All Chapters of The Gift Of Rejection: Chapter 11 - Chapter 17

London felt different tonight.Colder.Not because of the weather, but because something inside me had shifted.The rain fell quietly outside the taxi window as Freddo leaned against me, his small hand wrapped tightly around mine. The city lights blurred into steaks of gold and white as the cab moved through the streets.My heart still hadn't slowed down.Jason's face kept replaying in my mind.The way his eyes softened when he looked at Freddo.The shock.The regret.The pain.I shut my eyes briefly.No.I refused to let myself think about him.Not now.Not after everything.Freddo squeezed my hand gently.“Mom?”I looked down at him.“Yes baby?”“Was that man… the one from yesterday?”My throat tightened.He remembered.Of course he did.“Yes”, I replied softly.Freddo frowned slightly, his brows knitting together in concentration.“He looked sad.”I blinked.Sad?Of all the things Freddo could have said, I wasn't expecting that.“You think so?” I said gently.Freddo nodded.“He loo

I did not sleep that night.Not even for a minute.Freddo's small voice kept echoing in my head."Are you my daddy?"I stared at the ceiling of my bedroom, my chest tight. I had faced business rivals, boardroom battles, and ruthless negotiations, but nothing had ever shaken me like that small question.Because I did not know the answer.And yet, something inside me already did.I sat up slowly, rubbing my face. Dawn light slipped through the curtains. My head hurt from thinking too much, but my heart refused to calm down.Freddo.The boy looked like me.His eyes.His quiet nature.Even the way he held my hand felt familiar.I stood up and walked toward the window. London was still quiet. The city had not fully woken up yet.But my world already had.I picked up my phone and dialed a number."Good morning, sir," my assistant answered almost immediately."I need you to arrange something for me.""Yes, sir.""I want a private DNA test done. Today."There was a brief pause."Understood, s

I could still hear the doctors word echoing in my head. “Freddo may have a rare blood condition.”Evelyn sat beside me, her hands trembling slightly as she stared at the floor. The fear in her eye had not faded since we heard the news. She looked pale, exhausted and fragile. I hated seeing her like this.The hallway felt too quiet, every passing nurse made my heart jump hoping they were coming with goodnews.Evelyn suddenly spoke.“Jason..”I turned to her.“Yes?”She hesitated before speaking. “ Do you think he'll be okay?” her voice was soft and fragile. I nodded gently, “he will.” I wanted to sound confident, I needed to sound confident, but deep inside, fear was slowly creeping in.She nodded slowly, I knew she wasn't convinced.Silence fell again, then my phone rang of a notification. My chest tightened immediately. I pulled it out slowly. The DNA result. My heart pounded. I opened it. Probability of paternity: 0%. I stared at the screen. My mind went blank. This didn't make se

The hallway suddenly felt too narrow. Vanessa's words kept ringing in my head.The boy looks like your brother. My chest tightened. That was impossible. My brother had been gone for years. I watched Vanessa carefully. “What are you trying to say?” I asked quietly. She folded her hands, studying me.“I'm saying you should stop ignoring what is right in front of you.” I ran my hand throught air frustrated."This doesn't make sense.""Doesn't it?" she asked softly.I stayed silent.Because the truth was, something already felt wrong.Freddo's face.His eyes.Even his smile.It had felt familiar.Too familiar.Vanessa stepped closer."You should look into the past again.""I already did.""No. Not deep enough."My jaw tightened."What do you know, Vanessa?"She hesitated.Then she spoke slowly."I know that your brother wasn't alone before he died."My heart skipped."What do you mean?""He was seeing someone."I froze.My brother had always been private.He never told anyone about his p