Chapter 2 - THE FOUR BIRTHDAYS
Amber’s children were:
Lily, nine.
Noah, seven.
Grace, five.
Eli, three.
Tessa had cared for all of them.
Not occasionally.
Constantly.
School pickups.
Doctor visits.
Overnight stays.
Weekend babysitting.
Summer camps.
Emergency calls.
When Amber said:
“I need a break,”
Tessa took them.
When Mark traveled for work, Amber sent them over.
When Amber was “overwhelmed,” Tessa became default parent.
She resented it.
But she loved the children.
That made saying no harder.
Now Mark said none of them were biologically his.
He had ordered legally supervised parentage testing after discovering a blood-type inconsistency during Eli’s surgery workup.
The results excluded him from all four.
Tessa asked:
“Why test all of them?”
Mark’s eyes filled.
“Because after Eli, I couldn’t stop thinking.”
Amber said nothing.
Daniel sat across the room.
Hands clasped.
Tessa asked:
“Are they yours?”
Daniel did not answer.
“Daniel.”
“I don’t know.”
Mark laughed bitterly.
“You don’t know?”
Daniel looked at Tessa.
“I slept with Amber.”
The room disappeared.
Tessa heard only one sentence.
“I slept with Amber.”
“When?”
Silence.
“When?”
Daniel whispered:
“Years ago.”
Amber snapped:
“Stop talking.”
Tessa turned on her.
“You don’t get to control this.”
Then back to Daniel.
“How many times?”
He looked at the floor.
“I don’t know.”
Tessa almost slapped him.
Instead she stepped away.
That scared Daniel more.
Mark said:
“The kids need answers.”
Tessa looked at him.
“They need protection first.”
The children were with Mark’s sister that night.
None knew why the adults were fighting.
Good.
Tessa asked Daniel one more question.
“Did you know Mark wasn’t their father?”
Daniel shook his head.
“No.”
“Did you ever think you might be?”
He hesitated.
One second.
Too long.
Tessa whispered:
“You did.”
Daniel said:
“Only once.”
“Which child?”
His face collapsed.
“Lily.”
Tessa stared.
The oldest.
The child she had helped raise for nine years.
Then Amber spoke.
“Lily isn’t his.”
Everyone turned.
Tessa’s voice sharpened.
May you like
“How do you know?”
Amber realized too late what she had admitted.
