Chapter 3 - THE BLOOD TEST THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING
The words stayed in the room long after Stellan said them.
"The blood test that proves your daughter is mine."
Mine.
One word.
Three letters.
And somehow it felt like a gunshot.
I stared at him.
Then I laughed.
Not because it was funny.
Because my mind couldn't accept anything else.
"No."
Stellan didn't move.
"No?"
"You don't get to walk back into my life after two years and say something like that."
My voice shook.
"You don't get to look at my daughter and decide she's yours."
His jaw tightened.
"I didn't decide."
"Then what did you do?"
I stepped closer.
"Did you order a test? Did you have someone follow me? Did you dig through my life because suddenly you remembered the woman you abandoned?"
The anger I had buried for two years came rushing out.
"I held her alone when she couldn't breathe."
My eyes burned.
"I sat beside hospital beds alone."
I pointed at Fern.
"I watched her fight for every single day of her life."
My voice broke.
"And you weren't there."
For the first time...
Stellan looked like my words actually hurt him.
Good.
They should.
"I know."
The answer shocked me.
No excuses.
No anger.
Just two words.
I looked away.
"I don't need your pity."
"It's not pity."
"Then what is it?"
His eyes moved to Fern.
"It's regret."
The room became quiet.
A dangerous quiet.
Before I could answer, the office door opened.
The same man from earlier stepped inside.
He looked serious.
"Boss."
Stellan turned.
"Talk."
The man glanced at me.
Then at Fern.
"Are you sure?"
Stellan's expression turned cold.
"Say it."
The man placed a folder on the desk.
"Someone accessed the hospital records."
My stomach dropped.
"What hospital records?"
Neither of them answered.
I looked between them.
"Someone accessed my daughter's records?"
The man hesitated.
Stellan noticed.
"Tell her."
The man exhaled.
"The original birth records were altered."
I froze.
"What?"
"The paperwork was changed after Fern was born."
My fingers went numb.
"No."
I shook my head.
"That's impossible."
I remembered that night.
The hospital.
The doctors.
The paperwork.
The fear.
Everything.
"The father listed on the original file was removed," the man continued.
Stellan's eyes stayed on me.
"Someone erased me."
A cold chill moved through my body.
"Why?"
Nobody answered.
And that scared me more.
Because there were only two reasons someone hid a child's father.
Either they wanted to protect the child...
or they wanted to use the child.
I grabbed Fern from the couch.
"Where is the original test?"
Stellan looked at me.
"Being delivered."
"When?"
"Tonight."
"No."
His eyebrows lowered.
"No?"
"I don't trust you."
Something flashed across his face.
Pain.
But I didn't care.
"You disappeared."
My voice became quieter.
"You left me with nothing."
A long silence.
Then he said:
"You're right."
I wasn't expecting that.
He looked at Fern.
"I don't deserve your trust."
The honesty almost made me angrier.
Almost.
"But I am going to protect her."
I laughed bitterly.
"You mean like you protected me?"
His face hardened.
"Yes."
I stopped.
Because there was something in his voice.
Something that scared me.
"What aren't you telling me?"
Before he could answer...
The mansion alarm exploded.
A violent sound.
Red lights flashed across the walls.
Everyone moved instantly.
Stellan changed.
The gentle man holding my daughter disappeared.
The monster returned.
He grabbed Fern's blanket.
"Stay behind me."
I froze.
"What?"
"Selene."
His voice was sharp.
"Behind me. Now."
I heard footsteps outside.
Fast.
Multiple people.
Someone shouted.
"Security breach!"
My heart started racing.
Stellan reached inside his jacket.
And pulled out a gun.
I stared.
The man holding my baby moments ago...
was now ready to kill.
The door exploded open.
A masked man rushed inside.
Everything happened too fast.
A gunshot.
A scream.
Glass shattered.
I fell to the floor, protecting Fern.
Then I heard Stellan.
Not shouting.
Not panicking.
Just one terrifying sentence.
"Nobody touches my daughter."
The room became chaos.
Security rushed in.
The attacker was dragged away.
But before he disappeared...
he looked directly at me.
And smiled.
Not at Stellan.
At me.
Then he said:
"Ask him what happened the night your daughter was born."
My blood turned cold.
May you like
Because the attacker wasn't afraid of Stellan.
He was afraid of the truth.
