That evening, after Clara had fallen asleep, Marcus took Mary to the cafeteria. As they ate, he broached a difficult subject. “Mary,” he said carefully. “I want to ask you something. Your mother told me I’m your father, and I believe her with all my heart. But for legal reasons, we might need official proof. Would you be willing to do a DNA test?” “What’s that?” Mary asked. “It’s a simple test where they swab the inside of your cheek and compare it to mine. It proves scientifically that I’m your father.” “Will it hurt?” “Not at all. It takes just a few seconds.” Mary thought for a moment. “Why do you need proof? Don’t you believe my mom?” “I believe your mom completely,” Marcus said quickly. “But my mother, your grandmother, is going to fight this. She’ll try to say you’re not really my daughter, that your mother is lying. If we have DNA proof, she can’t argue with that.” Mary’s face darkened. “She sounds like a very mean person.” “She can be,” Marcus admitted sadly. “But I won’t let her hurt you or your mother. I promise.” “Then yes,” Mary said. “I’ll do the test. If it helps protect Mom, I’ll do it.” Marcus squeezed her hand. “Thank you. You’re very brave, you know that?” Mary smiled. “Mom always says I get that from my father.” That night, Dr. Peterson arranged for the quick, painless test. The results would be back in three days, though the doctor noted they already looked like father and daughter. Marcus stayed the night in Clara’s room, unwilling to leave them. In the middle of the night, Clara woke, feeling clearer-headed. She looked at Mary sleeping peacefully and Marcus dozing in the chair, and whispered, “Thank you, God. Thank you for bringing him back to us.”
The next three days passed in a blur of recovery and growing familiarity. Clara grew stronger each day. Marcus canceled all his meetings, stating nothing was more important than his family. On the third day, Dr. Peterson arrived with an envelope. “The DNA results are here,” she said, handing it to Marcus. The room fell silent. Marcus opened it with trembling hands, pulled out the paper, and read it. For a moment, he was still. Then he looked up at Mary, his face breaking into a radiant, joyful smile. “99.9% match,” he read aloud, his voice thick with emotion. “Mary, you are my daughter. Officially, scientifically, undeniably my daughter.” Mary jumped up and ran to him. He picked her up and spun her around, both of them laughing and crying. “I have a dad!” Mary cried. “I really have a dad!” “And I have a daughter,” Marcus said, holding her tight. “The most wonderful daughter in the whole world.” Clara watched them, crying happy tears of relief and joy. Their family was finally together.
But Marcus knew one huge obstacle remained: his mother. The next morning, he went to confront her at her even larger, colder estate. His mother, Catherine Adams, was annoyed at the interruption to her schedule. “Marcus, really, your tone—” “One hour, Mother,” Marcus repeated, and hung up before she could argue. When he arrived, he went straight to the morning room where she sat, elegant and composed. “Where were you ten years ago on the night of March 15th?” he demanded. Catherine’s face remained a mask of cool indifference. “Marcus, this is about that girl again?” “Her name is Clara,” Marcus interrupted, his voice rising. “And I never stopped loving her. But you knew that, didn’t you?” “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Catherine said, but a flicker of worry in her eyes betrayed her. “Don’t lie to me!” Marcus shouted, his control breaking. “Clara told me everything! How you came to her with thugs, threatened her, gave her money to disappear! It’s exactly the kind of thing you would do! You’ve controlled my life since I was born, but Clara wasn’t part of your plan, was she? She wasn’t rich enough, important enough!” “She was completely unsuitable!” Catherine snapped, her composure cracking. “A poor girl with no connections! She would have dragged you down, ruined everything I built for you!” “There it is!” Marcus said, his voice shaking with fury. “Finally, the truth. You did threaten her. You did drive her away.” Catherine stood, her eyes flashing. “I did what was necessary to protect you! You were young and foolish, infatuated!” “I loved her!” Marcus roared. “I loved her and you destroyed it!” “I saved you from a terrible mistake!” Catherine shot back. “That girl would have trapped you, gotten pregnant deliberately—” “She did get pregnant!” Marcus roared. The room went utterly silent. Catherine stared, her face pale. “What?” “Clara was pregnant when you drove her away,” Marcus said, his voice now cold and hard. “She was carrying my child. My daughter. And because of what you did, I didn’t know about her for nine years. Her name is Mary. She’s nine years old. She’s smart and brave and beautiful, and she’s been living in poverty, selling oranges on the street to buy medicine for her sick mother. My daughter. Your granddaughter. Living like that because of you.”
