They Thought I Was Just Her Husband

CHAPTER 6

Theo Hanks arrived at the small park near his home. Watching the children running around, he couldn't help but remember how he used to bring Hope here when she was little, carrying her on his shoulders while she giggled loudly.

He had watched her grow up and taken care of her for fifteen years—only to find out she wasn't even his biological daughter.

A heavy wave of sorrow rose in Theo's chest, followed by a cold, quiet anger. He clenched his fists and tried to take his mind off it, but it was damn near impossible.

He waited on a bench for ten minutes before the man finally arrived.

The man looked to be in his late thirties, tall and lean, dressed in a dark jacket and pressed trousers. His hair was neatly styled, and thin-framed glasses sat on his sharp face. Everything about him gave off the polished air of someone who spent years dealing with celebrities and the media.

"Tracey's extremely busy and couldn't get away, so she asked me to come on her behalf," the man said smoothly. "Theo, why don't you talk to me first?"

Theo knew him very well. He was Jason Cavill, Tracey's manager and one of the people she trusted most.

Jason gestured toward the curb. "Let me buy you a drink, or we can talk in my car."

Theo didn't make a scene. He simply followed Jason over to his car and climbed into the passenger seat.

The moment the door closed, Theo got straight to the point. "What exactly is Tracey trying to do? Does she think she can keep hiding forever? Call her right now and tell her to come over so we can get this divorce done."

"Theo, calm down," Jason said smoothly, resting his hands on the steering wheel. "You know what kind of position Tracey is in right now. Something like this getting out could have a devastating impact on her career," he reached into his briefcase, "If we're going to take this further, there has to be solid evidence."

Theo took the folded paternity test report from his jacket and handed it over.

Jason read through the markers carefully. "Would you mind if we had another test run on our side?"

Theo shook his head without hesitation. He had nothing to hide, and he allowed Jason to collect a DNA swab sample from him.

Jason sealed the sample before turning back to him with an earnest expression. "Theo, I've watched the two of you all these years. I can tell you honestly that Tracey really does love you. You know what the entertainment industry is like, but Tracey has always kept her distance from that kind of thing."

"You don't need to defend her, Jason," Theo said, his voice flat and dismissive, "she lied to me for sixteen years," his jaw tightened and his eyes narrowed, "no one could just let something like that go. If she thinks I'm asking for a divorce because I want her money, tell her she doesn't need to worry. I don't want a single dime of her money."

He looked Jason dead in the eye. "I just want to get away from her as soon as possible."

Jason sighed, seeing the doggedness in his eyes. "If this is true, then yes... you've been seriously wronged. Even I would say that," he paused, "but Hope is already fifteen., Theo You never suspected a thing before now. Why did this suddenly happen? What made you think of getting a paternity test?"

At that question, a dull frustration flared in Theo's stomach. He pulled out a cigarette and took a slow drag, blowing smoke out the cracked window.

His mind drifted back to the week before he ordered that test kit.

It had started at the hospital when a young boy needed an emergency blood transfusion. Because the child had an extremely rare blood type, doctors looked to the father for a direct donor match, but when they ran the father's pre-op bloodwork, his blood type proved genetically impossible for the child. A paternity test was ordered, and the truth came spilling out: the mother had cheated on him years ago.

Theo had seen similar cases before. Usually, he filed them away as tragic medical realities.

But when he went home that same evening, Hope confronted him, demanding an outrageously expensive foreign supercar. When Theo firmly refused, Hope threw a massive tantrum and in a split, terrifying moment, shouted in his face: "You're not even my real father anyway!"

She laughed it off two seconds later, but combined with what he witnessed at the hospital, those words kept him awake at two in the morning...they made him restless, did things to his mental health the more he remained silent.

So he ordered the test, and unfortunately, the lab confirmed his worst nightmare.

Theo slowly exhaled another cloud of smoke, keeping those memories locked tightly behind his teeth as a heat settled in his chest.

He tapped the ash out the window and said coldly, "Jason, go back and tell Tracey this: there's no hiding the truth forever. If you don't want people to find out what you've done, don't do it in the first place."

Jason frowned. "Theo, you still haven't answered me. What made you start suspecting her?"

"That's something you should be asking Tracey," Theo leaned in slightly. "Actually, since you've managed her for eleven years... who do you think could be Hope's biological father? How many possible suspects are there?"

Jason raised his hands in defense, shaking his head. "Come on, Theo. Don't try to trap me like that. All I can tell you is that Tracey has always treated you extremely well," he emphasized every word meticulously: "She loves you...very, very much."

Theo let out a bitter, humorless scoff. "Come on, Jason. Do you think I'm an idiot?"

He opened the car door and stepped out without waiting for an answer.

***

Later that evening, Jason went straight to Tracey's residence, collected a fresh DNA sample from his supposed daughter, Hope, and sent the swabs to three independent testing facilities for expedited overnight processing.

The next afternoon, the courier delivered the sealed envelopes directly to Tracey's desk.