Chapter 6
1008 Words
Bridget's POV
The word DNA test echoed in my head long after Noah said it.
We were no longer standing in the school parking lot. The evening sun had dipped lower, painting the sky in dull orange streaks, but I barely noticed any of it. My attention was locked on the man standing across from me.
Noah Webber.
The man I had once loved, the man who had shattered me, and now the man asking for proof that my son existed.
Bryan walked a few steps ahead of us toward the school gate, kicking a small pebble along the pavement. He seemed happy enough, humming softly to himself, unaware of the storm building between the adults behind him.
I folded my arms tightly.
“A DNA test?” I repeated.
Noah’s jaw tightened slightly, but his voice remained calm.
“Yes.”
The single word felt like a blade sliding between my ribs.
“You don’t believe me,” I said quietly.
“That’s not what I said.”
“It’s exactly what you said.”
He ran a hand through his hair, frustration flashing across his face.
“Bridget, I just found out I might have a seven-year-old son. You expect me not to verify it?”
My throat burned.
“Verify it?” I whispered. “You think I would lie about something like that?”
“No.”
“But you think it’s possible.”
His silence answered for him, and the old anger surged up inside me like a tidal wave.
Seven years.
Seven years of raising Bryan alone.
Seven years of sleepless nights, hospital visits, school meetings, and birthdays where my son blew out candles without a father beside him, and now Noah wanted paperwork.
Proof
I laughed bitterly.
“Unbelievable,” I roared.
“Bridget…”
“No, don’t,” I snapped. “Don’t try to soften it. You’re doing exactly what you did before.”
His eyes narrowed.
“And what exactly did I do before?”
“You doubted me.”
“That’s not how I remember it.”
“Of course you don’t.”
The words slipped out sharp and fast, years of pain pushing them forward, then Bryan turned around suddenly.
“Mom?”
His small voice instantly broke the tension. I forced a smile onto my face.
“Yes, baby?”
He pointed toward a large banner hanging outside the school building.
“Look! My picture is still there!”
Sure enough, a banner celebrating the charity event still hung proudly on the wall. Several student photos decorated it, including Bryan’s, smiling brightly beside the puzzle table.
Bryan ran toward it excitedly.
“Wait here!” he called.
The moment he was out of earshot, Noah lowered his voice.
“You think I’m trying to hurt you,” he said quietly.
“Aren’t you?”
“No.”
“Because it feels exactly like before.”
His expression darkened slightly.
“I told you I never received your messages.”
“And I told you I never left.”
The argument circled back again like a wound refusing to close, and for a moment, neither of us spoke. Then Noah exhaled slowly.
“The DNA test isn’t about accusing you,” he said. “It’s about certainty.”
I stared at him.
“You already know the truth.”
“Do I?”
His question stopped me cold. For the first time since this conversation began, I saw something different in his eyes, I saw fear, real fear.
“You’re scared,” I realized.
His jaw clenched.
“Of course I am.”
The honesty in his voice caught me off guard.
“I just found out I might have missed seven years of my child’s life,” he said quietly. “That’s not something a man processes in five minutes.”
My anger wavered slightly, before I could respond, Bryan came running back toward us.
“Mom! Mr. Webber!”
He stopped right between us, looking up with bright excitement.
“Are you both coming to my science fair next month?”
The innocent question hit like a stone dropped into still water. I blinked.
“The science fair?”
Bryan nodded eagerly.
“Yes! My teacher said parents should come.”
Then he looked directly at Noah.
“Will you come too?”
The question hung there. Noah looked down at him, something in his expression softened in a way I hadn’t seen before.
“If the test confirms what your mom says,” Noah said carefully, “then I’ll be there.”
Bryan grinned.
“Okay!”
He seemed perfectly satisfied with that answer, but my heart twisted.
Noah straightened.
“I’ll arrange the test tomorrow,” he said. “It won’t take long.”
I stared at him.
“You really need a lab to tell you what I already know.”
“I need certainty,” he replied.
Bryan tugged on my sleeve again.
“Mom, can we get ice cream?” I sighed softly.
“Maybe tomorrow.”
“Pleeease?”
I hesitated.
Then Noah suddenly spoke.
“There’s an ice cream shop down the street.”
I looked at him sharply.
“You don’t have to…”
“I want to.”
Bryan’s face lit up like fireworks.
“Really?!”
Noah nodded once.
“Really.”
Bryan grabbed my hand with one hand and reached for Noah’s with the other.
Neither of us moved for a second, then Bryan pulled.
“Come on!”
Reluctantly, I allowed him to drag us both toward the sidewalk. For a brief moment, the three of us walked side by side. It felt strangely normal, but as we reached the street corner, I noticed something that made my stomach clink.
Across the road, a black car sat parked quietly, inside it, someone was watching us, and the moment the car’s tinted window rolled up slowly… A terrible thought crossed my mind: someone knew the truth had just come out.
- Writer
