Stretcher 32

pter 5

Grandma stared into the distance, her eyes distant with memory.

“Two years after I had the twin boys, your father and I went through a rough patch. We separated.”

“I dated someone else for a while. That’s when I got pregnant with Pearl.”

Uncle Mike’s jaw dropped. “So Pearl is Mom’s kid with her ex, not Dad’s biological daughter.”

Uncle Dave nearly jumped out of his chair. “How did we never know about this?!”

Grandma gave him a look before continuing.

“It only lasted three months. Turned out the guy was a gambling addict, drowning in debt and trying to use me to bail him out.”

“I kicked him to the curb immediately and realized your father was the good one. When he asked me to come back, I said yes.”

“Shortly after, I found out I was pregnant. You boys were still little, so we didn’t make a big deal about it. When Pearl was born, your father just

claimed her as his own.”

Mom stared at them, eyes wide as saucers.

“Mom, Dad – why didn’t I even know? What happened to my biological father?”

Grandma sighed softly.

“He disappeared to avoid his creditors. As far as I’m concerned, he doesn’t exist.”

Grandpa patted Mom’s shoulder with a warm smile.

“Don’t overthink it, sweetheart. You’re my daughter, these are your brothers, and we’ll always be family.”

Mom shook her head in disbelief. “I can’t believe this is so dramatic. Even you two had your soap opera moments back in the day.”

Grandpa cleared his throat awkwardly, but before he could respond, a blood–curdling shriek filled the room.

Carol’s eyes went wide as she lunged at Grandpa, sobbing hysterically.

“That’s impossible! I have DNA proof! Dad, I’m your real daughter!”

Grandpa’s voice was ice cold. “Enough. I told you – I only had two sons. There’s no way you’re my daughter.”

Uncle Mike’s face darkened, his tone equally cold.

“Are you out of your goddamn mind? My father would never cheat. Stop trying to tear this family apart!”

Carol refused to give up, screaming: “I don’t believe you! You’re all lying because you don’t want to accept me!”

She plopped down on the floor and started throwing a tantrum, clutching the paternity test and insisting she was a Hartwell heiress.

I looked down at her coldly. “I don’t know how you faked that DNA test, but your whole story just got debunked. Keep this up and we’re calling the police.”

Carol’s eyes flickered, then she suddenly switched tactics.

“No wait – I AM a Hartwell! I just got confused before. Maybe my real mom isn’t Mrs. Hartwell, but I’m still his biological daughter!”

“As long as I’m blood–related, I have every right to inherit!”

She stood up confidently, practically shouting.

00:13

“I’m telling the truth! If you don’t believe me, let’s do another paternity test!”

Grandpa was so angry his chest hurt, banging his cane on the floor. This update is available on Find[ɴ]ovel.net

“Fine, let’s end this right now. I want to know what your game is!”

Carol wasn’t fazed at all. She eagerly got up and started calling testing facilities.

She strutted out like she’d already won.

But she didn’t notice that the rest of us hung back, staying quiet.

Grandma said casually, “Perfect. Now we can trace where that fake report came from.”

I smiled. “Don’t worry, Grandma. Leave this to me – I’ll get to the bottom of everything.”

Sara Lili

Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.