Chapter 6: The DNA Test My Wife Never Wanted Me to See
I drove back to Millbrook with Arthur's USB drive in my pocket and a thousand questions racing through my head.
Claire was waiting outside Richard Coleman's office.
She looked as though she hadn't slept.
The moment I stepped out of the car, she hurried toward me.
“Dad!””
I held her shoulders.
“Are you all right?””
She nodded, but her eyes were red.
“Daniel left twenty minutes ago.””
“What happened?””
“He showed me the DNA report.””
“Did you read it?””
“Yes.””
“What did it say?””
She looked down.
“It said there's a zero percent probability that you're Daniel's biological father.””
I closed my eyes.
For a moment, I felt something I couldn't name.
Not surprise.
Not exactly grief.
It was the strange emptiness that comes when something you feared has finally become real.
Claire touched my arm.
“Dad, you're still his father.””
I looked at her.
“I know.””
“Do you?””
I couldn't answer.
She led me inside.
Richard was waiting in his office.
He had a folder open on his desk.
“Thomas, we need to discuss several things.””
I placed the USB drive beside him.
“Before we do, I need you to explain what Margaret was hiding.””
Richard looked at the drive.
“Where did you get that?””
“Helen Brooks.””
His expression changed.
“You found her?””
“Yes.””
“And she gave you that?””
“She said it belonged to Arthur.””
Richard sat back.
“Then we may finally have the missing piece.””
I stared at him.
“You knew about the affair?””
He hesitated.
“Not initially. Margaret told me shortly before she died.””
“Why didn't you tell me?””
“She asked me to wait until she could speak with you herself.””
“She never did.””
“I know.””
I lowered myself into the chair.
“Did you know Daniel was trying to claim Arthur's inheritance?””
Richard nodded.
“Margaret brought me copies of the application.””
“Why was it connected to the house?””
“Because Daniel believed that if he could establish his biological relationship to Arthur, he might be able to challenge certain estate arrangements.””
I frowned.
“What arrangements?””
“Arthur left a substantial portion of his estate in a trust. But he included a clause that required Daniel to demonstrate that he had not participated in fraud, coercion, or financial misconduct involving his family.””
I stared at him.
“And Daniel thought he could get around that?””
“Apparently.””
Richard opened another folder.
“Margaret also discovered that Daniel had submitted a forged document claiming you had agreed to release him from certain restrictions.””
I rubbed my face.
“Why would he need my permission?””
“Because Arthur's original estate plan included a provision protecting the inheritance until Daniel's legal identity and family circumstances were verified.””
I looked at the DNA report Claire had brought.
“Is this real?””
Richard examined it.
“It might be.””
“What does that mean?””
“It means we need to verify the testing laboratory, the sample collection procedure, and the chain of custody.””
Claire frowned.
“Daniel said he took the test himself.””
Richard nodded.
“Then this report may establish a biological relationship, but it doesn't necessarily establish that the sample came from Thomas.””
I looked at him.
“Are you saying he could have used someone else's sample?””
“I'm saying we shouldn't accept an unverified report.””
I leaned forward.
“Can we test independently?””
“Yes. But first, I want to see Arthur's recording.””
Richard connected the USB drive to his computer.
A single video file appeared.
The date was twenty years earlier.
The image was grainy.
Arthur sat in what looked like his living room.
He was thinner than I remembered, with dark circles beneath his eyes.
His voice came through the speakers.
“Thomas, if you're watching this, then I suppose Margaret finally decided you deserved the truth.””
I felt my chest tighten.
Arthur looked directly into the camera.
“I owe you an apology that I should have given you decades ago. I betrayed your trust. I betrayed your friendship. And I betrayed the woman you loved.””
He paused.
“Daniel is my biological son. I know that now, and I have known it for most of his life. But I want you to understand something. I never wanted to take him from you.””
I stared at the screen.
Arthur continued.
“You gave him everything. You were there when he took his first steps. You taught him to ride a bicycle.
You stayed awake when he had pneumonia. You were the man he called Dad when he was frightened.””
His eyes filled.
“I was never going to replace that.””
He leaned forward.
“But there is something you need to know about Daniel. When he was twenty, he found out about the affair. He confronted Margaret. He told her he wanted money from my estate.””
Richard glanced at me.
Arthur continued.
“She refused. She told him the inheritance would be handled according to my instructions. Daniel became furious. He said that if he couldn't get what he deserved, he would make sure nobody else benefited either.””
The video flickered.
Then Arthur said something I wasn't prepared for.
“He threatened to expose Margaret. Not because he wanted the truth, Thomas. Because he wanted control.””
I gripped the arms of the chair.
Arthur looked down.
“I don't know what he will do with this information. But if he ever starts asking questions about your house, your signature, or your wife's documents, please be careful.””
The recording ended.
Nobody spoke.
Finally, Claire whispered, “He knew.””
Richard nodded slowly.
“Arthur knew Daniel was capable of using the secret against his mother.””
I looked at the blank screen.
“Why didn't Margaret tell me?””
Richard closed the video.
“Because she believed she could still save him.””
I stared at the desk.
My wife had spent years protecting our son from the consequences of his own actions.
And in doing so, she had left me completely unprepared.
My phone vibrated.
A message from Mia.
*Did you find Arthur's recording?*
I replied.
*Yes.*
Her response came immediately.
*Then you need to know what Daniel is planning.*
I typed.
*Tell me.*
Three dots appeared.
