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“Alongside more or less admitting that he isn’t leaving his wife.” I snort at the audacity of the man. It amazes me that I ever fell for him.
“I never liked him.”
“You told me. Many times.”
“He bought you roses when he knew your favorites are irises.”
“I never told him that.”
“No, I did.” She rolls her eyes with an exasperated sigh. “Thought I’d help the guy along a little. But he thought he knew better. I hate men that think they know better just because they have a dick.”
“I should never have dated a man who works in law like me. He’s seen too many liars being a cop. It gave him the perfect learning opportunity. I never even suspected.”
Halliday gives me a small smile. “That’s because you have a good heart beneath that tough woman lawyer suit you wear. Seeing through criminals is one thing. That’s your job, it’s not who you are. When you’re not at work, you want to see the good in people. It’s a nice trait to have. Don’t knock it.”
“Thanks.” I blow a breath out and lean back in my chair. “But it feels like a weakness. For a while, it made me question my judgment. I hate that he did that.”
“Hey.” She fixes me with a stern look. “You’re in control of how this goes. You could tell him the babies aren’t his, even if they are. Make sure he has no reason to keep hounding you.”
“I can’t do that.”
“I know. And I wasn’t suggesting you do. It’s not you. You do things the right way. Truth and justice. It’s what I love about you.”
“Yeah, truth,” I mutter just as my phone rings on the table with the number I’ve been waiting on.
I wince as the ache in my head intensifies.
“The clinic?” Halliday’s brows arch.
I swallow, my throat thick as I pick it up and answer. “Sophie Havers.”
“Sophie.” Doctor Melinda’s soothing tone floats down the phone. “I have your paternity test results back. Is now a good time?”
“Yes.” Desperation creeps into my voice.
“Great. Well, each baby is developing in their own amniotic sac. And the test showed heteropaternal superfecundation. It’s extremely rare.”
Drew’s face flashes into my mind.
“Something’s wrong with them?” I choke out.How am I going to tell him? He’s so excited.
I rub my stomach protectively as nausea swirls in my gut. I was so worried about who the father was, I never considered the babies might not be healthy… might notsurvive.
“No, nothing is wrong,” Doctor Melinda assures. “They’re both developing normally from what I could see at your ultrasound. Heteropaternal superfecundation is the term we use when twins in gestation together have different biological fathers.”
The throbbing at the base of my skull is drowned out by blood rushing in my ears. “Different fathers? I don’t understand.”
“Your body released two eggs. Both were fertilized within the same forty-eight-hour period. One matched Mr. Harper’s sample. And the other did not. Youmentioned an ex-partner?”
“Y-yes.”
“We’ll need a sample from him to confirm, but I would be confident in saying that the other egg was fertilized by his sperm.”
“Oh.”
I stare at Halliday across the table.
“It’s a lot to take in. I’m going to send you some information by email for you to read through. I’ll call you to arrange a follow-up appointment. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please do call me.”
