Tyson
I stared at the ceiling of my childhood bedroom, watching the fan blades rotate in
lazy circles. I'd been doing that for hours. Sle ep was impossible. Every time I closed
my eyes, I saw Brook's face—the way it had crumpled when I told her I needed to
leave, the devastation in her eyes. My phone buzzed for what felt like the hundredth
time. I'd been ignoring it since midnight, but the messages k ept coming. Caleb :
You're a fucking idiot. Ashe r : Man, call me. You're making a huge mistake. Jacob :
Brook would NEVER. You know this. Tyron e: I've known you both since college.
This is insane. Call me back. Even Mayken had texted : I love you, but you're wrong.
So, so wrong. I dropped the phone on my chest and rubbed my hands over my face.
My eyes burned. My head throbbed. Everything hurt . The DNA test sat on the
nightstand, that damning piece of paper that had blown up my entire life. I'd read it
so many times I had it memorized. Probability of Paternity: 0% . Zero. Not even a
margin of error. But everyone—literally everyone exc ept my parents and Celeste—
was telling me I was wrong. My phone buzzed again. This time, I looked. It was
from Brook. My heart lurched. Finally. She was going to explain, going to tell me
there was some mistake, going to—
Wifey: Accu Test Labs, 3 pm. Be there or don't. Either way, you'll regret this. I stared
at the message, reading it three times. That was it. No explanation. No pleading. No
"baby, please listen to me." No heart emoji. Nothing. Just cold. Direct. A command.
This wasn't my Brook. My Brook who texted me throughout the day with random
thoughts and pictures of Preston. My Brook who ️ always, always signed off with
"love you baby " even if we'd just had an argument. This Brook was a stranger. And
somehow, that scared me more than anything else had. I was still staring at the
message when I heard heavy footst eps on the stairs. A second later, my bedroom
door flew open and slammed against the wall. Caleb stood in the doorway, and he
looked pissed. "Get up," he said.
"Caleb, I don't—" "Get. Up." His voice was hard, colder than I'd ever heard it.
"We're talking. Now." I sat up slowly, my body protesting. "Did Mom let you in?"
"Yeah, and she tried to tell me you needed rest. I told her you needed sense
knocked into you." He crossed his arms. "What the hell are you doing, Ty?" "I'm
dealing with the fact that my son might not be mine," I said, hearing how hollow my
voice sounded.
"Might not be—" Caleb laughed, but there was no humor in it. "Jesus Christ. You
really believe that? You really think Brook cheated on you?" "I have a DNA test that
says—" "You have a piece of paper that Celeste gave you!" Caleb exploded.
"Celeste! The same sister who has made Brook's life hell for seven years! The same
girl who 'accidentally' spilled red wine on Brook's wedding dress at the rec eption.
Who told everyone at Preston's first birthday that Brook was 'trapping' you with a
baby. Who posted that photo of Brook at the beach last summer with the caption
about 'letting yourself go' when she was six months pregnant!" Each example hit
me like a physical blow. I'd forgotten about the wine. I'd made excuses for the
birthday comment—Celeste was young, she didn't think. The Instagram post...
Brook had cried over that one. I'd told Celeste to take it down, but the damage was
done. "That's just... Celeste is immature sometimes," I said weakly. "Immature?"
Caleb's voice rose. "She's cruel, Ty. She's been systematically cruel to your wife for
years, and you've let it happen because she's your baby sister. Well, guess what?
She's not a baby anymore. She's eighteen and she's a manipulative little—" "Don't,"
I warned. "Or what? You'll defend her? Like you always do?" Caleb shook his head.
