Chapter 17 - What the Test Could Tell Them
The second document turned out to be an unsigned plan to transfer ownership of Daniel's workshop equipment if the Bellweather loan failed. Nina found no evidence Daniel had accepted it. Still, the plan made the motive painfully clear: Silas had been trying to save his failing development with someone else's livelihood.
Harper gave investigators copies of the messages she'd kept. She also accepted responsibility for providing access to Daniel's records. Her lawyer negotiated how she would cooperate; no one promised she would escape consequences.
One morning she contacted Nina about prenatal paternity testing. She said she wanted an answer based on evidence, not on who could shout the loudest. With medical guidance and the consent of everyone providing a sample, an accredited laboratory conducted the test.
Daniel waited for the result at the shop. When Nina called, he was sanding a window frame. He stopped without realizing it.
"The report excludes you as the biological father," she said. "The comparison with Silas supports his paternity."
Daniel set the sandpaper down. The grief surprised him. He wasn't grieving Harper. He was grieving the quiet little life he'd pictured: a crib by the bedroom window, Lucía teaching a younger brother how to count fireflies, a home finally feeling steady.
"You okay?" Cal asked.
"Not yet," Daniel said. "But I will be."
He drove to Rosa's house and found Lucía drawing the baby she'd been told to expect. She had given the baby enormous yellow boots.
"Is there still a baby?" she asked.
"Yes. And the baby deserves kindness. But Harper and I won't be getting married."
Lucía nodded slowly. "So the baby didn't make anybody lie?"
"No, honey. The adults chose that."
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That night the lender formally withdrew the disputed guarantee from Daniel's account while the fraud case continued. He should have felt only relief.
Instead he received a letter addressed in Harper's handwriting, with Lucía's name on the envelope.
