MTLNOVEL Chapter 6: The Second Test
Three days later
Another envelope arrived
This time, Maya didn't tell anyone
She waited until Leo fell asleep
She poured a glass of wine she didn't finish
And then she opened it
A second DNA test
Private
Independent
Not run by Jason
Not known by Rafael
She had sent it in secret
Because something about Clara's call wouldn't leave her alone
Now she read the result
And her hands went numb
Jason was not Leo's father
The first test had been wrong
Or rigged
Or sent to the wrong address
She didn't know
But this one
This one was direct
And clear
99.97% match: Rafael Ortiz
She put the paper down
Stared at it
Stared right through it
Outside
The city hummed
Inside
Her world fell silent
And then
She picked up her phone
First
She texted Jason
> "Don't come tomorrow. I need space."
Then
She texted Rafael
> "Come at 8. Alone. Don't ask."
—
8:00 AM
Rafael arrived
Eyes tired
Hands in his pockets
He stepped inside carefully
Like the ground might fall apart beneath him
Maya stood by the table
No coffee
No greetings
Just the paper
She handed it to him
He read it once
Then again
And he didn't say anything
He just sat down slowly
Lowered his head
Pressed his hands together
"I knew it," he whispered
"I knew it."
Maya watched him
Her arms crossed
"I don't know what happened with the first test
Maybe someone interfered
Maybe it was just a lab mistake
But this one… this one is solid
I had it verified twice."
He looked up
"Jason doesn't know?"
"No."
"You're going to tell him?"
"Yes. But not yet."
Rafael leaned back
"I'm not sure what hurts more
Losing him
Or getting him back like this."
Maya sat across from him
"You never really lost him."
"No," he said
"But now I know what it means to almost have nothing."
—
Jason came by at 9:00 anyway
Knocked
Waited
No answer
He didn't text
Didn't call
He just stood there
Until Maya opened the door slowly
He saw her face
And he knew
"You ran a second test," he said quietly
She didn't reply
He nodded
A small, broken nod
"I'm not the father," he said
Flat
No question in it
"No."
Jason looked down
Then to the side
Then back at her
"I loved him anyway," he said
"You know that, right?"
"I do."
"Then what am I now?"
Maya's jaw clenched
"I don't know."
He stepped forward
Just one step
"Don't push me out."
"I'm not."
"Yes, you are."
"No, Jason. The lie pushed you in. The truth is just putting things back where they belong."
Silence
He swallowed
Eyes burning
"I still want to be there."
"Then prove it," she said cold
"Not with words. With action. Show up. Even when you're no longer the chosen one."
Jason stepped back
Fighting everything inside him not to explode
"I'll try," he said
"I'm not sure I can
But I'll try."
Then he turned
Walked away
Slower than before
Heavier
—
Later that night
Maya sat on Leo's bed
Watched him sleep
Then whispered
"I almost gave you the wrong man."
She kissed his forehead
And said the only thing she truly knew anymore
"You don't belong to either of them
You belong to yourself
But I will fight for whoever fights for you."
And in her chest
Finally
No confusion
Just one promise
The truth doesn't end things. It reveals who deserves to stay.
---
---
Maya hadn't fully closed the door
Jason's footsteps had just started to fade
But then he came back
No knock
No pause
He pushed the door open
His face was different now
Not angry
Not desperate
But suspicious
"You sure this is about Leo?" he said quietly
Maya stared at him, her jaw tight
"Leave, Jason. We're done talking."
"No. Not yet. Because I know you ran a second test. And I know you used a private lab. One with no official record."
Maya said nothing
Her hands clenched at her sides
Jason stepped in
Closed the door behind him
Slowly
Deliberately
"So I'll ask again, Maya… are you sure this is about Leo? Or is this about you not being able to face who's willing to stay—and who's just crawling back out of guilt?"
Maya almost slapped him
But didn't
She stood there
Still
Eyes locked
"I don't owe you anything," she said
Low
Controlled
Jason laughed
A short, bitter sound
"You think truth stands on its own? It doesn't. Truth needs context. And you—you're stripping it of all context."
He stepped closer
Now just two steps away from her
"You're scared I'll stay. Because that would mean you'd have to forgive me. And you're not ready for that."
Maya stared back
Cold
But her breathing was uneven
"I'm scared Leo will get hurt. That's it."
Jason held her gaze
Searching her eyes
Then he spoke—soft, but sharp
"You know what hurts most? Not losing Leo. But realizing you never wanted me in his life to begin with. Even after I came back. Even before the first results. I was just your emergency exit."
