The Child's Eyes
Those eyes—steel-blue, downturned at the corners, the familiar arch of the brows... Uncanny. Just like Mark in his youth. A cold dread shot from my soles to my skull. Mark continued bellowing at Susan, his voice pounding my eardrums. He called her a scheming fraud, accused her of vile tactics. The words hammered at me. Yet my mind refused to cooperate. Those eyes mirroring Mark's, that birth certificate bearing his name, and... his excessive reaction.
First Doubts
For the first time, the report locked in my drawer wavered in my mind. Could it truly be infallible? A sliver of doubt pricked me like a thorn. Whom to believe? Mark must have seen the uncertainty on my face. He abruptly silenced his tirade against Susan, whirling to grab my arm with bruising force. He spun me to face him, eyes boring into mine, fear spilling over.
Mark's Vow
"Jennifer!" His voice was hoarse, desperate. "Listen! Look at me! I swear—by my life! If that child is mine, may I be struck dead by a car! May lightning strike me down!" His fingers dug into my arm with hopeless intensity. "That report! It's proof! She’s a lunatic con artist! Believe me!" Mark's feverish oath still scorched my skin. Susan stood at the threshold, face ashen, lips pressed into a stubborn line, shielding the boy.
NEXT >>