Library

Maghanap

Home / Emotional Realism Maikling Kwento / Who's the Father? / Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 9

Lahat ng Kabanata ng Who's the Father?: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 9

9 Kabanata

Chapter 1

I was working late at the office, buried under piles of paperwork when I got the call from my father-in-law, Kennard Pearce. His voice, almost a roar, blasted through the phone. "Dawn, you shameless woman! You'd better come home right now, or I'll air your dirty laundry to the world!"Before I could even respond, the line went dead. I sat there at my desk, completely bewildered. I was just finishing up the work in front of me, so I quickly grabbed my bag and rushed home.As soon as I stepped inside, I saw Kennard sitting stiffly on the couch, two pieces of paper spread out in front of him. The pages were covered with dense, tight handwriting.I didn't pay much attention to them as I changed my shoes, then glanced up at him. "Kennard, what's going on? Why did you tell me to rush home?"He scoffed, his eyes flashing with anger. "You don't even know what you've done? Do I really have to spell it out for you?"Losing my patience, I snapped back, "I don't know what you're talking a

Chapter 2

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

Chapter 3

He was asking "Where's the child", not "Where's Christopher". The realization hit me like a ton of bricks. Even he didn't believe Christopher was his son. I took a deep breath. "Hanley, we've been married for four years and known each other for six. Don't you know who I am by now? Even if you don't believe me, you can't deny that Christopher is your son." Hanley paused, his expression unreadable. "Four years? What does that prove? And besides, Christopher never looked like me from the moment he was born. Everyone around us says the same thing. How do you expect me to think?" I was at a loss for words. I couldn't figure out how to reason with this family anymore. "Fine. If you all refuse to believe Christopher is your son and your grandson, then let's go to the hospital and get another paternity test. Let's go now. I'll wake Christopher up," I said, determined. As I turned to head for the bedroom, Hanley grabbed my arm, pulling me back with force. His voice was laced w

Chapter 4

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

Chapter 5

I had seen Kennard and Nicole's health check-up reports before. They both had O-type blood. According to the chart on the wall, their child could only have O-type blood. It was impossible for their offspring to have any other blood type. But I clearly remembered that six months ago, Hanley had undergone a company-wide health check-up, and I was the one who filled out his form. It showed that he had A-type blood. How could this be…I froze for a moment, and then it hit me. No wonder Nicole had been acting so strangely, constantly urging them to kick me out, even repeatedly stopping Hanley from getting a second paternity test for Christopher. It turned out she was the one hiding something. A laugh escaped me. What was this, a movie plot? This ridiculousness was actually unfolding right before my eyes. If Kennard and Hanley found out the truth, the Pearces would be in for quite a shock. I couldn't help but think back to everything they had done to me and Christopher. My fists

Chapter 6

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

Chapter 7

The news of my divorce from Hanley spread quickly through our relatives and friends. They wasted no time in pouring insults on me in the family chat, showing no regard for the fact that I hadn't even left the group yet. I read through the cruel messages, raising an eyebrow at the audacity. I saved every word as evidence, then turned around and handed it all over to the police.Hanley, fuming with anger, snapped at me, "What more do you want now that we're divorced? You're nothing but a vindictive witch!"I didn't respond. I simply grabbed my bag and walked out, heading to our old home. When I arrived, the house was in chaos. It seemed that, thanks to my report about their defamation, some of his close relatives had already enjoyed a little visit to the police station. I knocked on the door, and Hanley was the one who answered. It had only been a few days since we last saw each other, but he looked like he'd aged ten years. His disheveled appearance was a far cry from the man

Chapter 8

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

Chapter 9

As the teacher was about to bring Christopher out, I was already turning to leave, but then Hanley suddenly groveled in front of me, squeezing out two tears."Dawn, Honey, I truly know I was wrong. My mom is in the hospital with no one to take care of her, and I still have to work. I can't manage everything alone. Please. We were once married. Please, come back. If you do, I'll transfer the house into your name..." I didn't care about the curious stares from the onlookers as I shouted, "Once married? Thinking back on those years with you makes me want to throw up! What, you suddenly want me back now that you don't have a maid at home? Do you think I'll let myself be taken advantage of again? I'm living a good life with my son—why would I go back to serve you and your mom? You should wake up!"Hanley hung his head, ashamed, not saying a word. The teacher came out with Christopher, and I glanced at Hanley. "Don't ever come near me again. Stay far away. This is what you said to me b

I-scan ang code para mabasa sa App

DMCA.com Protection Status