Now Samantha was confused. Her mind raced as she processed the conflicting information swirling around her. Shaun did the paternity test three days ago at work and it came back that Shevon was his biological son, which left her grappling with doubt and confusion.The previous test with Noah had to have some sort of an error or been a mistake. What the hell was going on? She thought, feeling the walls of her reality beginning to close in around her. Nothing was adding up and the truth felt more elusive than ever.
Samantha's heart skipped a beat when Noah's name flashed on her ringing phone ."I'd like to meet with you so we can make arrangements concerning our son." His voice was resolute and assertive hanging in the air like a heavy fog on her end intensifying her confusion and anxiety.
"Noah um....we did a test and it showed that Shaun is also the biological father." She said in a strained voice. "Maybe your test was a mistake. Look you really need to stop this. It wouldn't be healthy for the kids in the end. If they were your kids you'd understand." She could feel the instant tension on the line, and her insides started churning from the heavy silence.
"I don't believe it, and Saint is my child!" Noah's said sharply. "Nothing is wrong with the test I did. It was done by a reputable lab that has a low incidence of error. I don't know what sort of game you and Shaun are playing but you're not going to win."
She fliched as Noah's anger burst through the phone. "We're not playing a game Noah," She insisted. "You both can't be the father, so one of the test has to be wrong."
" Why do you think it's mine?"
The phone was snatched out of her grasp and she spun around quickly as Shaun said, in a low dangerous voice, "So you're the person terrorizing my wife?"
Shaun's stared at her, his face was a mask of anger, while she stood twisting her hands anxiously knowing that the square off between the two men was not going to end well. "Shaun...." She began, wanting to diffuse the situation before it escalated, but he held up a finger silencing her.
"I don't know where you got the idea that my son could possible be yours and that my wife was in some relationship with you. You seem delutional."
Samantha stood helplessly a chill running down her spine, watching Shaun's eyes narrow, jaw tighten as he listened to whatever Noah was saying on the other end of the line. "My son is mine not yours!" His voice heavy with disbelief and anger. "If you pursue this I promise you, you'll regret it."
"What is wrong with you!" Samantha's annoyance boiled over when Shaun slammed down her phone. The sound had echoed in the tense silence.
His eyes flashed with anger as he stepped closer. "I'm not going to let him manipulate this situation any longer, and I told you, I didn't want you communicating with him." Shaun held her shoulders. He's trying to come between us and destroy this family. I'm not going to allow it."
"I had to tell him the results of our test, Shaun. He would have backed off." She said urgently. In her mind, sharing the test result should have made Noah realize that now they had concrete evidence that would trump his own, which was probably tampered.
"Really? You think that was going to stop him? Listen to me, this is over and done with. If he starts up again, we're going to the police." And with that, Shaun walked off.
Samantha found herself the next day on work going through the motions. Her shift just didn't want to end and felt agonizingly long. She found it hard to focus on her job because her mind kept drifting back to everything that had happened.
During a brief break, she stared out the window, watching the world go by, feeling so detached from it all. When she got back to work, she answered calls and flipped through files automatically. Work should have been a distraction. Instead, it felt more like an additional strain. Samantha was relieved when her shift ended. She had to find a way to regain her footing, somehow.
The daycare had called and said Shaun had collected the kids, so she went straight home. When she entered the house, there was an absence of the usual sound of the kids. It was eerily silent. Maybe the kids were asleep. "Shaun." She called out, her voice echoing around as she closed the door behind her.
The living room was neat, and all the toys were in their containers. He wasn't in the kitchen, so she made her way upstairs to the kid's room. "Shaun." They were asleep, and she closed the door quietly, the sight of them brought a wave of calm over her. Moving further down the hall to her bedroom, Samantha pushed open their bedroom door and saw Shaun asleep in bed. He looked so peaceful and relaxed in the soft light filtering through the curtains.
"Don't wake him. He's asleep."
She screamed and jumped, staring at the direction the voice came from, fear coursing through her veins. Sitting in a chair by their desk was Noah. "What are you doing here?" She exclaimed and glanced back at Shaun, her hands held anxiously to her chest. "D-did you do something to Shaun?"
Noah stood and held up his hand in a placating gesture, his expression serious but calm. "He's fine, just sedated."
Samantha backed away, her heart pounding wildly in her chest as fear washed over her. "Oh God, Noah, what are you doing? Please don't hurt us." She begged, tears filling her eyes.
