Chapter 455 The Walls Begin to Crack

By the time everything was taken care of, night had already fallen. The results wouldn’t come in immediately, and only then did Johnathan realize they’d barely eaten all day—aside from the quick bite he and Sierra had earlier. He could manage, but Sierra had stuck by his side the whole time and hadn’t eaten either.

He pulled himself together and took her outside. There weren’t many places to eat in this small town, so they picked a simple restaurant, grabbed a meal, and headed back to the inn to wait for news.

Meanwhile, Chandler got word that Johnathan hadn’t left town. He frowned. “Dad, what now? He’s still here.” Chandler had deliberately said those harsh things earlier in hopes of driving him away. But Johnathan was calmer than expected and clearly had no intention of leaving. If he came back again, Chandler wasn’t sure he could keep the truth hidden—and with Johnathan’s temperament, things could easily spiral out of control. After all, Chandler had helped raise him. He couldn’t help but feel conflicted.

Silas finally said, “Contact the Wynn family.”

It was the last thing either of them wanted to do. Even if it had been Wendy’s choice to take the child in, they hadn’t protected her, and that guilt still lingered. But now wasn’t the time for pride. They needed to align their story. Chandler nodded and made the call to Chase.

Back in their country, Chase stiffened when he picked up the phone. “What did you just say? Johnathan came to see you? Why didn’t you tell me earlier? What did you say to him?” His questions came rapid-fire. Once Chandler finished explaining, Chase went quiet for a while before finally responding, “Got it.”

Susie, who had been beside him the whole time, immediately asked, “What happened?” Chase sighed. “We might not be able to hide it anymore.” Susie’s face went pale. Her lips moved, but it took her a long moment before she whispered, “He’s going to hate us.”

Their relationship had only just begun to thaw. Now, it was about to collapse all over again. They looked at each other, saying nothing. Even if they tried to cover it up, they both knew Johnathan was sharp. He’d already started putting the pieces together. Now he was just looking for proof. And neither of them knew how to face him.

Downstairs, Jose came down to grab something to eat and accidentally overheard their conversation. The timing couldn’t have been worse. He suddenly thought of the favor Johnathan had asked him—the hair sample—and couldn’t stop himself from asking, “Mom, Dad, what are you two talking about? What are you hiding?”

Chase and Susie exchanged a long look. Finally, Susie said, “Johnathan is your brother.” Jose frowned. “Yeah, I know that…” But halfway through the sentence, realization hit him like a brick. His eyes widened in disbelief. “Wait… what did you say?”

For as long as he could remember, his mother had told him Johnathan was his brother and that he should treat him well. He had always assumed she meant half-brother—same father, different mother. But now…

Susie looked him in the eye and said slowly, “He’s your real brother.”

Jose stood frozen. “How… how is that possible?” Everything suddenly felt surreal. So when Mom said they were one family, she meant it—literally.

No one spoke for a long time. Eventually, Jose found his voice. “Why did Wendy raise him? How did things end up like this?”

“It’s complicated,” Susie began, but Jose cut her off. “How complicated can it be? I just want to know why you let Wendy raise him. Why did it have to be like this?”

Susie closed her eyes and said, “Don’t ask. Go back upstairs.”

“Why? What are you hiding? Why won’t you just tell me?” Jose’s voice grew louder, more urgent.

“Enough! Go upstairs!” Susie snapped, her voice sharp and trembling. She looked unwell.

Chase sighed and stepped in. “Jose, we had our reasons for keeping it from you. Please stop asking. It concerns your brother’s safety. And whatever you do, don’t tell him.”

That stopped Jose cold.

His brother’s safety?

What kind of danger could possibly threaten the Wynn family? Who could even touch them?

He still wanted to press further, but when he looked at his parents‘ weary faces, he stayed quiet. After a long pause, he muttered, “You won’t be able to hide it forever. He’s going to find out.”

Now he finally understood why his brother had asked for their father’s hair. He must have been trying to verify if they were actually related. Then a terrifying thought struck him.

What if they weren’t?

What if Chase wasn’t Johnathan’s father at all?

Was that why no one dared to tell the truth?