For a flicker of a second, I could imagine that future with him. Derek caring for me while I was pregnant with his child, coming to all my appointments, holding my hand just like he did when I go into labor, and changing diapers, late nights and teaching our kids?—
Stop, Paige. Don’t go ahead of yourself.
The courthouse was covered in cold fluorescent lighting and it looked like the kind of place that sucked the warmth out of everything. Jennifer met us outside the courtroom, looking professional and confident in her sharp suit and perfect makeup.
“Ready?” she asked, and I nodded even though I wasn’t.
The courtroom was smaller than I expected and Jack was already there with his lawyer, and seeing him after days felt weird.
Derek’s hand tightened on mine as we took our seats. I held on to him like he was the only thing keeping me anchored.
Jennifer was brilliant, laying out our case with precision. The evidence of Jack’s affair, the financial documents showing how he drained our accounts, the testimony from my OBGYN about the appointments he missed. Everything Derek had spent months collecting.
I watched Jack’s face darken with each piece of evidence, watched his lawyer’s expression grow more resigned.
We were winning and it was going exactly as Derek had planned.
Then Jack stood up.
“Your Honor, I’d like to request a paternity test for Lily Mitchell.”
The words made me freeze as I felt Derek go rigid beside me.
“What?” I whispered, but he wasn’t done.
“I have reason to believe,” Jack continued, his voice steady and cold. “That my wife has been having an affair with her employer, Derek Peterson, and that the child I believed to be my daughter is actually his.”
What the hell?
Jennifer was on her feet immediately. “Your Honor, this is a baseless accusation without merit?—”
“I have evidence,” Jack said, and his lawyer looked deeply uncomfortable when Jack showed a folder. “A DNA test proving that Lily is not biologically mine.”
No. That’s a lie.
I stared at Jack and at the smug satisfaction on his face.
The midnight visit to Derek’s penthouse was planned. He hadn’t come to check on his daughter. He came to collect evidence.
“This is ridiculous,” Derek said, his tone barely steady. “That evidence is fabricated?—”
“The lab is reputable,” Jack said. “The results are clear.”
“I never cheated on you,” I said, my voice firm. “You know I didn’t and Lily is your daughter.”
“Is she?” Jack tilted his head, and there was something so cruel in his expression it surprised me that I had married that man. “Because I’ve been thinking about it, Paige. And really thinking about it. Her eyes. They’re not mine and they’re not yours either. They’re his.” He pointed at Derek. “Same exact shade of blue and same shape. I should have noticed it earlier.”
“Coincidence,” Jennifer said firmly. “Your Honor, I would like to request that we conduct our own independent paternity test?—”
“Of course,” Jack’s lawyer agreed quickly.
The rest of the hearing passed in a blur. Jennifer handled everything professionally while all I could think about was Jack’s face.
He believed his own lie or he had paid enough money to make the lie look real.
When the judge finally called for a recess, when we were dismissed to wait for the independent test results, I stood on shaking legs and mumbled something about the bathroom.
I barely made it to the stall before I was vomiting.