Then disappeared.
Then appeared again.
Finally, a message arrived.
*He is going to claim that you were never Daniel's legal father. He says if he proves the affair, he can challenge the trust and take control of the inheritance.*
I showed Richard.
He shook his head.
“That's not how the law works.””
“Could he still cause trouble?””
“Absolutely. Especially if he has falsified documents.””
Claire looked frightened.
“Dad, what if he tries to take the house?””
Richard closed the folder.
“He cannot simply take it. But we need to secure the trust records immediately.””
He turned to me.
“Thomas, I want you to authorize an independent review of every document Daniel has submitted.””
“Do it.””
“And I want you to arrange an independent DNA test if you're willing.””
I looked at Claire.
She was watching me carefully.
“Dad, you don't have to prove anything to us.””
I reached across the desk and took her hand.
“I know.””
But I needed to know.
Not because I loved Daniel less.
Because I needed to understand what had happened to the boy I had raised.
We arranged the testing for the following morning.
Then Richard received a phone call.
He listened without speaking.
His expression grew increasingly serious.
When he hung up, he looked at me.
“Thomas, there's a problem.””
“What?””
“Someone accessed Margaret's estate file this morning.””
“Who?””
“The request came through a law firm representing Daniel.””
I frowned.
“What did they ask for?””
Richard hesitated.
“The original medical records from the hospital where Daniel was born.””
I remembered Helen's words.
Someone who was supposed to have died before Daniel was born.
“Can you obtain those records?””
“Possibly, but there may be privacy restrictions.””
“Then we need to find another way.””
Richard looked at the USB drive.
“Thomas, there is something else you should know.””
“What?””
“Arthur's estate was never fully distributed.””
I stared at him.
“Why not?””
“Because the original beneficiary designation was challenged. The court placed the funds in temporary administration until the dispute was resolved.””
“How much money?””
Richard opened a financial statement.
“Approximately $2.8 million, including accumulated investment returns.””
Claire covered her mouth.
I looked at the figure.
Two million, eight hundred thousand dollars.
Suddenly, Daniel's obsession with the past made more sense.
He wasn't simply trying to take my house.
He was trying to obtain an inheritance he believed had been denied to him.
But why had he been willing to forge my signature?
Why had he tried to force me out?
And why had he been so desperate to find the recording?
Richard continued.
“There is a condition attached to the inheritance. If Daniel is proven to have knowingly participated in fraud against the estate, he could lose his claim.””
I leaned back.
“So the money isn't guaranteed.””
“Correct.””
Claire looked at me.
“Then maybe that's why he wants the trust paperwork.””
I nodded slowly.
For the first time, I could see the outline of his plan.
He wanted control of the family trust, access to the house, and the ability to present himself as the rightful beneficiary of Arthur's estate.
But there was still one piece missing.
The second recording.
The one Mia had warned me about.
I called her.
She answered immediately.
“Mr. Harrison?””
“I need you to tell me where the second recording is.””
“I don't know where Margaret hid it.””
“But you know what it contains.””
She was silent.
“Mia?””
“I've seen part of it.””
“What did you see?””
“Daniel.””
“Doing what?””
Her breathing became unsteady.
“Talking to Margaret.””
I stood.
“When?””
“Three weeks before she died.””
“What did he say?””
Mia began crying.
“He told her that if she didn't give him the original trust documents, he would tell you the truth about Daniel's birth.””
I closed my eyes.
“And what did Margaret say?””
“She told him to leave.””
“And then?””
Mia whispered:
“He threatened to tell you that she had been planning to leave you for Arthur.””
I felt my throat tighten.
“Did she?””
“No.””
“How do you know?””
“Because I was there when she told him she had never stopped loving you.””
I sat down slowly.
For a moment, I couldn't speak.
Then Mia added something.
“Mr. Harrison, there's another reason Daniel is afraid of that recording.””
“What?””
“He wasn't alone when he threatened Margaret.””
I gripped the phone.
“Who was with him?””
Mia's voice dropped.
“Claire.””
I looked across the office.
My daughter was sitting beside Richard, unaware of what I had just heard.
“That's impossible.””
“I saw her, Mr. Harrison.””
“No. Claire would have told me.””
“She may not remember everything.””
I stared at my daughter.
“What are you saying?””
Mia swallowed.
“Margaret's recording shows Daniel asking Claire to help him get the papers. And Claire…”
She stopped.
“And Claire what?””
“She signed something.””
I looked at the document Claire had signed the previous morning.
The authorization.
The same document Daniel had brought into my house.
My daughter had already admitted signing it.
But what if that wasn't the first time?
“Mia,” I whispered, “what exactly did Claire sign?””
Before she could answer, Richard's office door opened.
Claire walked in holding her phone.
“Dad?””
I turned.
Her face was pale.
“Daniel just sent me something.””
“What?””
She placed the phone on the desk.
A photograph filled the screen.
It showed Margaret lying in a hospital bed.
Daniel stood beside her, holding a document.
And Claire was standing on the other side of the bed.
On the back of the photograph was a handwritten message:
*Ask your daughter what she promised her mother she would never tell you.*
I stared at Claire.
She began to cry.
“Dad, I can explain.””
I stood slowly.
“Then explain.””
She looked at Richard.
Then back at me.
May you like
And finally, in a voice so quiet I almost couldn't hear it, she said:
“Mom made me promise that if anything happened to her, I would never tell you who was in the room when she died.””
