Chapter 107: Chapter 107

KRISTEN

Years ago, everything had happened like a dream, and now, all the events only seemed like yesterday.

The journey from high school's heartbreak to my career, to my sister's death and taking custody of June. All the events came back to me with a confusing type of pain.

"You don't even know if that man is lying to be your father," I said, not satisfied that June would blindly believe everything a stranger said. "With everything happening, anybody could—"

"We did a DNA..."

My heart stilled. I parted my lips but no words came out. Confusion became numbness which slowly turned into shock.

"You did a DNA with him?!" I almost shrieked.

She shrugged. "That was the only way to know if he was telling the truth... and it came out positive. He said if I wasn't satisfied, I could take him to any hospital of my choice for another DNA. Henry is my father, and you... You are not related to me, Kristen."

*. *. *. *.*

It happened a long time ago, but I can remember vividly the scene that caused my breakup with Mary. I knew there was love in her heart, even when she said out of guilt that she was after me just because of certain benefits.

I pushed her away as far as possible and focused on building my life. You see, I have always been handsome, and just like it was now, I have always attracted a vast majority of the opposite sex.

Someone had even said to my face that I looked like the definition of sex and that one look at me could make people mistake me for a manwhore.

Gosh! Those slutty compliments used to always get into my head, not until I realized that the looks would get me nothing but sex (It's not like I was looking for something else.)

And now, to think that my destiny was still tied to something of Mary's sounded completely... ridiculous.

The DNA test confirmed everything.

"Where the hell did you find time to do a DNA?"

Before the reply came, I instantly knew. It must have been the last time she was attacked. Maybe she stumbled into them at the hospital and the father noticed something, maybe a resemblance, and instantly picked it out that it was his daughter.

Fuck!!

I don't know if to be happy or sad right now.

But why would Martha lie to me?! Why did she do that?

"The day I got injured..." June started. She narrated the story, leaving nothing out. I listened with rapt attention, noting how her eyes sparkled whenever she mentioned Henry and how his eyes looked just like hers.

"Where had he been all this while?" I asked.

"A country in Africa. He just came back some days ago, specifically the day I was injured. Everything became clear at the hospital." June shuffled closed and sat on my thigh. "This is great news, Kristen. We are not, in any way, related. I guess that's the reason I've always been drawn to you."

And I guess that's the reason my dick didn't register her as family. Fuck! The news was so sudden, almost surprising.

"Jeez, this is so much." I ran a hand through my hair, scattering the strands around my head. "I can feel an incoming headache."

"It's okay." She pressed my face to her chest, allowing me to inhale her scent and temporarily forget everything. And it worked. I hugged her back and tightened my grip. I could feel a certain type of sadness for June. She had been ridiculed and punished for something that never existed. How will the public adequately apologize after finding out that she wasn't related to me?

And our baby?

How can they ever make up for the loss?

"But... Isn't it so late? why didn't he seek you out for the past nineteen years?" I asked, searching for more ways to crucify the bastard. What kind of father abandons their kid and comes back years later to claim ownership? Huh?!

June chuckled softly. "That is a question I would like him to answer by himself. If you promise not to break any bones or cause pain and bruises, I can fix a dinner for all of us. They have been dying to meet you anyway."

I huffed and pulled away from her. "Fine, do it your way."

"You are not going to wear that scowl to the restaurant, you know." June got up from my thigh and smiled. "I can't explain how happy I am right now."

"I am so happy too." I was really happy, but anger towards Henry seemed to be taking up most of my mind. "I need to go for a drive to clear my head."

*. *. *. *.*

The drive helped a lot, mostly because I spoke to Edith on the phone for some minutes and we agreed to meet at the park to talk about it since June might not appreciate her presence in our home.

The park was still busy (not surprising) and a bit crowded.

I met Edith at the entrance, just like she told me.

We started to walk slowly.

Her hands were in her pockets. "Are you sure?" she spoke first. "You know, that man could just be a stranger for all we kn—"

"Edith, there was a DNA test, and the man said June was free to take him to any hospital of her choice if she didn't trust the result."

"That is the tone of a man who has nothing to hide," Edith mused. She looked as lost as I was."I have yet to understand this story though. Didn't you say Martha was your sister?"

"Yes, my sister passed away. From what I can understand now, it seems Mary, my ex, who also happened to be my sister's friend, before passing away begged my sister to pretend June was hers so the kid would not pass through the horror of foster care or any of all those other bullshit. Martha, my sister, knew that people would begin to point fingers and ask questions that would leak the truth, so she took the child and fled to me." I slowed down my steps as the memory of my sister's scared face swam into view. She had seemed very inexperienced, just like I was, and I'd thought that was because she was a new mother. "What my sister never expected was to die months later..."

"It's okay." Edith stopped walking and laid a hand on my shoulder to comfort me. "It is a great thing that she isn't related to you, isn't it?"

"Of course! That makes me so excited. I even posted it on my Instagram, telling people to stay away from us, and that we are not related. You'd think I've always known." And since the time I had posted the message, the notifications had been slamming in: likes, comments, messages. I know it won't be long before we start trending again, this time, the story of us...

The story of me and June.

For now, I have to take things slow with her and get the public to change their opinions about her. I will have them restore everything they have taken from us.

And as for our baby....

We can always make another one.