\n\n\n\n\nOur families hovered near the door, giving us space but staying close enough that they could rush in as soon as the baby arrived.\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n The doctor gave me a reassuring nod, and I squeezed Stephanie\u2019s hand.\n\n\n\n \u201cYou\u2019re doing great, babe,\u201d I whispered.\n\n\n\n She shot me a quick smile, and then it was time. Time for everything we\u2019d hoped for, worked for, to finally happen.\n\n\n\n When the first cry pierced the air, I felt a rush of relief, pride, and love all tangled together. I didn\u2019t even realize I was holding my breath until I let it out in a shaky exhale. Stephanie reached out, eager to hold our baby, but as the nurse laid the tiny, squirming bundle into her arms, something in the room shifted.\n\n\n\n Stephanie stared at the baby, her face draining of color, eyes wide with shock.\n\n\n\n \u201cThat\u2019s not my baby,\u201d she gasped, the words catching in her throat. \u201cThat\u2019s not my baby!\u201d\n\n\n\n I blinked, not understanding. \u201cWhat do you mean? Steph, what are you talking about?\u201d\n\n\n\n She shook her head, even as the nurse explained that they hadn\u2019t cut the umbilical cord yet, so this was definitely our baby. She looked like she wanted to shove it away.\n\n\n\n \u201cBrent, look!\u201d Her voice was rising, panic seeping into every syllable. \u201cShe\u2019s\u2026 she\u2019s not\u2026 I never\u2026\u201d\n\n\n\n I looked down at our baby and my world tilted. Dark skin, soft curls. I felt like the ground had just been ripped out from under me.\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n \u201cWhat the hell, Stephanie?\u201d I didn\u2019t recognize my voice, sharp and accusing, slicing through the room.\n\n\n\n The nurse flinched, and from the corner of my eye, I noticed our families, frozen in shock.\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s not mine!\u201d Stephanie\u2019s voice cracked as she looked at me, eyes brimming with tears. \u201cIt can\u2019t be. I never slept with anyone else. Brent, you must believe me, I never\u2014\u201d\n\n\n\n The tension in the room was suffocating, thick, and choking, as everyone quietly slipped away, leaving just the three of us. I should\u2019ve stayed, but I couldn\u2019t bear the betrayal.\n\n\n\n \u201cBrent, wait!\u201d Stephanie\u2019s voice rang out from behind me, broken and desperate, as I marched toward the door. \u201cPlease, don\u2019t leave me. I swear to you, I\u2019ve never been with anyone else. You\u2019re the only man I\u2019ve ever loved.\u201d\n\n\n\n The raw honesty in her voice made me stop. I turned to look at her. This was the woman I\u2019d loved for years, the woman who had stood by me through every trial and heartbreak. Could she really be lying to me now?\n\n\n\n \u201cSteph,\u201d I said, my voice softening despite the storm raging inside me. \u201cThis doesn\u2019t make sense. How\u2026 how do you explain this?\u201d\n\n\n\n \u201cI don\u2019t understand it either, but please, Brent, you have to believe me.\u201d\n\n\n\n I looked back at the baby in her arms, and for the first time, really looked. The skin and hair were still a shock. But then I saw it: She had my eyes. And a dimple on her left cheek, just like me.\n\n\n\n I closed the distance between us and reached out to cup Steph\u2019s cheek. \u201cI\u2019m here. I don\u2019t know what\u2019s going on, but I\u2019m not leaving you. We\u2019ll figure this out together.\u201d\n\n\n\n She collapsed against me, sobbing, and I held my wife and my daughter as tightly as I could. I\u2019m not sure how long we stayed like that, but eventually, Stephanie started to nod off. The long hours of labor and the stress of our baby\u2019s shocking appearance had taken a toll on her.\n\n\n\n I gently untangled myself from them and murmured, \u201cI just need a minute. I\u2019ll be right back.\u201d\n\n\n\n Stephanie looked up at me, her eyes puffy and red, and nodded. I knew she was scared I wouldn\u2019t come back, but I couldn\u2019t stay in that room any longer. Not with the way my mind was spinning.\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n I stepped out into the hallway, the door clicking softly behind me, and sucked in a deep breath, but it didn\u2019t help. I needed more than just air. I needed answers, clarity, something to make sense of the chaos that had just torn through my life.\n\n\n\n \u201cBrent,\u201d a voice called, sharp and familiar, breaking through my thoughts like a knife.\n\n\n\n I looked up to see my mother standing near the window at the end of the hall, arms crossed tightly over her chest. Her face was set in a hard, disapproving line, the kind that used to send shivers down my spine as a kid when I knew I\u2019d messed up.