She Took 866

In this intense chapter, Lenny orders the doctor to draw Manny’s blood for a DNA test, despite Manny’s fierce resistance. Manny struggles violently against those restraining him, shouting to be released, but he ultimately breaks down when he meets his father Dale’s cold and distant gaze. The emotional weight of feeling abandoned by the man who once protected and loved him overwhelms Manny, deepening his heartbreak.

After the blood draw, Manny and his mother Artemis prepare to leave, but Manny expresses his bitter feelings toward Dale, accusing him of no longer seeing them as family. Artemis tries to intervene, but Manny’s harsh words reveal the deep rift between them. Their tense moment is interrupted by Dan, who mocks Artemis’s past manipulative behavior and cynically suggests the DNA test might prove Manny is not Dale’s son, further escalating the conflict.

Dan proposes that both sides send trusted people to oversee the DNA testing process to prevent tampering, casting doubt on the integrity of the results. Manny accuses Dan of planning to manipulate the test, but Dan dismisses the accusation with a mocking laugh. Artemis tries to calm Manny, signaling him to stop the argument, as the situation grows increasingly hostile and complicated.

Dale, affected by Artemis’s silent plea and burdened by humiliation from others’ whispers and direct insults, finally gives the order to proceed with the blood test. The chapter ends with a sense of unresolved tension and emotional fracture within the family, highlighting the painful consequences of mistrust and broken relationships.

866 Blood Draw

Lenny turned to the doctor beside him. “Draw his blood.”

The doctor rushed forward with his equipment.

Manny went wild, thrashing against the people holding him down. “Let me go! Get your hands off me!”

No matter how hard he struggled, it was useless now.

Then he met Dale’s eyes–cold, dark, and distant–and everything in him just… broke.

That was his dad. The man who had always protected him loved him. And now he was looking at him like he was nothing.

The blood was drawn.

Then they released Manny.

Artemis looked at Dale, tears glistening in her eyes.

This was her usual tactic–whenever something went wrong, she’d play the part of the helpless woman, lowering herself completely in front of him.

In the past, Dale had been willing to indulge her, so it worked.

But now he wouldn’t even look at her–so it didn’t work anymore.

Manny pushed himself up from the floor, his movements stiff and angry. The wound on his cheek had split open, blood streaking down his face.

Artemis stepped forward. “Manny.”

“Mom, let’s go,” Manny said. Newest update provided by FindN()vel.net

As he spoke, he cast a cold look at Dale.

That tone–it carried pure heartbreak. The kind that only comes from being crushed by someone you once worshipped.

Artemis hesitated. “You-”

“What are we still doing here? He doesn’t even see us anymore. We mean nothing to him! We’re not his family, Mom!”

“Manny! Stop talking!”

Artemis’s heart jumped in fear at his outburst.

But Manny only looked at her, eyes full of scorn. “Am I wrong?”

That question wasn’t just disappointment–it was accusation. And Artemis knew he was right.

Dan let out a sharp laugh. “How many times has your mother pulled this act over the years?”

Manny and Artemis froze.

The two of them went completely still, faces pale.

“Shut up.” Manny snapped. “This is between me and Dad. It’s none of your business.”

Dan smirked. “Oh, but what if it’s not? Once that DNA test comes back, and you’re not his son, it definitely won’t be his business anymore.”

“You-”

Dan’s smile widened. “The blood’s been drawn. Why bother pretending anymore? What’s the point of trying to stop the test now?”

His words sliced through them like a knife, exposing everything they’d tried to hide.

“You-” Manny started again, but Artemis grabbed his wrist, warning him to stop.

Artemis’s eyes turned cold as she glared at Dan, the warmth completely gone from her face.

Dan, however, looked completely unbothered.

He let out a mocking chuckle and turned to Dale. “So, how are you planning to handle this DNA test?”

Dale’s brows furrowed. He looked at Dan instinctively. “What do you mean?”

Dan leaned back slightly, his tone casual but cutting. “Let’s be honest–these reports can go either way. someone wants it to be true, it’ll be true. If they don’t, it won’t be.”

The room fell silent. Everyone’s attention shifted to him.

“In my opinion,” Dan continued smoothly, “if we’re going through with this, then we need to make absolutely sure the results are one hundred percent genuine.”

Artemis said nothing, but her heart sank even deeper.

Dan went on, “How about this–we each send five people to oversee the process?” He paused, his tone sharp. “You know… just in case someone tries to mess with it.”

He didn’t finish the sentence, but everyone understood what he meant.

If

Each side would send five of their most trusted people to watch every step. With that kind of supervision, even if someone wanted to tamper with the results, they wouldn’t get the chance.

Manny’s breathing quickened.

He clenched his fists and glared at Dan. “You’re the one planning to mess with it, aren’t you?”

Dan laughed. “If I really wanted to mess with it, your people and Dad’s people would be all over it, wouldn’t they? What’s got you so bent out of shape? Mad because you can’t pull your own tricks?”

“You-” Manny started, his anger flaring again, but Artemis grabbed his wrist, silently telling him to stop.

Things had gone too far. Arguing now was pointless.

Dale looked at Artemis.

She met his gaze, eyes full of quiet disappointment. She didn’t say a word–and that silence, more than any pleading, tugged at something inside him.

She was still trying to pull him back.

But there was no going back anymore.

Tessa and Lewis’s words had cut too deep. The things people whispered behind his back, he could pretend not to hear. But when Lewis had stood right in front of him and said those things out loud, it had been humiliating. That humiliation made Dale want to smash the DNA test results right into Lewis’s face.

So when he saw Artemis’s pleading eyes again, he looked away almost instantly.

He turned to Lenny. “Do it.”

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The tension in the room hung heavy, each character grappling with the fractures in their relationships and the painful truths beginning to surface. Manny’s outburst revealed the raw heartbreak of feeling abandoned by a father he once idolized, while Artemis’s silent plea underscored the desperation to hold their fractured family together. Dan’s cold cynicism only deepened the divide, casting doubt on the integrity of the DNA test and threatening to unravel the fragile threads of trust that remained.

In the midst of this turmoil, Dale’s decision to proceed with the blood draw marked a turning point, a reluctant acceptance that the past can no longer be ignored or rewritten. The chapter closes on a note of inevitable confrontation, where the characters must face the consequences of their choices and the truths they have long avoided. The emotional weight of betrayal, disappointment, and guarded hope lingers, setting the stage for the difficult journey ahead.

The tension between Dale and Manny has reached a breaking point, and the looming DNA test threatens to unravel the fragile threads still holding this fractured family together. In the next chapter, expect the emotional stakes to rise as the test results inch closer to being revealed. The characters will grapple with trust, betrayal, and the painful question of identity, each forced to confront what family really means when blood ties are called into question.

Meanwhile, the uneasy alliances and simmering resentments among those watching over the process hint at deeper conflicts yet to unfold. Loyalties will be tested, and the shadow of manipulation looms large, leaving everyone wondering who can truly be trusted. As the characters brace for the impact of the truth, the next chapter promises to delve even deeper into the emotional turmoil that threatens to shatter their world.