Chapter 5: Impossible

Naomi’s POV

“What do you mean?”

I stared at Dr. Roslyn and waited for her to admit she made a mistake.

“The DNA test proves Stefan is not the biological father,” Dr. Roslyn said. She looked down at the white report in her hands. “The result is conclusive, Naomi.”

I turned to Stefan. The coldness radiating from him felt worse than a slap.

“No,” I said. “Something is wrong with the test.”

“We followed all standard protocols,” Dr. Roslyn answered quietly.

“Then run it again.” I looked from the doctor to Stefan. “Use another laboratory. Draw my blood again. Take his sample again. I do not care what it costs. This result is wrong.”

Stefan finally looked at me with a stern face and still didn’t say a word to me.

“Dad, this isn’t true,” I pleaded. “I never slept with anyone else. Stefan is the only man I ever touched.”

Then my mom burst out laughing mockingly and everyone turned their attention to her.

“I knew it,” my mother said, stepping forward with venom in her voice. “All these years acting like the golden daughter, and this is what you really are. A liar and a whore.”

“Katerina!” my father warned, stepping in front of her.

“No, let me finish!” she snapped, pointing at me. “She stood there acting superior to Phoebe while trying to pin another man’s bastard on the Catwright heir. I always knew there was something rotten in her.” Then she turned to me, “You had the chance to walk away and allow your sister save our face from shame yet you decided to bring more shame to our house.”

She was not my focus at the moment so I paid no attention to her . What hurt was Stefan’s silence. He took his jacket from the chair but kept it in his hand, as if he forgot what he meant to do with it.

“Stefan,” I called out, my voice cracking.

He didn’t answer me. He looked at the doctor, nodded once, and said, “Thank you.”

Then he turned and walked out the door.

I pushed the door open, ignored how dizzy I felt, and hurried after him into the hallway.

“Stefan, wait!”

He stopped walking. When he turned around, he didn’t shout or look angry. He just looked tired and hurt.

“The test is wrong,” I said, catching up to him. “You know we were together. You know we were.”

I thought he might tell me to run the test again, or ask Dr. Roslyn how a result like that was possible. I would have gone through it all again if that was what it took. He knew me. He knew what happened between us.

“I had hope.” He said quietly.

Then walked away with the jacket still in his hand.

I knew he meant the baby. He let himself believe, for a little while, that he could be a father.

His parents came out of the office. Mr. Catwright went after Stefan, but Mrs. Catwright stayed. She was the one person in that family who cared whether I was happy there. I needed her to remember that now.

“Mrs. Catwright, you know me,” I said. “I never slept with anyone else.”

“I want to believe you, Naomi.” She sounded miserable. “I don’t understand the result.”

“Neither do I.”

She said she was sorry, then followed her husband. I wanted her to stay with me, but I could not ask her to.

Dad came out and brought me back into the office. Katerina was still there.

“You’d better decide where you’re taking that child,” she said. “You’re not bringing another man’s bastard into my house.”

“It’s Stefan’s child mom.”

I was tired of saying the same thing to people who knew I would not lie about this. Tears rolled down my cheeks as she stared at me as if the sight of me now irritated her.

“Why do you hate me so much mom.” I asked in between tears.

She walked up to my face and patted my shoulder “There’s so much you do not know—“

“Katerina just stop!,” Dad interrupted “Leave now.” He commanded.

She argued with him on her way out and when she was gone Dad came around me. “I believe you, sweetheart. Let’s go home for now, we will talk about this later.”

I wiped my tears with the back of my hand and took a deep breath then carried my bag and left with him. By the time we reached the house, I wanted to be alone so I went straight to my room. A while later, I called Muna to come be with me before I lost my self. She was my only trusted friend.

When she came in, she hugged me so tightly already sensing what I was about to tell her. I narrated all events of the past days.

“That makes no sense,” she said. “You told them you wanted another test so how hard was it to order one?”

“He didn’t believe me or say a word to me. He just left.”

Muna was quiet for a moment. “Are you absolutely sure about him being the father?”

“Not you too.” I snapped. The question felt like a betrayal

“I believe you,” she cleared it in a hurry. “I’m trying to understand what went wrong with the test.”

“I don’t know or …” I tried to think of any way I may have conceived without Stefan.

“He left. He didn’t even want to hear me out. He couldn’t bring himself to look at me for more than a second.”

Muna squeezed my hand. “So what are you going to do now?”

I looked down at my stomach. Underneath the shock and the humiliation, I felt a sudden sensation of relief. I was done, and tired of begging people to believe the truth, and I was done letting the Catwright family decide what my life was worth.

“I’m booking an appointment at the private clinic outside.”