Jasmine and Mike couldn’t believe Doctor Tyler’s words, though Jasmine was already visibly shaken. Mike managed to convince her that the doctor was lying. After all, Doctor Tyler had been Loren’s admirer.
So, the entire day, they tried to gather information about the doctor’s whereabouts. All they learned from the hospital was that Doctor Tyler had submitted his resignation that very day—effective immediately. The news left both of them deeply unsettled.
Jasmine massaged her forehead, pinching the bridge of her nose. It was already deep into the night, and every thought in her head made her temples throb. Her brows twitched upward as her gaze landed on Melissa’s sleeping figure.
She reached out to adjust the girl’s blanket but froze mid-action.
[That doctor is that Loren bitch’s ally! Why did you believe him so much?!]
Mike’s harsh words echoed in her mind, reminding her that the doctor’s statements held no credibility. As for Melissa and Lawrence’s blood test results, it could’ve been nothing but coincidence.
[When that fool secretly conducted a DNA test, we paid someone to alter it! Didn’t you remember?]
Jasmine cleared her throat and shook her head, forcing herself to believe in Mike’s version of things. In a few hours, he would return and tell her that Doctor Tyler had lied. That he had deceived her on purpose just to throw her off. Once that was settled, they could resume their plans.
They still had time.
It would take a while for Lawrence to wake up, even with Melissa’s blood transfusion. All she had to do was wait a little longer.
"That’s right," she whispered, forcing a smile as she fixed Melissa’s blanket. She stroked her daughter’s hair gently, mentally convincing herself that everything the doctor said was false.
There was no way Loren would do something like that.
That woman would never do such a thing. She couldn’t. Loren was a pampered heiress who knew nothing about anything. Someone who lived in her own little bubble, far from reality.
"There’s no way," Jasmine murmured again, leaning closer to Melissa. She held her daughter’s hand and gave it a mild squeeze. Her breathing came out uneven, but she nodded to herself. "There’s no way."
You are my daughter, she thought, her eyes fixed on Melissa’s peaceful face. And I took care of my daughter well... not someone else’s.
For a while, Jasmine found comfort in that thought. She erased every trace of Doctor Tyler’s words by repeating those same arguments again and again until they became the only thing left in her head.
*****
Meanwhile...
Mike stood outside a quiet residential home and rang the doorbell. It was well past midnight, yet he pressed it again and again until someone finally answered.
"Huh?" A middle-aged man cracked open the door, holding it just wide enough for their faces to meet. Judging from his disheveled hair and the lines creasing his face, he’d clearly just woken up.
When he recognized Mike, the man blinked in disbelief. "Mike?"
"Hey," Mike breathed, glancing around cautiously.
The man followed his gaze, his expression tightening. "What are you doing here? Don’t tell me you’re in trouble again?"
"No—" Mike hesitated, shaking his head. "I mean, no. I’m not in trouble."
"Then what are you doing here in the middle of the night?" the man asked suspiciously, his tone laced with doubt. "And why do you look like someone’s tailing you?"
Mike didn’t answer. He was checking because he did feel like someone was following him. He just didn’t know who. He hadn’t made enemies in a while, and the only people who might wish him harm were those who still owed him money or the ones he’d harassed to collect it.
"No one. Anyway..." He cleared his throat, relieved he’d managed to get the man’s address after pulling some strings. "I came because I need to ask you something."
The man’s brows arched, waiting.
"Remember that time, years ago?" Mike said, watching the man blink. "The favor I asked from you."
The man’s body stiffened instantly. He glanced around, then back at Mike with clear hesitation.
"Don’t worry!" Mike spread his jacket open, showing he carried nothing. "I’m not here to cause trouble. I just really need to know the result."
"Yes."
"Then yes, I remember," the man continued, exhaling deeply. "Because you told me to change the result to a negative. But here’s the thing, it was already negative."
Mike froze.
The man went on, frowning slightly. "I remember because it was absurd. You paid me a hefty sum to falsify a result that didn’t need falsifying. The two people you had tested weren’t father and daughter to begin with."
The words hit Mike like a physical blow.
"What... did you say?" he asked hoarsely. "The result was what?"
"It was already negative," the man repeated simply. "The two weren’t biologically related."
And just like that, Mike’s world shattered, completely and irreversibly.
He stumbled backward from the doorway, his complexion draining of color. The man frowned, concern creeping into his voice.
"Mike?" he called, watching Mike lift his empty, lifeless eyes to meet his.
But Mike didn’t respond.
He turned away without a word, dragging his feet down the street as though the weight of the truth had crushed the air out of his lungs.
"Mike, are you okay?" the man called again. "Hey, where are you going? Mike!"
Still nothing.
Mike just kept walking, carrying the unbearable truth that had finally caught up to him after all these years.

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