CHAPTER 4: THE MAN BEHIND THE DNA
The door opened again.
Not a nurse.
Not another doctor.
A man in a tailored suit stepped inside, calm, composed, and completely out of place in a postpartum room.
Ethan frowned. “Who the hell is this?”
The man didn’t look at him.
He looked at me.
Softly.
“Is she okay?” he asked.
My breath caught.
Because I recognized him.
Not personally.
But from somewhere else.
The doctor spoke carefully.
“This is Mr. Adrian Hale. He is the registered donor linked to the genetic profile.”
The room exploded.
“My child?” Adrian asked quietly.
“No!” Ethan shouted. “This is my wife!”
Adrian finally turned to him.
“Not anymore, I assume,” he said calmly.
Security stepped forward as Ethan lunged.
“This is insane!” Ethan yelled. “You’re telling me some stranger—”
“Saved your wife’s life,” the doctor cut in. “The procedure stabilized her condition when she collapsed. Without it, both mother and child might not have survived.”
Silence.
Heavy.
Unavoidable.
I looked at my daughter.
At Addison.
Then back at Ethan.
“You accused me,” I said softly. “You humiliated me. You refused to even hold her.”
May you like
He didn’t respond.
Because he couldn’t.
