They Thought I Was Just Her Husband

CHAPTER 12

In the past, Theo Hanks would have found Hope's disrespectful way of talking to him oddly endearing. She treated him almost as much like a friend as a father, and Theo had always believed that maintaining that kind of easy, casual dynamic helped close the generation gap and made it far easier for them to get along.

But after seeing the brutal reality of the paternity test results, he couldn't help interpreting her behavior differently.

She wasn't his biological daughter. Maybe that was why she had never truly felt close to him, nor respected him as a father figure. What he had once fondly rationalized as Hope's spunky, rebellious personality now felt like nothing more than cold emotional distance.

Theo was about to speak when his phone suddenly vibrated in his hand.

He glanced down at the screen. It was Hospital Director Martin Zahn.

"Director Zahn?" He answered.

"Theo," Martin's voice came through, "I know you just went on leave today, but Dr. Cassey has an extremely delicate brain surgery scheduled for two o'clock. It's a complex tumor resection near the speech center, and given your precision, I still want you to come in and assist on the line."

Theo immediately seized the golden opportunity to break away from Hope's confrontation. "I understand, Director. I'll head back over to Oakridge General right away."

Hanging up, Theo looked back at the teenager standing in the motel doorway, a dejected smile on his face. "The hospital needs me for an emergency procedure. I have to go in immediately, so I don't have time to deal with you right now. Go home, Hope."

Hope scowled, looking around at the dingy hallway with pure disgust. She clearly hated this cheap, drafty motel and didn't want to stay there for even another minute.

"I don't want to be in this gross place either," she complained, throwing her arms up. "But Her Majesty gave me a direct order! If I don't bring you home today, then I am not allowed back into the house either." She glared at him impatiently, taking a step closer. "So, Theo, please be a decent human being for once in your life and just come home."

Her mocking expression suddenly turned dead serious.

"Mom's really mad this time, Theo. Like, crazy mad," Hope warned, "She explicitly told me that if you refuse to come home, then I have to pack up and stay right here with you. Wherever you go, I go. Whatever cheap garbage you eat, I eat. Those were Mom's exact words."

Hope frowned, looking genuinely unsettled. "And she looked terrifyingly serious when she said it. I think she actually means it."

If that's how Tracey wants to play this, trying to use Hope to hold me hostage, Theo thought bitterly, then don't blame me for taking off the gloves.

Theo let out a long, quiet sigh. "How did you even get all the way out here?"

"Martha Martinez drove us," Hope said, referring to her mother's personal assistant. "She dropped me off at the corner and left." She pointed a sharp finger at his chest.

"And don't even think about trying anything clever, Theo. If you don't come back with me right now, Her Majesty at home is never going to let me off the hook." She clasped her hands together in a dramatic, exaggerated plea. "Please, just have mercy on me and come home!"

"Hope, do you even know why I won't go back?" Theo asked, his voice steady.

"You've spent all these years being bossed around by Her Majesty, and now you finally want to rebel a little. I get it, I get it," Hope waved a hand dismissively, rolling her eyes. "You've rebelled, and we've all seen what you accomplished. Very impressive, mid-life crisis noted. Now accept your fate like a grown-up and come home. I already made plans with my friends for this afternoon! If I didn't have to come drag you back home, I'd be out at the mall with them right now." She glared at him sharply. "So stop making trouble for me. Otherwise, I'm not taking your side against Mom anymore either."

"You're in high school now, Hope, and you're almost sixteen," Theo said, ignoring her dramatic outburst. "You're old enough to understand real life."

His posture stiffened, his expression turning grave and cold. "Hope, I am divorcing your mother. That's why I'm not going back."

Hope's eyes widened in total disbelief. "What? Divorce?" She stared at him in absolute shock, letting her hands fall to her sides. "Theo, are you insane? Are you serious? If Mom finds out you're actually trying to divorce her, she will literally tear you apart!"

"She already knows," Theo replied, his cadence remaining dead calm. "She's known for a while now. And not just her—your grandfather and the rest of the Teague family know too. The divorce is already moving forward in court. All your mother has to do is sign the final decree. Once she does, she and I will have nothing to do with each other ever again."

Hope stood frozen in the hallway, completely stunned. "You're... you're really getting divorced?" She furrowed her brows, a sharp spike of anger cutting through her confusion. "Why? Why would you blow up our family?"

"Because of you," Theo said simply.

"Me?" Hope instantly flared up, stepping back into a defensive stance. "Hey! Whatever pathetic problems you have with Mom have zero to do with me, Theo! You don't get to just dump all the blame for your failing marriage on my shoulders!"

Then, she suddenly cut herself off.

Her light eyes narrowed suspiciously, scanning his unkempt hair, his tired face, and his rumpled shirt.

"Wait a second..." Hope gasped, her voice dripping with sudden contempt. "Theo... did you mess around with some other woman behind Mom's back and get caught?"

The more she thought about it, the more convinced she became, her lip curling into a sneer. "That has to be it! With Mom's status and personality, there is no way on earth she'd ever forgive you for cheating on her. That is definitely what happened!"

Hope had jumped straight to that ugly conclusion because several of her wealthy private school classmates had gone through high-profile divorces. In almost every single case, the fathers had cheated with younger women, sparked public scandals, and completely destroyed the family structure. Now that her own ordinary father was stubbornly demanding a divorce from an A-list superstar, she naturally assumed the exact same kind of trashy drama was at play.

Without saying another word, Theo reached into his jacket pocket, pulled out the folded, official paternity test report, and held it out to her.

"Remember when you confronted me at home and demanded money to buy that supercar?" Theo asked, his voice devoid of its usual warmth. "When I refused to buy a teenager an Italian sports car, you shouted at me right in the front hall that I wasn't your real father."

He looked directly into her eyes, watching the anger flicker on her young face.

"Turns out you were right, Hope."

Theo pushed the paper into her hands. "We aren't biologically related at all."

Hope froze as if struck by lightning, her breath hitching in her throat. Her eyes dropped down to the bold, red-stamped medical summary on the page.

"Your mother apparently arranged another biological father for you sixteen years ago," Theo continued, his words cutting through the silent hallway like a sharp scalpel. "Your actual father."

He gestured to the official genetic markers highlighted on the sheet. "You're a smart girl, Hope. Now that you know the scientific truth, you should know exactly what to do next. I shouldn't have to teach you how to handle your own family."