Chapter 2 - THE TEST HE HID
Ava took Lily to the emergency department.
Liam followed.
She told him not to.
He came anyway.
Doctors found:
minor bruising near Lily’s hip,
no fracture,
no head injury,
no neurological signs.
Lucky.
Ava sat beside the bed holding Lily.
Liam stood six feet away.
Not allowed closer.
A nurse asked:
“Who caused the fall?”
Ava answered:
“Her father kicked her.”
Liam flinched.
Not husband.
Father.
Then hospital protocol brought a social worker.
Police were notified.
Liam called attorney Lauren Pierce.
Ava called nobody at first.
She was still trying to understand the accusation.
Then her friend Rachel Sloan arrived.
Rachel was a family-law attorney.
She listened.
Then asked Liam:
“Why did you say Lily isn’t yours?”
Liam hesitated.
Ava looked at him.
“Tell her.”
Liam finally said:
“I tested her.”
Silence.
Ava’s face changed.
“You what?”
“I ran a paternity test.”
“When?”
“This week.”
“Without telling me?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Liam looked away.
“Because I had reason.”
“What reason?”
He pulled the report from his phone.
Rachel read it.
DAVIES GENOMICS INTERNAL RELATIONSHIP SCREEN.
Not a legal chain-of-custody test.
Not even a consumer report.
An internal research-output format.
Rachel looked at Liam.
“You treated this as conclusive?”
“It came from my company.”
“That is not what I asked.”
Liam’s jaw tightened.
Ava took the phone.
Paternity excluded.
She read the line three times.
Then looked at Lily.
Then Liam.
“I never cheated on you.”
He said nothing.
Ava continued:
“And you kicked her before checking whether your secret test was even valid.”
Liam looked sick.
Then Rachel said:
“We do an accredited chain-of-custody test tomorrow.”
Liam nodded.
Ava snapped:
“No.”
Everyone looked at her.
“Tonight if we can.”
She turned to Liam.
“You wanted certainty.”
May you like
Her voice broke.
“Now you get it.”
