Who's the Father?

Nicole froze for a moment, then her gaze shifted to the report lying on the floor. I saw the brief flash of panic on her face, and before I could wonder what was going on, Nicole slapped me across the face. "Christopher isn't our biological grandson? How could you do something like this? Hanley's been good to you, hasn't he? How could you betray him?"Kennard chimed in, his voice sharp and angry, "I should call your parents and ask them how they raised you. Aren't you ashamed of yourself? Doing things like this without fear of retribution?"I fought to keep my emotions in check. "I'll say this one last time—Christopher is Hanley's son, and he's your grandson. If you don't believe me, we'll wait for Hanley to come home and sort this out. Worst case, let him and Christopher take the paternity test again!"Kennard didn't respond and just glared at me.Nicole, clearly agitated, snapped at me again. "You're acting so righteous after doing such disgraceful things? Even if Hanley comes

He glared at me, his face red with fury. "I'm giving you one last chance. You'd better tell me, once and for all, whose child Christopher is. If you don't, the only one who'll be embarrassed is you when this gets out!"I touched my throbbing cheek, feeling the heat from the slap, and let out a bitter laugh. "Go ahead and spread the word. I've got nothing to hide. You can say whatever you want."Hanley grabbed my collar and hissed, "How many years have you been sneaking around behind my back? And you still expect to keep your dignity? I'm the one who's embarrassed, not you! I was blind to have married a woman like you!"I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to steady myself. "Then let's get a divorce. I have nothing more to say to you or your family. Christopher stays with me—since you clearly don't want him."The mention of divorce seemed to be the final straw. Hanley's anger exploded. "You still have the nerve to bring up divorce? Take your son and get out of my house—right now! I

Nicole's face froze, her jaw tightening as she glared at Hanley. "Hanley, there's no need to argue with this woman. We're not unreasonable people. Let's just give her back the portion of the money she contributed. This way, she'll have no reason to keep bothering us, and we can live in peace."Hanley was clearly confused. "Mom, what are you talking about? After what she did, she should leave with nothing. Why should I give her any money? Even if it goes to court, we'll have the law on our side."Kennard couldn't hold back his anger. "Exactly. I'd rather burn this house down than let her have it.""Fine, if that's how it is, I'll go straight to court for the divorce. That night, you pushed Christopher and caused his head injury—bloodied and all. That's domestic abuse. Christopher is a witness. I'm curious to see who the judge sides with. And I'll make sure to invite all your relatives to sit in on the trial."Nicole was frantic now, even stumbling over her words. "No, you can't go t

Kennard turned to Nicole. "You were the one stopping Dawn from getting the paternity test. So, all along, you were planning to pin this on her! You're the one who's been hiding all these ugly truths. How could I have been so blind all these years? Tell me—who's Hanley's father?"Hanley's face twisted with anger. "Mom! You ruined everything! You made me divorce Dawn! Christopher is my real son!"Finally, Nicole couldn't hold it in any longer. She shot a glare at me. "You've already taken the money and divorced Hanley. Why are you back now? I've been hiding this for 30 years, and you've ruined everything!"I rolled my eyes. "You started this, remember? Christopher is only three, and you threw us out in the middle of the night. What, you thought I'd just let this go? Let me tell you, this is karma. You didn't really think you could keep this secret forever, did you? Or did you think I'd happily play the fool?"Kennard shook with rage, his entire body trembling. He slapped Nicole hard