Chapter 5: The Blood Sample

The revelation of Maya’s medical condition only hardened my resolve. Brandon was clearly under immense pressure, but that didn’t excuse his actions. He was trying to take my home, my last connection to Evelyn, to pay off someone else’s debts.

“We need to know the exact connection,” I told Julian, sitting in his small, cluttered office later that day. His desk was piled high with county records and legal volumes. “Why is Brandon responsible for Maya’s surgery? What’s the leverage?”

Julian, ever the pragmatist, nodded. “The genetics clinic. That’s the key. If he submitted a sample, there’s a record.”

He picked up his phone, dialing a number from a handwritten note. His conversation was hushed, punctuated by pauses as he typed on his computer. I sat there, my knuckles white, listening to the drone of his voice.

After nearly twenty minutes, he hung up, a flicker of something unreadable in his eyes.

“Okay,” Julian said, turning to me. “I tracked down the specific lab. It’s legitimate. And Brandon Higgins did submit samples there.”

“When?” I pressed, my heart racing.

“Six months ago,” he replied, leaning back in his chair. “While he was still living under his alias in Oregon. He submitted his own DNA, a blood sample, alongside a cheek swab from a child.”

My breath caught in my throat. Six months ago. Maya was three. It fit perfectly. He had tried to get ahead of this, to confirm his position somehow.

“He was preparing for this,” I whispered, the implications swirling. “He was making sure he had enough ‘proof’ before he even came back here. Proof that Sierra’s child needed *his* help.”

Julian just watched me, silent.

“He’s being blackmailed,” I insisted, the theory now cemented in my mind. “Sierra must have something on him. Maybe she knows about his ‘accident,’ his debts, whatever happened in Oregon. She’s using that, and Maya’s illness, to extort him. To get the money for the surgery by selling my house.”

It was the only logical explanation. Brandon might be cold and distant, but he wasn’t a monster. He wouldn’t willingly abandon his family and steal his mother’s home for pure greed. He had to be cornered, forced into this position by Sierra.

“I need to know for sure,” I declared, pushing myself up from the chair. “I need undeniable proof that this child is *not* his. That Sierra is an opportunist.”

“How?” Julian asked, his brow furrowed.

“I’ll submit my own DNA,” I stated, my voice firm. “They have his sample. They have the child’s. If I submit mine, they can do a full lineage comparison. Prove there’s no genetic link to our family.”

Julian hesitated. “Clara, this is a private lab. They might not release results without Brandon’s consent.”

“Then we’ll force them,” I said, pulling out my phone. “I’m the executor of Evelyn’s estate, which Brandon is trying to liquidate. I have legal standing to investigate any claims against the estate. If Brandon’s finances are tied to a secret child, I have a right to know.”

I booked an appointment for the next morning. I would get the truth, no matter the cost. I would expose Sierra’s scheme and free my son from her grip.