Donald said, “Let’s talk in person. I’m coming to you now. But first, let me cut to the chase: remember that DNA test you had me run a while back? The results were wrong.”
Jonathan froze for a split second, his entire body going rigid. Trying to remain calm, he asked, “And then what?”
Donald said, “You know how I told you this morning about that kid who, just like you, got a stomachache after eating something bad and ended up in the hospital yesterday? That was Mike. Yesterday, I went and took a DNA test with him myself. The results just came back–it turns out Mike and I are biologically related.”
After Donald finished speaking, he distinctly heard Jonathan’s breathing grow heavier on the other end. He said, “Jonathan, just stay calm for now. I’ll fill you in on the rest when we meet.” With that, he hung up.
Jonathan slowly and heavily sank into the chair. Surrounded by bustling crowds, in that moment, all the noise and movement ceased to register in his mind. Fragments of the past flashed through his mind.
The first time Jonathan saw Mike was on the road near Rosary Estates, where Teresa lived. Back then, Mike peered through the window at Jonathan’s car. The moment he saw Jonathan, he exclaimed, “You are handsome.” Then he scampered off.
The first time Jonathan saw Mike, he couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something different about him.
Jonathan and Mike had done more than one DNA test. The first DNA test was arranged by Cheryl, and the results showed there was no biological relationship. Still, Hayden and Irene kept insisting Mike looked just like Jonathan. And when Jonathan took Mike to Cranur for a trip, everyone they met commented on their striking resemblance.
Then, Jonathan arranged for a second DNA test. He personally collected strands of his hair and Mike’s, then handed them to Donald for testing. During this process, Donald had no idea whose samples he was testing. But once again, the results showed there was no biological relationship between Jonathan and Mike. So he finally let go of any lingering hope.
Later, when Benny, out of idle curiosity, ran another test, it once again confirmed Mike wasn’t Jonathan’s son. Since then, Jonathan no longer doubted Mike’s identity.
Also, Jonathan had personally seen the DNA test report between Christian and Mike, which indicated that Christian was Mike’s biological father.
Suddenly, Christian’s words echoed in Jonathan’s ears. Christian had said, “Mr. Lynn, I have something to tell you. Mike isn’t my son.”
Back then, Jonathan had asked, “Then whose child is Mike?”
Christian had replied, “Well, Mr. Lynn, I need to discuss this with Mike’s mother first.”
All those subtle clues and telltale signs Jonathan had once ignored now came rushing back, each one magnified in his mind.
Jonathan recalled Christian saying Mike had the last name Johnson. But it turned out Christian’s wife had the last name Roth.
Jonathan recalled, for example, how Mike once excitedly told him, “Teresa and Miriam took me to Jarisburg. My mom is a stunning beauty–an absolute knockout.”
Jonathan recalled tracking down Teresa in Everport after going to great lengths. Mike was there, too. But with Christian’s wife, Sherry, present, Jonathan simply assumed Mike was with her and didn’t give it a second thought.
Jonathan then recalled when Hayden was suddenly hospitalized, and Gary came carrying Mike to visit. At the time, Jonathan was so caught up in Teresa leaving that it never occurred to him to ask why Gary brought Mike along.
Jonathan pondered, ‘Why does Mike, who I thought had nothing to do with me, keep showing up around me? And strangely, he seems to be somehow connected to so many people around me.’
As he carefully replayed every moment from the past, it struck Jonathan that every time Mike was there, Teresa was always there too.
Teresa told Jonathan that Mike was her colleague’s child. Jonathan had trusted her, so he had never questioned it.
Jonathan thought, ‘Come to think of it, the boy’s identity is indeed suspicious. Maybe even Mike isn’t his real name. So what’s his true identity? Is it related to the important matter Donald and Gary mentioned?’
Jonathan interlaced his fingers and closed his eyes slightly, his brow furrowed deeply as more and more clues surfaced in his mind, each one drawing him closer to the truth.
Jonathan recalled the day he meticulously planned to confess to Teresa–she seemed on the verge of telling him something important, too, only for it all to be cut short by a sudden call about Hayden’s hospitalization.
Jonathan thought, ‘What was she going to tell me that day? Time and again, she seemed on the verge of telling me something. What on earth was that secret?’
An indescribable swirl of emotions churned within him, and a bold thought suddenly struck Jonathan. He thought, ‘Could the boy be my son? Is Mike my son?’
Suddenly, a booming voice ripped through the air, echoing throughout the entire departure terminal. Gary called out, “Jonathan.”
Jonathan’s thoughts were abruptly yanked back to the present. He shot to his feet and looked over, narrowing his eyes as he zeroed in on Gary.
A short distance away, Gary stood panting heavily, megaphone in hand, his gaze fixed on Jonathan. He flipped on the megaphone’s switch and bellowed, “Mike is your son.”
All eyes in the terminal snapped toward Gary as if he were some kind of lunatic.
Ignoring all the stares, Gary clutched the freshly printed DNA test report in one hand and gripped the megaphone tightly in the other. Finally, with irrefutable proof in hand, he could finally say what he’d been dying to tell Jonathan.
He strode directly toward Jonathan. As soon as he stood in front of Jonathan, he blurted out, “Mike is your son. That three-year-old who calls you ‘Mr. Lime’ every day–he’s your flesh and blood. Aren’t you happy? Aren’t you thrilled, Jonathan?”