"Got it," she says finally. "I see a completed test from five years ago. Would you like me to send a copy to your email?"
"Yes, please," I say quickly, rattling off my address.
"It should be in your inbox shortly," she says. "Let me know if there’s anything else I can help with."
"Thank you," I manage, ending the call.
I grab my laptop from the table and open my email, my fingers trembling slightly as I click on the attachment. The document opens, and for a moment, I just stare at it, the words swimming on the screen.
The layout looks official, with the lab’s logo at the top and the participant information listed below.
Mother:Sienna Walker
Child:Oliver Hughey Walker
Alleged Father(s):Marcus Alexander Walker, Callum James Reid
I scroll down to the results, my breath catching as I read the conclusions:
"Based on the analysis, Marcus Walker is excluded as the biological father of Oliver Walker with a 0% probability of paternity."
My heart stops beating and my lungs completely shut down.
"Based on the analysis, Callum Reid is not excluded as the biological father of Oliver Walker with a probability of paternity of 99.99%."
The words don’t make sense at first.Excluded. Zero percent.I read them again, and then again, each repetition sinking deeper into my chest like a blade.
This isn’t what Marcus showed me.
My hands tremble as I grab the printed copy Marcus gave me from the drawer where I keep Ollie’s important documents. I lay it beside my laptop and stare at the two pages, my pulse pounding in my ears. The layout is almost identical, but the differences leap off the page now—the font is slightly off, the header doesn’t match perfectly, and the conclusion is completely different.
"Based on the analysis, Marcus Walker is excluded as the biological father of Oliver Walker with a 0% probability of paternity.""Based on the analysis, Callum Reid is not excluded as the biological father of Oliver Walker with a probability of paternity of 99.99%."
My breath catches, a sob rising in my throat as the truth slams into me.
Callum is Ollie’s father. He always was.
I press a hand to my chest, trying to steady my breathing, but it’s impossible. My mind races with every memory, every moment Marcus insisted on handling the test, every time he reassured me that this was for the best, that it would give us clarity and closure.
Closure? He didn’t want closure. He wanted control. He wanted to erase Callum from my life completely.
The realization sends a wave of nausea rolling through me. He didn’t just lie—he stole. He stole years of truth, of connection, of Callum’s right to know his son. And he didn’t hesitate, not for a second.
I glance at the document again, my eyes fixating on Callum’s name.Not excluded. 99.99%.
A sob escapes before I can stop it, but it’s not just anger or betrayal—it’s something bigger. It’s hope.
Ollie is Callum’s. The man I love, the man who left and came back, the man who has been unknowingly connected to my son all along—he’s his father.
Tears blur my vision, and I swipe at them with shaking hands. What do I do with this? How do I even begin to tell Callum? How do I make sense of this for Ollie? For myself?
I stare at the two papers, side by side on the table, their words screaming the truth I didn’t know I needed. Marcus lied. Callum is Ollie’s father. And everything I thought I knew is in pieces.
THIRTY-TWO
Callum
No more regrets, no more fear