Chapter 4: Family Ties and Old Suspicions

I called my brother, Derek, and he only managed to rush over from out of state the next day.

When he saw me and my child, he was furious.

He kept scolding me, unable to stop.

"Rachel, you brought this on yourself. You even dared to have a kid from a one-night stand. Now you know how bad it is? Back then, I told you to get an abortion and marry the guy Mom and Dad set you up with, but you refused no matter what. Sometimes I really don’t know what’s in your head."

Knowing I was in the wrong, I muttered, "Who doesn’t know how bad it is?"

Derek shook the bottle in anger, glaring at Mason in the stroller. I was afraid he’d strangle him the next second.

I quietly moved the baby closer to me.

Seeing my little move, Derek got even more worked up.

"You love that guy so much, love him enough to accept your body changing, incontinence, and going into the delivery room alone?"

My brother is really blunt.

But I can’t take care of the baby alone now, so I could only say what he wanted to hear and beg him.

"I know I was wrong. Please, just help me take care of the baby for a few days. When he grows up, I’ll make sure he spoils his uncle first."

"Hmph."

Seeing him still frowning but feeding the baby with the bottle, I was relieved.

Actually, Derek wasn’t wrong. I used to care a lot about my looks and wouldn’t tolerate even a bit of fat on my waist. But from pregnancy to childbirth, I gained twenty-five pounds. I survived it. Every stretch mark, every Target run for bigger jeans.

I remember those endless Target runs for new maternity jeans, the constant worrying over stretch marks, and how I would just stare at my reflection in the cracked bathroom mirror, wondering if I’d ever recognize myself again. Being a single mom in the Midwest, with everyone’s eyes on you, is a whole other level of exposed.

While we were quarreling, Mark came in.

He held a blue medical chart and said coldly, "Rounding."

He didn’t look at me—just snapped his chart shut and yanked the curtain. "Take off your shirt."

So direct and rough? Wasn’t he gentle the previous times? Why is he angry again today?

I suddenly felt a bit nervous.

I quietly pulled open my shirt, sneaking glances at Mark’s grim face, not daring to breathe.

After the exam, Mark walked past Derek. That troublemaker’s eyes widened in shock.

"Sis... brother-in-law?"

This was peak daytime TV—Maury Povich levels of awkward.

Mark ignored him, turned and left, leaving only his proud back.

Tch. What’s he so cocky about? When my son grows up, I’ll find him ten dads and see how proud he is.

Forget it. I looked at Derek in disgust. "Why are you randomly calling people relatives?"

"Weren’t you the one who told me to call him that?"

Back when we were together, Derek knew about it. At that time, Mark was a science genius, and Derek was his little follower. He used to follow him around, calling him brother-in-law all day.

Derek suddenly looked at me, dead serious. "Sis, be honest, this nephew of mine isn’t Mark’s, is he?"

My heart skipped a beat.

The next second, I pretended to be calm. "Are you serious right now? Do you think that’s possible? We haven’t seen each other in five years. Could I give birth across space?"

When I looked up, Derek had a sly expression that said, 'I know everything.'

My palm trembled, feeling a bit self-conscious.

Could he have found out?

Impossible, I haven’t told anyone this secret.

I picked up my cup to hide my guilt. "Alright, that’s not important, don’t ask anymore."

Derek pouted and left with the baby.

The room was silent for a moment. I caught my reflection in the window—messy hair, dark circles, and that familiar pinch of loneliness in my chest. But Mason’s soft breathing from his stroller was a comfort, a reminder that I wasn’t alone, even if the rest of the world thought I was a cautionary tale.