Catherine sank back into her chair, her composure shattered. “I… I didn’t know. I thought…” “That doesn’t make it better,” Marcus said. “It makes it worse. You were so focused on your own plans that you didn’t care about the consequences. You threatened an innocent, pregnant woman. You kept me from my own child.” For the first time in his life, Marcus saw genuine fear in his mother’s eyes. “What… what are you going to do?” “Clara and Mary are my family now,” Marcus said, his voice quiet and firm. “They’re going to live with me. I’m going to take care of them. And you, Mother, are going to leave them alone. If you ever threaten them or try to hurt them again, if you try to manipulate them in any way, I will cut you out of my life completely. No visits, no calls, nothing. You will never see me or your granddaughter again. Do you understand?” Catherine’s face was white. “You can’t mean that. Marcus, I’m your mother.” “And Clara is the woman I love, and Mary is my daughter,” Marcus said. “They come first. Always. You can either accept that and be part of our lives, or you can fight it and lose me forever. The choice is yours.” Catherine sat frozen, finally understanding she had lost control. “I want to meet her,” she said quietly. “Clara or Mary?” “Both of them. I want to meet my granddaughter.” Marcus studied her carefully. “You’ll meet them. But not yet. First, Clara needs to get better. When she’s strong enough and ready, then you can meet them. But Mother,” he stepped closer, his voice hard, “if you say one word that hurts either of them, you will never see us again. I mean it.” Catherine nodded slowly. “I understand.” “Do you?” Marcus challenged. “Do you really understand what you did? You didn’t just separate two people in love. You forced a woman to raise a child alone in poverty. You kept a father from his daughter. You created years of suffering.” Tears appeared in Catherine’s eyes, a sight Marcus had never seen. “I thought I was protecting you,” she whispered. “No,” Marcus said coldly. “You thought you were controlling me. There’s a difference.” He turned to leave. “I’m going to marry Clara,” he said from the door. “As soon as she’s well enough. And this time, Mother, nothing you say or do will stop me. She and Mary are my family now. They are what matters. Remember that.” He walked out, leaving her alone, speechless and powerless for the first time in her life.
Marcus drove back to the hospital, filled with a sense of relief and finality. He had stood up to his mother completely. He had chosen his own happiness. Back in Clara’s room, he told them everything. “She admitted it,” he said. “She admitted everything. And I told her if she ever tries to hurt you again, she’ll lose me forever. You’re my family now. You come first. Always.” Mary hugged him tightly. Clara’s eyes filled with tears. “What did she say? Is she angry?” “I think she’s scared,” Marcus said honestly. “She realizes she went too far. She asked to meet you both.” Clara went pale. “I don’t know if I can face her, Marcus. I’m still afraid.” “You don’t have to see her until you’re ready,” Marcus said firmly. “And when you do, I’ll be right there. She can’t hurt you anymore. I won’t let her.” A few days later, Dr. Peterson said Clara was well enough to go home. “Home,” Clara repeated softly. “I don’t really have a home to go to. That apartment…” “You’re coming home with me,” Marcus said immediately. “Both of you. To my house. Our house.” He looked at Mary. “Would you like that? To live in the big house with the garden?” Mary’s face lit up. “Really? We can live there?” “Of course,” Marcus said. “It’s been too empty for too long. It needs a family.” Clara started crying happy tears. “Marcus, are you sure? This is so fast.” “We’ve already lost ten years,” Marcus said gently. “I don’t want to waste another day.”..
