Chapter4
1078 Words
The Brothers
Ariana's POV
"Are you out of your mind, Ana?"
"No, dad. Completely in my right senses."
He stood arms akimbo. "You are definitely going to regret this."
I felt nothing like regret. Just some need to be out of the misery.
My father was standing in my way. I was halfway to the gate when he caught up with me, dragging my appurtenances. I looked up at him. "What would you do if you were in my shoes, dad?"
"This has nothing to do with me."
"Exactly. That's why I'm making the decision for me."
"You need to go back in there and rethink this."
"I am not welcome here. And Ethan has no respect for my feelings. Out the gate is more welcoming. Don't try to stop me, dad. Else, I'll think you don't want my happiness either."
"Where will you go?"
"We still have a house, dad," I reminded him. "And I know you kept part of that money for me."
He nodded. "Jesus Christ."
"Good. I'll need to go to the hospital later. My lawyer tells me that if I'm pregnant for Ethan, things could get complicated."
"Aren't you worried you could be pregnant for him?"
"No. Because he hardly touched me."
Our house was right on Jenny Street, low suburbs, where people like me belonged. We lived on the third floor, with very nosy neighbors.
"Is that you, Charlie?" Mrs Colton asked as I worked the door open.
"No," I replied and shut it behind me.
It was still neat and quiet. I dropped my things and took a nap. When I woke up, I called my lawyer and told him I was on my way to the hospital. There wasn't any need but that was his problem, not mine.
I took a shower, changed my clothes and headed for Glengarry Healthcare. Brian Johnstone was waiting for me in the reception and herded me towards a lab.
"This won't take long," he assured.
The test results came out some few minutes later and it was confirmed that I was very not pregnant. I was free.
Outside, Brian asked, "Surprised me when you didn't demand for anything. I mean, if you had been treated bad, you could have filed a case."
"It's better this way. At least, I don't get to keep dragging my marriage issues as I plan a new life. Better to drop the load."
"Talking about dropping things, how about I drop you off at your place?"
"I'll take a cab. Need the air."
He nodded as if he understood but he looked disappointed for a moment there. "If you need anything at all, don't forget to call me."
"Thank you."
I watched him leave before I turned away. A nurse in green scrubs ran out of the hospital, coming straight at me. "Ariana Allen?"
I didn't like the sound of that last name. "Yes?"
"Would you come back in for a moment? There's something the doctor failed to tell you."
My heart almost dropped. Were the test results incorrect? I followed her tentatively, into an office that lingered with the smell of sanitizers.
The doctor here was tall, wore spectacles, and kept a beard. He offered a hand. "I'm Doctor Jamieson, Ariana. Have a seat."
I didn't sit. "What is this about?"
"I shouldn't be the one telling you this, but just to give you some heads-up, there is someone important looking for you."
"Who?"
"Last name is Linn."
"Never heard of that. Why is this Linn person looking for me?"
"Well, your blood sample which we collected was run through a DNA algorithm. One that matched Linn. A private investigator who works for Linn actually put me up to that."
"Wait, so you ran a DNA test on me without my permission?"
Doctor Jamieson removed his spectacles. "This is the part where you sit, Ariana. And I'll try to explain."
I sat down. "I'm listening."
"This is sleuth work, okay? I don't know much, but I think you might be related to this person looking for you. Biologically."
"The Linn person?"
"Yes."
"Well, that's absurd."
"Why is that?"
"Because I have a father. And if there was any relative of mine out there looking for me, he'd tell me."
Doctor Jamieson frowned. "A DNA test doesn't lie, Ariana. Are you sure that man is your biological father?"
I looked at the doctor for some seconds, giving him an intense stare. What he had just asked me was deep, but why would some health professional f**k with my brain that way?
"What exactly am I sitting in your office for, Doctor?"
He looked at his watch. "We're expecting company."
"Who?"
"Linn."
"So this person thinks I'm a sister, daughter?"
"We're about to find out. I wouldn't put the integrity of this hospital on the line if I wasn't sure of this, so please be patient."
I sat there, unable to believe what I was hearing. Trying to process it all took some time. And soon enough, Jamieson announced that Linn had arrived.
The door opened and three men walked in. I stared at them. Two were dressed in expensive suits, the kind that Ethan wore, but the last appeared like a Christian Dior's ambassador.
"Give us the room, Doctor," one of the suited men said. "She is safe with us."
Jamieson left.
"So this is where you have been hiding, Ariana Linn?"
"Which one of you is Linn?" I asked.
"I'm Leonard, this is Damien, and long hair here is Zane. We're all Linn. Brothers."
Unbelievable.
"I think you all must have me mistaken for someone else. I have a father, one I saw today. If you three are my brothers, he would have told me."
"We actually thought you were dead," Zane said.
"But we never stopped looking," Damien said.
"Turns out someone adopted you," Leo said, coming to lean against the table. "And he had no idea whom he was raising. Damien?"
Damien handed me an envelope filled with photographs. Of a young girl and some others.
"Last pictures we took of you on your fourth birthday," Leo said, then he handed me another document. "This is the only photograph Child Care Services has of you."
My hands were shaking. I knew that headshot. It was on my high school portfolio.
"Now tell us the girl in that document isn't the one in the pictures," Damien said.
There was nothing to tell. I was that same girl.
- Writer
