"Say that again."
My voice comes out low and flat, but the room still goes still around it.
Nathaniel stands just inside the glass door, breathing a little hard, as he moved fast to get here. Julian is beside him, shoulders tight, eyes already on my face before anyone else's. Elias has not moved from the chair across from me. The baby bracelet is still on the table between us.
Nathaniel looks at me, not at Elias.
"The fast match came back," he says. "He shares maternal DNA with you. He is your mother's son. But he does not match Victor's bloodline."
No one speaks.
I hear the air unit in the ceiling. I hear someone walking past outside the room. I hear my own pulse pounding in my ears so hard it almost feels like a second heartbeat.
Elias leans back very slowly. It is such a small mo
