Chapter 8 - Chloe Learns Why Her Father Withdrew
Mariana wanted to shield Chloe from the paternity report.
Then she recognized the danger in repeating Richard’s mistake.
Protection could not mean hiding information that directly concerned
Chloe.
With guidance from Chloe’s therapist and medical team, Mariana told her
in age-appropriate language.
Chloe listened silently.
“So Dad thought I wasn’t his?”
“He saw a test that raised a question.”
“For three years?”
“Yes.”
“Is that why he got weird with me?”
Mariana remembered the changes.
Richard had once attended every soccer game.
Around Chloe’s twelfth birthday, he became distant.
He criticized her more.
Spent less time alone with her.
Mariana had blamed work stress.
Chloe had noticed everything.
“I thought he stopped liking me.”
Mariana’s heart broke.
“You didn’t cause any of this.”
Chloe asked whether Mariana knew who her biological father might be.
“There isn’t another man.”
“Then the test is wrong?”
“I don’t know.”
Chloe surprised her.
“I want to know.”
Mariana did not immediately agree.
They met with genetics professionals and an attorney familiar with
parentage issues.
A standard, properly collected parentage test could answer the
biological question.
Chloe understood that Richard remained her legal father regardless of a
preliminary conversation about genetics, subject to
jurisdiction-specific law.
She still wanted clarity.
Richard agreed to provide a supervised sample.
Mariana provided hers.
Chloe provided hers.
Then they waited.
Richard sent Chloe another letter.
This one did not say he had protected her.
It said:
I LET MY FEAR CHANGE HOW I TREATED YOU. THAT WAS MY FAILURE, NOT YOURS.
Chloe kept it.
She did not respond.
Three days later, the laboratory called.
May you like
The results were ready.
And they did not say what anyone expected.
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