They Thought I Was Just Her Husband

CHAPTER 13

Hope Hanks stared down at the crisp, notarized paper in her hands, her eyes scanning the brutal conclusion over and over again. The medical language printed across the bottom was cold, concise, and completely unambiguous: The alleged father, Theo Hanks, is excluded as the biological father of the child.

For some reason, her heart began beating faster, a sudden surge of adrenaline rushing through her veins.

She looked Theo up and down, taking in his tired eyes, his unkempt hair, and the faint smell of motel air lingering on his coat. "This is real?"

"There's no doubt about it," Theo said flatly, his tone completely devoid of the warmth he had shown her for sixteen years. "You and I aren't related by blood at all. Tracey had you with another man."

His entire posture shifted, casting off sixteen years of fatherhood like an unwanted burden.

"From now on, you're you and I'm me," he added, "We have nothing to do with each other anymore."

Hope hesitated, standing in the middle of the dingy motel hallway. The sudden shift in his demeanor left her feeling slightly unmoored. "Then... what am I supposed to do?"

Theo gave a bitter, humorless laugh, "Go ask Tracey who your biological father is. Get the absolute truth from her, then go find him," he paused, his gaze hardening into pure steel, "oh, and Tracey had a paternity test done too. Even after seeing the exact same result with her own eyes, she still shamelessly refuses to admit it."

"I can't just take your word for it," Hope said, a sharp spark of defiance flaring up to mask her temporary confusion. "I'm going home to confront Mom myself."

Then she lifted her chin, staring back at him with pure disdain.

"If this is really true, then I'm not your daughter and you're not my father. That means you don't have any right to control me anymore! You can't lecture me, and you can't tell me what to do!"

The elevator doors at the end of the hall chimed open. Hope stepped inside, hit the button for the lobby, and left without looking back once.

As she walked out of the motel toward the main street, she felt as if she were moving through a surreal dream. Everything around her—the dull hum of traffic, the glare of the afternoon sun—seemed strangely ungrounded. But beneath that initial confusion, she couldn't hide her growing excitement and nervous anticipation.

So Theo really isn't my biological father!

The thought sent a sudden thrill through her chest.

That broke, useless man was never my real dad after all!

She walked faster, her mind spinning with wild possibilities. Her biological father couldn't possibly be some ordinary hospital physician living in the shadow of her mother’s fame. He had to be rich and powerful. He had to be way more successful than Theo could ever hope to be!

Otherwise, why would a top-tier superstar like Tracey Teague ever have been interested in him sixteen years ago?

If Mom won't give me the money to buy that car, then I'll just ask my real father for it! Hope thought, her eyes shining with greed. Mom is unbelievable. She actually kept a massive secret like this from me for all these years! That's way too much!

She hailed a passing taxi and slid into the back seat, clutching her purse tightly. Oh, mother, just who is my biological father? I really want to know what kind of man he is!

Back in the dim hallway, Theo watched the excitement on Hope's face as she boarded the elevator, and for some reason, his chest ached.

He had poured more than a decade of unyielding time, energy, and silent devotion into raising her, treating her with patience even when she pushed him away. Yet the very instant she learned they weren't biologically related, she had turned her back and left without the slightest hesitation.

How could she be so heartless?

But Theo quickly took a long, quiet breath and forced himself to let it go.

It made sense. After all, she wasn't related to him by blood, and she shared her mother's ruthless bloodline. He owed her nothing anymore...none of them.

***

Over at the Teague estate, Tracey had just finished changing into a tailored silk blouse when she saw Hope rush in through the heavy front doors.

Tracey immediately frowned, stepping into the grand entryway with a stern expression.

"How do you have the nerve to come back alone?" she demanded, crossing her arms. "What did I tell you before you left? No matter what happens, you weren't supposed to leave your father. If your dad doesn't come home, then none of you are allowed to come home either."

Hope completely ignored her. She went straight to the kitchen refrigerator, grabbed a cold bottle of juice, and took several large gulps to calm her excited pulse.

"You should see the place Theo's staying in, Mom. It's awful. There's practically nothing there," she said with a grimace, "It's some cheap, disgusting motel that barely costs anything a night. Is that even a place for actual people to live? Seriously, whoever wants to stay there with him can do it. I don't."

"Stop calling him 'Theo' like that. He's your father," Tracey scolded, her voice turning sharp and authoritative. "Show some respect."

Then her expression darkened further. "So, because you didn't like the place, you just abandoned your father and your sister there and came back by yourself?"

"Theo is Theo. I didn't say anything wrong," Hope said, sounding almost smug as she stepped closer to her mother. "Mom, I already know," Hope continued, leaning against the kitchen island with a wide grin. "Theo isn't my father either...and he's formally divorcing you."

Tracey's expression changed slightly, a sudden tightness gripping her features.

Hope reached into her jacket pocket, pulled out the folded paternity test report Theo had given her, and handed it over with a triumphant smile.

"Mom, stop pretending already," Hope said, her voice dripping with shameless eagerness. She leaned in closer. "Just tell me. Who's my biological father?"

Tracey had been maintaining a composed front moments earlier, but the instant her eyes caught the bold red seal of the paternity test, her face hardened.

She stared directly at Hope, her voice dropping into a chilling whisper. "Where did you get this?"

"Theo gave it to me," Hope shrugged carelessly. "No wonder the more I looked at him over the years, the more I felt like something was completely off. I already suspected I might not be his biological daughter."

She smiled brightly, crossing her arms. "Turns out I was right. He really isn't my biological father."

Tracey didn't say a word. She gripped the edges of the paper, her knuckles turning white, and violently tore the document in half.

Hope's eyes widened in horror. "Hey! Why are you tearing it up? That's evidence!"

Hope quickly reached out to grab the fragments out of her hands, but she was far too late. Tracey tore the paper into dozens of tiny pieces and let them flutter to the floor like scrap.

Before Hope could even react, Tracey's palm flashed in the air, landing a hard, echoing slap across her face, whipping her head violently to the side.