Maya closed her eyes
Just for a second
Then opened them again
"You weren't there when he was born. You weren't there when I was alone. You weren't there, Jason. Don't blame me for not giving you a place you never earned."
Jason inhaled deeply
His chest rose and fell once
"I'm here now," he said
"Good. But now isn't enough."
Jason looked down
Then back up slowly
"If you want me to leave, I'll leave. But not because I'm giving up. Because I know this isn't about me convincing you. It's about you learning how to let someone stay without running."
Maya didn't respond
Not right away
Then, finally, she said
"Go."
He nodded once
Didn't fight her
But just before stepping out
He paused
"I'll wait. Even if you don't believe I will."
Then he left
This time without slamming anything
Without trying to win
Just silence
And for the first time in days
Maya sat down and whispered
"I don't know if I want you t do
---
Maya hadn't moved since Jason left
She sat at the kitchen table
Back stiff
Hands in her lap
Eyes fixed on the wall
The apartment was locked
But her mind wasn't
Jason's words replayed
Not the arguments
But the way he said them
The way he waited
Like he expected her to break
She stood slowly
Walked to Leo's bedroom
He was asleep
Curled up with his stuffed toy
His face soft and peaceful
Untouched by any of this chaos
Maya leaned in
Kissed his forehead
"I'm sorry," she whispered
"Not because I was wrong… but because you're the one who will carry all of this."
Her phone buzzed
Clara
She declined the call
It rang again immediately
Then a message came through:
> "Maya. You need to know. Luna told me something about Jason. I don't think you know it."
Maya read it three times
Then finally pressed Call
Clara answered on the first ring
"I can't stay silent anymore," she said quickly
"It's about Luna. The last few days."
Maya sighed
"Clara, I'm tired."
"I know. But listen."
Silence
Then Clara spoke
"She told me she was scared Jason would remember. Something about that day. The day she got pregnant."
Maya froze
Then asked quietly
"Which day?"
Clara swallowed
"The cabin. Three weeks before she broke up with Rafael."
Maya went still
Her legs felt weak
"Jason… was there?"
"Yes. Luna never told anyone. But I knew. She said it was a mistake. But she also said—Jason knew. And he pretended not to."
Maya's world stopped
The air around her felt colder
"Clara… do you realize what that means?"
"I do. Jason might've known from the beginning. That Leo could be his. But he waited. He ran. And now he's back acting like this is all new."
Maya shut her eyes
The pressure in her chest was real
Pounding
Her voice came out low
Flat
Dead calm
"He lied."
"I think he did."
"And he let Rafael think he had a second chance."
"Yes."
Maya stood
Walked back into the living room
Her hands shaking
All this time
She thought she was choosing between two broken men
But now she saw it
One was broken
The other was calculated
She stared at her phone
Jason's name still at the top of the screen
She didn't call
She didn't text
She just whispered one thing into the silence
"This changes everything."
—
Jason knocked on Maya's apartment door one hour later
He didn't wait for permission
He knew Maya already knew
He knew Clara had talked
The door opened slowly
Maya stood there
Her face unreadable
Jason raised his hand
"Can I come in?"
"You can," she said flatly
"But don't lie."
He stepped inside
Closed the door
Stood in the silence of a room he had no right to be in
"What did Clara tell you?" he asked quietly
Maya didn't blink
"Say it yourself. Did you know Leo might be yours?"
Jason exhaled
"Maya… I…"
"Say it. Yes or no."
Silence
Then he nodded
Slowly
Heavy
She stepped back
Let out a small laugh
But there was no humor in it
"You waited all this time? Waited until Luna was dead? Until Rafael believed he had a family? Until I—what? Moved on?"
"It wasn't like that—"
"Then what was it? Be honest, Jason."
"I was scared," he said
"I was afraid that if I came to you and said Leo might be mine… you'd shut me out again."
"So you let Rafael raise him. You let me build this life around a lie you knew the whole damn time."
Jason stepped forward
"I love Leo."
"How long have you known?"
He clenched his jaw
"Four years."
Maya closed her eyes
Four years
Four years he let her carry the weight of something he could've faced
When she opened her eyes, they were steel
"I want you to leave."
"Maya—"
"Now. Leave."
"I'm not walking away. Not again."
"You won't get the chance to."
Jason lowered his head
"I'll wait."
He walked to the door
Opened it
Paused just long enough to say
"I'm sorry."
"Too bad," she said
"Sorry doesn't undo years of silence."
He left
The door clicked shut
Maya didn't move for a long time
Then slowly walked to Leo's room
He was still asleep
Breathing soft
She knelt by the bed
Brushed his hair back
Then whispered, more to herself than to him
"Now I know who was with me. And who was just visiting."
---