The DNA test turned my world upside down. I remember staring at the computer screen, trying to make sense of the results. My mind told me they were wrong, but my heart… my heart instantly knew that life would never be the same again.
My name is Billy, and up until a few days ago, I thought I was living in a dream. I am an only child and my parents have always showered me with love and attention. They gave me everything I could ever want or need.
Just last week my dad gave me the latest gaming console for no reason.
‘What’s it for?’ I asked, eyes wide with excitement.
He only shrugged and smiled. ‘Do I need a reason to spoil my favourite son?’
‘Your only son, you mean,’ Mum grinned.
‘All the more reason to spoil him!’ Dad laughed, ruffling my hair.
It had always been like this. The three of us lived a perfect life. Perfect until I stumbled upon a fateful fact.
It all started the day I turned 18. I decided to take one of those ancestral DNA tests. You know, the ones that say you’re 2% Viking or something. I was just curious, nothing more. I didn’t expect it to change my life.
The day the results came in, I was literally jumping for joy. I refreshed my email every few minutes, waiting for the notification.
‘Billy, honey, you’re going to put a hole in the floor if you keep jumping like that,’ Mum called out from the kitchen.
“I’m sorry, mum! I’m just really excited about the DNA test results!”
Finally the letter arrived.
I felt my heart pounding as I clicked on it. I was so excited, not realising that what I would see next would change my life forever.
There in black and white was a close match notice. A brother. Daniel.
I blinked, rubbed my eyes, and looked again. This had to be a mistake! It had to be, right? I’m an only child. I’ve always been an only child.
In a daze, I picked up my phone and dialled the company helpline number. Perhaps there had been some confusion.
‘Hello, how can I help you?’ – A cheerful voice answered.
‘Hello, I’ve just received my results and it seems there may be a mistake here?’ said I, not sure if I was doing the right thing.
“I assure you sir, our tests are 100% accurate. We double check all the results before we send them out.”
‘Oh, good,’ I said. ‘Thank you.’
I hung up and looked at the results again. This couldn’t be happening. How could I have a brother I didn’t know about?
I needed answers, and I knew who to ask.
That night I waited for Dad to get home from work. I rushed downstairs as soon as I heard his car pull up in the driveway.
I let him walk into the living room and then followed him inside.
“Hey, Dad? Can we talk?”
He looked at me with a smile on his face. “Sure, kiddo. What’s on your mind?”
‘Well, remember that DNA test I took?’ I said, rubbing my shirt.
He nodded.
‘I got the results back today and…’ I paused, not knowing how to continue. ‘Dad, do you know someone named Daniel?’
At that moment, I realised something was wrong. The expression on my father’s face changed in an instant. His eyes widened and all the colour drained from his cheeks.
‘Where did you hear that name?’ – He asked, looking around to make sure Mum wasn’t around.
I told him about the test results. As I spoke, I watched his expression change. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then said something I wasn’t expecting.
‘Listen,’ he said in a low voice, “don’t tell Mum about this, okay? She doesn’t know. I had an affair years ago. If she finds out, she’ll leave.”
I nodded, promising not to say anything. But when I got back to my room, something wasn’t right.
My father’s reaction seemed strange to me. Like there was more to the story than he was telling.
That night I couldn’t sleep. I looked at the test results and wondered what to do next.
Should I…should I write to him?” I thought.
To write to him would be to go against my father. But I couldn’t think of any other way to find out the truth.
So I immediately clicked on his profile and contacted him.
To my surprise, he replied within half an hour.
Billy? Is that really you? I can’t believe it!
We exchanged a few messages, and before I knew it, we had agreed to meet at a café the next day.
Was I right to go behind my father’s back?
The next morning, I told my mum I was going on a date with my best friend and headed to the cafe. It didn’t take much effort for me to recognise Daniel. I spotted him right away, and I thought I was looking in the mirror.
He looked so much like me.
‘Billy?’ – He asked, standing up.
I nodded, unable to speak. We sat down, neither of us knowing what to say.
Finally Daniel broke the silence.
‘Remember the lake by our old house?’ – He asked, smiling. ‘We used to swing on the old rusty swings and throw rocks into the water.’
‘No, I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ I shook my head. ‘We never lived together.’
Daniel’s smile faded. “What do you mean? We lived together until we were five or six years old. Don’t you remember? And Scruffy, the dog, he followed us everywhere.”
I felt myself getting defensive. This guy was talking rubbish.
“My dad says you’re a trick kid. I only found out about you a few days ago.”
‘Wait…you think I’m a mistress baby?’ he asked. “So you don’t remember that day? The fire?”
‘The fire?’
He nodded. “Yes, our house burned down when we were little. Our parents didn’t survive.”
‘What?’ I was shocked.
“Yes, and I remember how you saved me. Then you were adopted and I was sent to another family. The adoption process required that I never make contact.”
‘That…that can’t be right,’ I shook my head. “I wasn’t adopted. I would know if I was.”
‘That’s true, Billy,’ he said. ‘I don’t know why your parents didn’t tell you anything.’
After our meeting ended, I felt confused and angry.
How could Mum and Dad do this to me, I thought. How could they hide something so important?
Back home, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I needed to find out more.
So the next day, while my parents weren’t home, I snuck into Dad’s office. I felt guilty, but I had to find out the truth.
Digging through some old documents, I found something that proved Daniel was right.
It was a lawsuit about a fire in an apartment building. The very building Daniel had told me about.
My hands shook as I read the documents. The fire started because of electrical problems in the building, and my foster parents were the owners. They ignored complaints about faulty wiring to avoid costly repairs.
Their negligence led to the fire that took my biological parents away from me.
What the…,” I thought. How is this even possible?
There was more paperwork, and it proved that I was indeed adopted. But what hurt the most was that my adoptive parents didn’t take me out of love or compassion. They did it to cover their tracks. To avoid a lawsuit.
At that moment, there was only one thing I wanted to do. Confront my parents.
In the evening, I waited for them to come home.
‘I didn’t know you used to own this building,’ I said, holding up the paper. ‘What happened to that fire?’
Dad’s eyebrows furrowed, but he tried his best to remain calm.
‘Oh, this?’ – He asked. “That was a hundred years ago. It was a tragedy, really. But why are you investigating it? And why did you come into my office?”
I saw the fear in his eyes. I’d never seen Dad so scared before.
‘It’s just that I met someone who mentioned the fire,’ I said. ‘They said we knew each other before I was adopted.’
Dad’s eyes widened with shock.
He tried to stammer out an explanation. It was something about not wanting to stir up painful memories.
But it was too late. I could see the truth written all over his face.
I hurried to the bedroom and packed my things. It was over. I couldn’t be in that house anymore.
I called Daniel and asked if I could stay with him for a few days and he agreed.
I remember Dad kept apologising when I left the house, but I wasn’t ready to forgive him.
Daniel welcomed me into his home and we had dinner together.
‘They stole you from me,’ he said as we ate. ‘From us.’
I didn’t know what to say back.
All I knew was that my whole life had been a lie, and the people I thought were my loving parents were actually responsible for the death of my real parents.
But as I sat there, I realised that this tragedy had led me to a real connection. Through it, I met my brother who had been waiting for me all these years.
And I felt grateful for that.
This piece is inspired by real events and people, but fictionalised for creative purposes. Names, characters and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to real people, living or dead, or real events is purely coincidental and is not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claim to the accuracy of events or depiction of characters and are not responsible for any misinterpretation. This story is provided ‘as is’ and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