\n\n\n\n \u201cMom,\u201d I greeted her, but my voice was flat, emotionless. I didn\u2019t have the energy for whatever lecture she was about to deliver.\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n She didn\u2019t waste any time. \u201cBrent, you can\u2019t stay with her after this. You saw the baby. That\u2019s not your child. It can\u2019t be.\u201d\n\n\n\n \u201cShe is my child, I\u2019m sure of it. I\u2014\u201d My voice faltered because the truth was, I wasn\u2019t entirely sure. Not yet. And that doubt\u2026 God, that doubt was eating me alive.\n\n\n\n Mom moved closer, her eyes narrowing. \u201cDon\u2019t be naive, Brent. Stephanie has betrayed you, and you need to wake up to that fact. I know you love her, but you can\u2019t ignore the truth.\u201d\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. Betrayed. I wanted to shout at my mother, to tell her she was wrong, but the words stuck in my throat. Because some small, cruel part of me was whispering that maybe she was right.\n\n\n\n \u201cMom, I\u2026 I don\u2019t know,\u201d I admitted, feeling the ground start to slip away from beneath my feet. \u201cI don\u2019t know what to think right now.\u201d\n\n\n\n She softened, just a little, reaching out to touch my arm. \u201cBrent, you need to leave her. You deserve better than this. She\u2019s clearly not who you thought she was.\u201d\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n I pulled away from her, shaking my head. \u201cNo, you don\u2019t get it. This isn\u2019t just about me. That\u2019s my wife and daughter in there. I can\u2019t just walk away.\u201d\n\n\n\n Mom gave me a pitying look. \u201cBrent, sometimes you have to make hard decisions for your own good. You deserve the truth.\u201d\n\n\n\n I turned away from her. \u201cYeah, I do deserve the truth. But I\u2019m not making any decisions until I have it. I\u2019m going to get to the bottom of this, Mom. And whatever I find out, I\u2019ll deal with it. But until then, I\u2019m not giving up on Stephanie.\u201d\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n She sighed, clearly dissatisfied with my response, but she didn\u2019t push further. \u201cJust be careful, Brent. Don\u2019t let your love for her blind you to reality.\u201d\n\n\n\n With that, I turned and walked away. I couldn\u2019t stand there and listen to any more of her doubts, not when I had so many of my own. I made my way down to the hospital\u2019s genetics department, every step feeling heavier than the last.\n\n\n\n By the time I reached the office, my heart was pounding in my chest, a relentless reminder of what was at stake.\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n The doctor was calm and professional, explaining the DNA test process as if it were just another routine test. But for me, it was anything but routine.\n\n\n\n They took my blood, swabbed the inside of my cheek, and promised they\u2019d have the results as soon as possible.\n\n\n\n I spent those hours pacing the small waiting area, replaying everything in my head. I kept thinking about Stephanie\u2019s face, the way she\u2019d looked at me, so desperate for me to believe her.\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n And the baby with my eyes and my dimples. My heart clung to those details like they were a lifeline. But then I\u2019d hear my mom\u2019s voice in my head, telling me I was a fool for not seeing the truth.\n\n\n\n Finally, the call came. I could barely hear the doctor\u2019s voice over the roar of blood in my ears. But then the words cut through the noise: \u201cThe test confirms that you are the biological father.\u201d\n\n\n\n Relief hit me first, like a wave crashing over me, followed by guilt so sharp it made my breath catch. How could I have doubted her? How could I have let those seeds of suspicion take root in my mind?\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n But the doctor wasn\u2019t finished.\n\n\n\n She explained about recessive genes, about how traits from generations back could suddenly show up in a child. It made sense, scientifically, but it didn\u2019t erase the shame I felt for not trusting Stephanie.\n\n\n\n The truth was clear now, but it didn\u2019t make me feel any less like an idiot. I had let doubt creep in, let it poison what should have been the happiest day of our lives.\n\n\n\n I made my way back to the room, the results clutched in my hand like a lifeline. When I opened the door, Stephanie looked up, her eyes filled with hope I didn\u2019t deserve. I crossed the room in three quick strides and held out the paper to her.\n\n\n\n Her hands trembled as she read, and then she broke down, tears of relief streaming down her face.\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d I whispered, my voice thick with emotion. \u201cI\u2019m so sorry I doubted you.\u201d\n\n\n\n
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