Chapter 4

Delia nodded obediently. "Thank you, Mrs. Lynch."

Watching them, I felt the last warmth in my heart turn cold.

In my first life, my parents had beaten me to death with a garden hoe. In this one, they'd nearly done the same inside my apartment.

They no longer saw their son. They saw only three boys of unknown origin.

Too weak to keep arguing, I said, "You can have the divorce, but my name must be cleared. These children won't be attached to me."

A strange smile crossed Delia's face. "Fine."

She lifted one hand, and Travis strode toward me with murder in his eyes.

He hauled me up, threw me into the cargo area of his SUV, and drove us to the Cedar Hollow Family Genetics Center.

The physician looked at me with open contempt, clearly assuming I was a wealthy man trying to abandon his children.

Delia lowered her head, her shoulders trembling.

Despite everything, seeing her cry still hurt, and I stepped toward her.

The moment my fingers touched her arm, she recoiled like a frightened animal and slapped me.

"You heartless cheater! Don't touch me. Stay away!"

Her reaction stunned me. I instinctively reached out again. "Delia, what's happening to you?"

She shoved me away with both hands as tears poured down her face. "Go away. I don't want your false kindness."

I stared at her, aching and powerless. "We loved each other. Why are you doing this?"

She looked up at me. "I'm doing this because I love you. Why can't you listen to me just once?"

Then she dropped to her knees in front of everyone.

"Please, Nathan. Claim the boys. I'm begging you. Just do this one thing for me."

Her public plea ignited the waiting room.

"What kind of man denies his own sons?"

"He looks respectable, but he's rotten inside."

"A man that cruel should never be allowed near a family again."

"She gave him three children, and he's pretending they're not his?"

"Someone teach him a lesson!"

Their accusations crashed over me from every direction.

I tried to explain. "You don't understand. She's my wife, and the facts aren't what she's claiming."

A louder wave of shouting swallowed my voice.

"He's still lying!"

"Get him!"

Someone struck me in the back. Another fist followed, then another.

The crowd surged, and blows rained over me.

I curled around my head, but something hard struck the base of my skull.

Pain exploded, and the world went black.

When I woke at St. Briar Regional Medical Center in Cedar Hollow, Franklin, I was lying in a hospital bed.

A frightened nurse handed me a document envelope.

I pushed myself upright and opened it with shaking fingers.

The moment I saw what was inside, I finally understood why everyone was forcing me to claim those three boys.