Chapter 5

– The Truth That Changed Nothing

The waiting room outside the genetics laboratory was eerily quiet.

The ticking of the wall clock sounded unnaturally loud.

Alen had been pacing the corridor for nearly three hours.

Adrian stood beside the floor-to-ceiling window, his hands in his pockets, his face unreadable.

Vivian sat across the room, her arms folded tightly, her emerald eyes fixed on the floor.

No one spoke.

---

Finally...

The laboratory doors opened.

The chief geneticist walked out, carrying a sealed report.

His expression was unusually serious.

"Mr. Adrian Vance..."

"Miss Vivian Chater..."

"I have your DNA results."

The three of them stood.

The doctor looked at the report once more before speaking.

"I repeated the test three times."

"We used three different sequencing methods."

"The samples never left the laboratory."

"There was no contamination."

He slowly looked at Adrian.

"The probability that Mr. Adrian Vance is the biological father of the child..."

He took a slow breath.

"...is 99.999999%."

Silence.

Then he turned toward Vivian.

"And the probability that Miss Vivian Chater is the biological mother..."

"...is also 99.999999%."

The corridor fell completely silent.

Even the nurses nearby stopped walking.

Alen froze.

His lips parted in disbelief.

"...Boss..."

He looked toward Adrian.

Then toward Vivian.

Neither of them moved.

Neither of them spoke.

---

The doctor continued quietly,

"There is no scientific doubt."

"The child..."

"...is your biological daughter."

He handed them the report.

Before leaving, he added,

"I understand this may be difficult to accept."

"But biologically..."

"She belongs to both of you."

Then he walked away.

---

Alen slowly took the report from Adrian's unmoving hand.

He read every page.

Every graph.

Every marker.

Every conclusion.

There wasn't a single inconsistency.

He lowered the file.

"It's real..."

He whispered.

"She's really your daughter..."

---

For a long moment...

Neither Adrian nor Vivian reacted.

It was as though their minds had refused to process what science had proven.

Finally...

Vivian broke the silence.

"Impossible."

Her voice was steady.

"I've never been pregnant."

She looked directly at Adrian.

"I have never even been close enough to you for this to happen."

Adrian's expression remained as cold as stone.

"The report doesn't change the facts."

"I have no memory of having a child."

Vivian nodded once.

"Neither do I."

Alen looked between them.

"But..."

"The DNA..."

Adrian interrupted.

"DNA proves biology."

"It doesn't explain how."

Vivian added,

"Nor does it explain why neither of us remembers."

---

Just then...

A nurse approached.

"The child has regained consciousness."

"You may see her."

---

Hospital Room

The little girl sat on the hospital bed.

A small bandage covered the place where blood had been drawn.

The moment the door opened...

Her tired ruby-blue eyes lit up.

"Mama!"

"Papa!"

A bright smile spread across her pale little face.

She stretched out both tiny arms toward them.

"I knew you'd come!"

"I told Uncle Alen..."

"I knew you wouldn't leave Addy..."

Her hopeful smile was so innocent...

So full of trust...

That several nurses quietly smiled.

---

Adrian walked into the room.

His footsteps stopped beside the bed.

He looked at the child silently.

Then...

In the same cold voice as before...

"The DNA confirms that you're biologically related to us."

The little girl nodded happily.

"I know!"

"I told you!"

She reached for his hand.

But Adrian calmly stepped back.

Her tiny hand froze in the air.

---

His voice remained emotionless.

"That changes nothing."

The smile slowly disappeared from her face.

He continued,

"I don't know you."

"I don't remember you."

"I cannot acknowledge someone simply because of a laboratory report."

Each sentence struck harder than the last.

---

Vivian spoke next.

Her tone wasn't cruel...

But it was painfully distant.

"The test proves you're my biological daughter."

She looked into the little girl's hopeful eyes.

"But..."

"I have no memories of raising you."

"No memories of giving birth to you."

"No memories of your childhood."

She lowered her gaze briefly before continuing.

"I cannot suddenly become your mother because a report tells me to."

---

The little girl's eyes widened.

"...Mama...?"

Vivian remained silent.

---

"...Papa...?"

Adrian didn't answer.

Instead...

He turned toward the window.

---

The room became unbearably quiet.

The child's lower lip trembled.

She looked at Adrian.

Then Vivian.

Then back again.

Her tiny voice came out as little more than a whisper.

"So..."

"You really..."

"...don't want Addy...?"

No one answered.

That silence was more painful than any words.

---

A tear rolled down her cheek.

Then another.

She quickly wiped them away with both tiny hands.

She forced herself to smile.

A shaky...

Broken smile.

"It's okay..."

She sniffled.

"If..."

"If Papa and Mama forgot Addy..."

"I'll remind you."

She nodded to herself.

"I'll make lots of new memories with you."

"Then..."

"You'll remember me again."

Her voice cracked.

"I'll wait..."

"I can wait..."

"I'm a good girl."

"I won't cause trouble."

"I'll listen to everything."

"Just..."

She looked at them with pleading eyes.

"...please don't leave me alone."

---

Even Alen had to look away.

His eyes had turned red.

The nurses quietly wiped tears from their faces.

But Adrian remained motionless.

Vivian silently clenched her fists.

Neither stepped forward.

Neither hugged her.

Neither called her by her nickname.

The room felt colder than ever.

The little girl slowly lowered her outstretched arms.

She curled up on the hospital bed, hugging her knees to her chest.

For the first time since she had entered their lives...

She stopped calling out "Mama" and "Papa."

Instead, she lowered her head and whispered to herself,

"...Maybe..."

"...Addy wasn't a good daughter."

The words hung in the room like a weight that no one could lift.

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