Ready to leave, Nancy was unexpectedly confronted by a woman cradling a baby.
“Are you Nancy?” the stranger asked, her voice just audible over the crying baby.
Nancy, confused and unfamiliar with the woman, replied, “Yes, I am. Who are you?”
The woman, Amanda, claimed she was there to hand over the child, asserting it was Patrick’s and that its mother couldn’t care for it.
Stunned, Nancy backed away from them, shaking her head. “No, you’re mistaken! Patrick would never betray me like this!”
Torn between denial and suspicion, Nancy distanced herself, refusing to accept Amanda’s story.
Yet, as she tried to suppress her turmoil, Nancy literally stumbled into Mike, one of Patrick’s old friends, who offered his condolences. Nancy attempted small talk though her mind was elsewhere, eager to escape the crowd and head home.
Upon reaching her car, her breath caught—there lay the very baby Amanda spoke of, nestled in her back seat, crying softly.
Shocked, Nancy glanced around in vain for Amanda. How had this happened? Still, the chill of the day compelled Nancy to gently drape her jacket around the infant.
Then, she noticed it. A birthmark on the baby’s neck—a mark identical to Patrick’s. Doubts surfaced; Nancy’s previous certainties now wavered. Was Patrick really unfaithful?
Taking control, Nancy bundled up the baby and drove straight to a hospital, clutching strands of Patrick’s hair for a paternity test.
“I need a paternity test, please,” she requested briskly at the reception desk, willing to pay whatever necessary for a quicker result.
Gently persuasive, the nurse arranged for expedited processing. Nancy handed over samples, her determination unyielding.
With the test underway, she busied herself purchasing essentials for the baby, her mind a storm of emotions.
Back at the hospital, feeding the baby formula, she guardedly watched the clock until, finally, the nurse returned with an envelope containing the test results.
Nancy braced herself and opened it, her heart sinking as the words jumped out—”Paternity rate: 99%.”
Her world shifted. The baby was indeed Patrick’s. Betrayed and conflicted, Nancy made the choice: she would find the child’s mother and return the infant.
Once home, Nancy began to sift through Patrick’s belongings, searching for any clue about the mysterious woman he might have been involved with.
Nothing in his personal effects or office indicated a hidden life. Despondent, she inadvertently discovered a lingering curiosity in Patrick’s car navigation system—recurrent visits to an unfamiliar address.
With the baby in tow, Nancy drove to this address, hopeful for answers.
