someone inside his own family.

Then Marcus sent one final message.

Mr. Ashford, there's something else.

Damien opened it.

The DNA laboratory was accessed too.

His heart stopped.

The results weren't ready yet.

But someone had already tried to get them.

And whoever it was wasn't waiting to discover whether Noah was Damien's son.

They were trying to make sure Damien never found out.