"Remember when Brook was pregnant with Preston and Celeste told her that you'd
said you weren't ready for kids? Brook came to Mayken crying, thinking you didn't
want the baby. You never said that, did you?" I hadn't. I'd been thrilled about
Preston. "Or when Celeste told Brook that Mom said she was 'common' because her
family didn't have money? Mom never said that. But it
made Brook so self-conscious she didn't want to come to family dinners for
months." I remembered that. Brook had pulled away, made excuses. I'd thought she
was just tired from the pregnancy. "And last Christmas," Caleb continued
relentlessly, "when Celeste gave everyone thoughtful gifts and gave Brook a gym
membership? When your wife was four months pregnant?" My stomach turned. I'd
told Brook that Celeste was just trying to be helpful, that she knew Brook liked to
stay active. "She's been poisoning your marriage from day one," Caleb said, his
voice dropping. "And now she hands you a DNA test—conveniently right when she
wants money for Europe—and you just believe it? Without question? Without even
talking to Brook first?" "The test—" "Could be fake! Could be someone else's! Could
be completely fabricated!" Caleb threw his hands up. "But you didn't even consider
that, did you? You just looked at your wife—your wife, Ty, who has loved you since
you were kids, who gave you a son, who's carrying your daughter—and you believed
the worst of her." Doubt cr ept in, cold and insidious. "Why would Celeste fake a
DNA test?" "You're kidding, right?" Caleb stared at me. "She hates Brook. She's
always hated Brook. And now she needs ten grand for a trip. You don't think those
things are connected?" Ten grand. Brook had mentioned something about money
yesterday, but Celeste had interrupted before she could finish. "Brook tried to tell
me something yesterday," I said slowly. "Before Celeste came in."
"And you didn't listen." Caleb's expression softened slightly. "Ty, I love you. You're
my brother. But you're about to lose everything. Your wife, your kids, your
marriage—all of it. Because you chose to believe a piece of paper over the woman
who has stood by you for seven years." I looked down at my phone, at Brook's
message. Be there or don't. Either way, you'll regret this. "She wants to do another
DNA test," I said quietly. "At Accu Test Labs. Three o'clock." "Of course she does.
Because she has nothing to hide." Caleb moved closer. "But here's the thing, Ty.
Even when that test comes back and proves Preston is yours—and it will—the
damage is done. You accused your pregnant wife of cheating. You walked out on
her. You chose Celeste over her. You think she's just going to forgive that?" My
chest tightened. "She'll understand. Once I explain—" "Explain what? That you
thought so little of her, trusted her so little, that you believed she'd betray you?
That you'd throw away five years of marriage on your sister's word?" Caleb shook
his head. "Mayken asked me what I'd do if she was in Brook's position. You know
what I said? I'd be lucky if she didn't burn my stuff on the front lawn." I thought
about Brook's message again. The coldness of it. The finality. Either way, you'll
regret this. "I need to think," I said. "No, you need to wake up." Caleb headed for
the door, then turned back. "Three o'clock, Ty. Be there. Grovel. Beg. Pray she
gives you another chance. Because if you don't show up, or if you show up still
acting like she's the one who needs to prove herself?" He met my eyes. "You'll
deserve everything you lose."
The door closed behind him, leaving me alone with my thoughts and that damned
DNA test. I picked it up again, studying it. The letterhead looked official. The
numbers seemed real. But Caleb's words echoed in my head. C ould be fake. Could
be someone else's. Could be completely fabricated. Everyone was telling me I was
wrong. Everyone who knew Brook, who loved her, who had watched us build our
life together. Everyone exc ept my parents and Celeste. My phone buzzed. Another
message from Asher. Asher : Brook has never even looked at another guy. You know
this, man . I did know that. Brook had eyes only for me, had since we were
eighteen. She lit up when I walked in the room. She still held my hand when we
walked anywhere. She left me notes in my lunch and texted me throughout the day
and looked at me like I hung the moon. Or she had. Until yesterday. I looked at the
clock. 11:47 AM. Three hours and thirteen minutes until I had to be at Accu Test
Labs. Three hours and thirteen minutes to decide if I was going to ke ep destroying
my marriage, or start trying to save it. I just wasn't sure if it was already too late.