MTLNOVEL Chapter 5: Not Blood, But Damage
Three adults One child One truth Today the DNA results arrive But not everyone is ready for what they reveal
It was 8:59 AM
Maya sat at the kitchen table staring at her phone No notification yet Her palms were damp and the coffee in front of her had gone cold an hour ago
Leo was in his room laughing at something on TV The sound kept the apartment feeling alive
Then came the knock
Rafael arrived first He was dressed neatly tense but trying to appear calm
Five minutes later Jason showed up No words Just a brief nod
The three of them sat around the table Not a word spoken
9:00 AM sharp
Maya's phone buzzed once
[1 New Email – DNA Lab Result Notification]
She looked at both men "I'm opening it now" she said quietly
Jason nodded Rafael swallowed hard
Maya tapped the screen The email loaded Slowly She read it once Then again
Her face didn't change
Jason leaned forward "Well?"
She looked at him first then Rafael "The results say Rafael is not the biological father"
Silence
Absolute silence
Rafael froze His mouth opened but no sound came His chest rose sharply once like he'd forgotten how to breathe
Jason's jaw clenched He didn't smile Didn't move Just stared at the floor
Rafael finally stood "No no that's— That can't be right" His voice was raw
"I'm sorry" Maya whispered
Rafael stepped back hitting the edge of the chair behind him "No Maya I was there I held him I came back for him You can't just say—"
"I'm not saying anything" Maya snapped "The test said it"
Jason remained seated His fingers pressed tightly together
"Does that mean I am?" he asked almost under his breath
Maya nodded slowly "Yes You're Leo's biological father"
Another long pause
Then Jason stood "I need a minute" and walked out onto the balcony closing the sliding door behind him
Maya turned to Rafael who was shaking now eyes wide and red "You okay?" she asked gently
"No" he croaked "No I'm not okay I'm— I loved him Maya I didn't need a piece of paper for that"
"I know" she said quietly "I know"
Rafael's hands were on his head He paced the small kitchen like a man trapped "All this time I was trying I thought I had a second chance—"
"You still do" she said
He looked at her "How? He's not mine Not by blood"
"But you were there You still are That matters"
Jason walked back in "I'm not here to erase anyone Maya already said that Neither am I But now I know And I won't pretend anymore"
Rafael looked at him anger sharp in his voice "You think biology makes you a father?"
"I think truth matters" Jason replied "But I'm not trying to push you out"
Maya stood between them "Stop it Both of you This is about Leo Not you Not me Not your guilt or your regrets"
Both men went quiet again
She took a breath "Leo doesn't know any of this He still just wants pancakes and cartoons and someone to read him bedtime stories"
Jason nodded "Then we give him that"
Rafael stepped forward "Even if I'm not his father I still want to be in his life"
Maya looked at him then at Jason "Then prove it Both of you But not with words With time With consistency With presence"
Neither man argued
Maya looked away at the closed bedroom door where Leo slept unaware "We'll tell him one day But not now Not until I know he's safe from all of this mess"
Jason asked "So what now?"
She answered quietly "Now we rebuild Or at least we try"
The men left minutes apart No more words Just nods
Maya locked the door behind them and leaned against it Eyes closed Breathing uneven
On the table the printout from the email lay open One truth now visible
But in her chest it didn't feel like clarity
It felt like the beginning of another storm
---
Maya had just closed the door behind Jason
She didn't even get the chance to sit when her phone rang again
Unknown number
She hesitated
Then answered with a voice like gravel
"Hello?"
A quiet voice answered
Soft but sharp
"It's me. Clara."
Maya blinked
She hadn't heard that name in five years
Luna's sister
Someone who had vanished after the funeral just like everyone else
"Clara…"
"I heard about the test," Clara said quickly
"Jason told me. Or hinted. He's scared."
Maya leaned against the wall, closing her eyes
"Clara, if this is some guilt-trip call—"
"No. I'm not calling for drama. I'm calling because there's something you don't know. Something Luna didn't put in the letters."
Maya went silent
Her breath caught in her throat
"I was there with her," Clara continued
"Those last weeks. When she could barely stand. She was scared, Maya. Not confused. Not delusional. Just… scared."
"Scared of what?"
"Of Rafael coming back. Of Jason finding out. Of the truth."
Maya's voice dropped
"Which truth?"
Clara hesitated
Then said the words like a whisper in a confession booth
"Luna never planned to keep Leo. She almost gave him up."
Maya's knees buckled a little
She reached for the table and sat down slowly
"What are you talking about…"
"She called me. From the clinic. Said she couldn't do it. That she wasn't ready. That she wanted to leave everything behind. But then… then she saw Leo. And she changed. Just like that. Like lightning. But she told me… she was sure Rafael was the father. Not Jason. 100 percent. Even if the dates were blurry."
Maya closed her eyes
Tears stung but didn't fall
"Why are you telling me this now?"
"Because I kept it to myself for too long. And now you're all suffering. You, Rafael… Jason. And that little boy. I thought Luna's letters told the whole story. They didn't."
Maya took a deep breath
"I wish you had told me sooner."
"I know. I'm sorry."
The call ended
Silence returned
But it didn't feel still
It felt like an echo chamber of every lie, every mistake, every delay
—
That night, Maya couldn't sleep
Again
The clock blinked 2:47 AM
She sat by the window, knees pulled to her chest
She didn't cry
Not because she wasn't sad
But because she was past sadness
This was the part that came after
The part where you brace for someone to leave
—
At exactly 9:00 AM, her phone buzzed
The results were in
She stared at the screen for a long time before opening the message
Then she read it
Twice
Three times
She didn't move
Just breathed
Once
And again
Then she texted both men the same message:
> "Come now. Don't be late."
—
When Rafael arrived, Jason was already there
They stood on opposite sides of the room again
No one sat
Maya stood in the middle, phone in hand
She looked at both of them
Eyes steady
Shoulders square
"The results are in," she said flatly
They didn't ask for suspense
Didn't try to guess
She held up the phone
"The test says… Leo is Jason's son."
No one spoke
Not even a breath
Jason didn't smile
He didn't move
He just blinked
Once
Like his body didn't believe what he just heard
Rafael lowered his head
No collapse
No anger
Just a quiet inhale
And then his hand clenched at his side
Maya's voice trembled for the first time
"I know this changes everything. But Leo doesn't know. Not yet."
Jason finally spoke
"What do you want to do?"
Maya looked at both of them
Hard
"You don't get to make that decision. I do."
Rafael looked up
"I won't fight you."
Jason nodded
"Neither will I."
Maya's voice hardened
"This isn't about custody. It's about Leo not growing up in chaos. That's all I care about."
Jason stepped forward
"Do I get to meet him?"
Maya hesitated
"Not yet. He knows you as nothing. I won't rip his world open in one day."
Rafael walked toward the door
He didn't look at her
Just stopped with his hand on the knob
"Tell him… I'm still someone who loves him. Even if I'm not his father."
Maya didn't answer
He left
Jason remained
"I don't want to break anything," he said quietly
"But I won't leave either. I'll wait. However long it takes."
She looked at him for a long time
"I don't forgive you. Not yet."
"I know."
"I don't trust you."
"I'll earn it."
Maya looked toward Leo's room
Then back at him
"You better mean that."
Jason nodded
No smile
No joy
Just a man slowly realizing what being a father might really cost
She opened the door for him
He walked out quietly
Then she locked it
And finally
Alone again
She cried
Not because the truth hurt
But because now, finally, it could begin to heal
---