Chapter 2

Chapter Two

“How can this be possible?” he muttered under his breath, but it was loud enough for the courtroom to hear.

I froze, the sound of my heart thumping resounding in my ears. “What?” I whispered, leaning forward.

Henry sat up straighter, his smug smile fading away. “What’s going on?”

He glanced at the bailiff, then back at the document, his shock evident. He adjusted his glasses, rereading the page as if to confirm what he was seeing.

“Your Honor?” my lawyer prompted cautiously, her voice tinged with unease.

The judge cleared his throat, his tone laced with disbelief. “According to the results of the second DNA test…” He paused, looking directly at me. “Maddie, you are not…the biological mother of the child either.”

The courtroom fell silent as his words hung in the air. My pulse quickened at his words, echoing in the courtroom as gasps erupted around me. My vision blurred, and my breath caught in my throat.

“W-what did you just say?” I stammered, my voice breaking.

The judge glanced at me with something that looked almost like… pity. “The test shows conclusively that neither you nor Henry share biological ties to the child in question.”

“That’s impossible!” I screamed, jumping to my feet. “He is my son! I gave birth to him! I carried him for nine months! He’s mine!”

Henry’s face twisted in smugness and mockery. “What kind of sick game are you playing, Maddie? If he’s not mine, and now you’re saying he’s not yours either, then who the hell is he?”

The courtroom erupted into chaos with the spectators murmuring and muttering among themselves.

“Order! ORDER!” the judge barked, slamming his gavel down multiple times.

I sank back into my chair, my entire world spinning. How could the test be wrong? How could they say he wasn’t my child? I remembered the pain of labor, the tiny fingers that wrapped around mine when he was born, his first steps, his first words…everything!

“This has to be a mistake,” my lawyer said, standing to address the judge. “Your Honor, I respectfully request an immediate inquiry. These results defy logic. My client carried this child, gave birth to him. There is no scenario where she is not the biological mother.”

The judge nodded, his expression still clouded with confusion. “Given the seriousness of this case, I will order an immediate inquiry into the chain of custody for the DNA samples and the procedures followed by the lab.”

He turned his gaze to me, his tone softening slightly. “Mrs. Maddie, I understand this is difficult to process, but until we get clarity, we cannot proceed with the custody case.”

Henry shot to his feet. “What the hell does that mean? If neither of us are the parents, then whose kid is this?”

The judge held up a hand to silence him. “Sit down, Mr. Henry. We will get to the truth, but it will take time.”

I couldn’t breathe. I had given birth to Joey five years ago during a vacation. It was one of the worst moments of my life as I had almost lost him. I had woken up after labour asking to hold my child when they told me he was being cleaned up. I had thought nothing of it until it had taken too long. And when I had desperately asked for him, they told me he was not breathing. It was thanks to a miracle and the doctors' efforts that he had come back to me alive. Could it be that something had really happened back then?

My hands clutched the edge of the table as tears streamed down my face. My son. My beautiful, innocent son. What did this mean for him?

If the tests were right…then where was my real child?

And if he wasn’t mine…then who had placed him in my arms that fateful day?

The courtroom fell silent again, the weight of the revelations pressing down on everyone like a suffocating blanket.

The judge’s voice finally cut through the silence. "Given the irregularities, this court is adjourned until further notice. Bailiff, ensure all parties are notified once the investigation concludes."

I barely registered his words as I sat motionless, my mind racing. Henry's smirk returned, his usual arrogance Dr doubled by the recent development.

As the courtroom emptied, Henry leaned in close, his voice dripping with venom. “Well, Maddie, looks like you don’t have a leg to stand on anymore. By the way,” he added with a cruel smirk, “the divorce is going to be finalized as of today. Thought I’d let you know.”

I snapped my head toward him, not bothering to hide the redness of my eyes.

He shrugged, feigning nonchalance. “Signed and sealed. Didn’t want to wait for your pity party to end. You’re free, Maddie. Congratulations.”

The sound of my chair screeching against the floor as I stood echoed through the now-empty courtroom. “You bastard!” I shouted, my voice trembling with rage. “You planned this, didn’t you? You knew something was off, and you let me walk into this blind!”

Henry’s smirk deepened, but before he could respond, my lawyer stepped between us. “That’s enough, Mr. Henry,” she said firmly. “If you have further business, address it through me.”

He raised his hands in mock surrender, backing away with an infuriating grin. “I’ll see you around, Maddie. Maybe sooner than you think.”

“You did this. Didn't you?” I demanded, my voice rising again.

He stopped short and turned around before stopping in front of me and lowering his head in a whisper. “I did more than you think darling.” He said with an evil half smirk. “You know where to reach me if you ever need to find out.”

And with that he walked out, shutting the door behind him.

---

Back in my lawyer’s office later that evening, I sat gripping the arms of my chair so tightly my knuckles turned white. “What the hell just happened?” I asked, my voice hoarse from hours of crying.

“We’re going to find out,” she assured me, her tone calm but determined. “First, we need to address the custody issue. If there’s been any foul play with the DNA tests, we’ll uncover it. As for Henry’s behavior, he’s clearly trying to manipulate the situation to his advantage.”

My mind spun with questions, but one stood out among the chaos. “I'm sure he did this. He set this up somehow. Should I meet him?”

My lawyer paused, considering my words carefully. “If he has information that could shed light on what’s going on, it might be worth hearing him out. But you don’t go alone, Maddie. I’ll arrange for someone to follow you and make sure you're safe. And whatever you do, don’t let him bait you.”

What if he knows the whereabouts of my child? I hadn't even seen him after birth, I had no idea how I was supposed to be able to recognise him. Thinking back to what he said, I knew he had to know about this.

I nodded slowly, in determination. Court or not, Joey was my son. I couldn’t let Henry win. Not after everything he’d done.

“I’ll meet him,” I said finally,“Set it up.”