Chapter 9
1004 Words
Doubt Under the Same Roof
Jackson had barely finished speaking to Michael outside when his phone began to ring.
The screen lit up with a name that made his chest tighten and soften at the same time.
Summer.
For a second, he closed his eyes. In the middle of all this madness, she was the only place that felt real.
He answered quickly, turning slightly away from the house. “Hey… are you okay?”
Her voice came gentle, fragile, wrapped in love. “Jackson, I just felt restless. I woke up and you weren’t beside me. Is everything fine over there?”
He looked toward the door, knowing chaos was waiting behind it.
“Yeah,” he lied softly. “Just family talk. Nothing for you to worry about.”
“Are you sure?” she pressed. “You sound far away.”
“I’m fine,” he whispered. “I promise. I’ll handle it and come back to you. Get some rest for me, okay?”
There was a small pause before she replied, “Okay. I trust you.”
Those words stabbed him with both comfort and guilt.
After the call ended, he inhaled deeply, slid the phone into his pocket, and nodded to Michael.
“Let’s finish this.”
They walked back into the house.
The moment Jackson pushed the door open, every conversation died.
His mother stood near the fireplace, arms folded.
His father sat rigid, eyes sharp.
His sister leaned against the wall, watching like she already knew the ending of a movie.
And Judy stood there, hands clasped, pretending to be fragile, pretending to be hurt.
All eyes landed on Jackson.
He walked forward, shoulders squared.
“Mom. Dad,” he began, voice steady though his heart pounded, “this woman is a nurse from the hospital. She took care of Summer. That is all. I have absolutely nothing to do with her.”
A whisper moved across the room.
Judy’s expression shifted, almost amused.
His mother searched his face. “Jackson… are you telling the truth?”
“Yes!” he snapped, then softened his tone. “Why would I lie about something like this?”
Before she could answer, his sister laughed under her breath and pushed herself off the wall.
“Really?” she said. “Nothing to do with her?”
Jackson looked at her, tired already. “What are you implying?”
She folded her arms. “Maybe you slipped out of Summer’s hospital room at night. Maybe you needed comfort. Maybe the nurse here was available.”
“Stop it,” Michael warned.
But she continued. “It happens. People fall in love, people make mistakes. Especially men who are stressed.”
“That’s not what happened!” Jackson barked.
Judy lowered her head as if embarrassed, but a tiny smile touched her lips.
His father finally stood up. The authority in the movement silenced everyone.
“Enough,” the man said.
He faced Jackson. “Did you, at any point, behave in a way that could give this woman hope? Any friendliness? Any private meeting?”
Jackson ran his hand through his hair, frustrated. “I thanked her for helping Summer. That’s it. I respect her as a nurse. Nothing more.”
Judy looked up, eyes watery. “Jackson, how can you say that? After everything?”
Michael muttered, “Drama.”
The mother turned to Judy. “And you are certain about your claim?”
Judy nodded slowly. “I wouldn’t come here if I wasn’t.”
Silence fell again.
Jackson felt the walls closing in. No one there seemed to hear him. No one seemed to see the truth in his fear.
“Dad,” he pleaded, “I love Summer. I would never betray her.”
His father studied him for a long moment, then glanced at Judy.
Finally, he spoke words that changed the air completely.
“This is what will happen.”
Everyone straightened.
“If there is even a chance this child is from our bloodline, we cannot ignore it. Judy will stay here, under this roof, until she gives birth.”
Jackson’s heart dropped.
“And when the baby is born,” his father continued, “we will run a DNA test. That will tell us the truth.”
His mother hesitated only briefly before nodding. “Yes. That is the most reasonable solution.”
Jackson stared at them, disbelief washing over him.
“You can’t be serious,” he breathed.
But they were.
The decision had been made.
Judy lowered her eyes, hiding the victory glowing behind them.
And somewhere far away, in another house, Summer slept peacefully… trusting the man who was now standing in the middle of a nightmare.
Jackson felt something break inside him.
How was he going to protect her from
Jackson’s lips parted, but no sound came out.
It felt like the ground had shifted beneath his feet, like he had lost control of his own life in a matter of seconds. He turned to Michael, hoping—begging—for someone to object, to call the decision insane.
But even Michael looked trapped. Angry, yes. Helpless, too.
“Dad… you’re punishing me for something I didn’t do,” Jackson finally managed to say.
His father’s face remained hard. “Then the test will clear you. If you are innocent, you have nothing to fear.”
Nothing to fear.
The words echoed in his mind like a cruel joke.
Because he did have something to fear.
Summer.
What would happen when she heard?
How would he explain that another woman was living in his family house, carrying a child that claimed to be his?
He imagined the hurt in her eyes, the disappointment, the feeling of betrayal.
It would destroy her.
Judy lifted her head slightly, watching Jackson crumble, and she almost pitied him—but not enough to stop.
The trap had been set.
And whether Jackson liked it or not, he was already inside it.
- Writer
