Nancy’s life is turned upside down at her husband’s funeral when she encounters an elderly woman holding an infant. The woman claims that the baby she is holding is the child of Nancy’s late husband. Is she lying? Or are even more shocking revelations awaiting Nancy?
Nancy stared at the last traces of her husband’s funeral ceremony. She couldn’t believe Patrick was gone. He had died in a car accident. It had been a week, but she still felt his presence. How could he be dead?
With a heavy heart, she headed for the cemetery exit, telling herself that she needed to start sorting out her life.
Suddenly her path was blocked by an elderly woman with an infant in her arms.
‘Are you Nancy?’ – The woman asked as the baby in her arms cried.
Nancy didn’t recognise her. Who was she?
‘Yes, I am. Who are you?’ – Nancy replied.
Nancy’s heart was not ready when the woman, named Amanda, informed her that the infant in her arms was Patrick’s baby.
‘Only you can take care of this child now,’ she told Nancy. ‘Her mother can’t provide for her.’
A chill ran down Nancy’s back. She looked at the infant and stepped back.
‘No, that’s impossible! Patrick was a loving husband. He would never do that to me!’
Nancy turned and walked away. She had never doubted Patrick.
‘Watch out!’
Nancy ran into one of Patrick’s old friends, Mike. She was too absorbed in her thoughts to notice where she was going.
Mike struck up a conversation with her, expressing his condolences. Nancy didn’t want to socialise with anyone, but she had to be polite. She ended the conversation as quickly as she could and headed to her car.
Thoughts of the infant came back to her, but she pushed them away. However, when Nancy opened the car door, she was shocked. The same infant was lying in the back seat crying.
Nancy looked around. Amanda was nowhere to be seen. ‘How did that baby end up here?’ – she thought.
It was cold, and Nancy took off her jacket to wrap it around the baby.
But she froze when she noticed a mole on the baby’s neck. ‘It can’t be,’ she muttered to herself.
The mole was exactly like Patrick’s. Nancy didn’t want to suspect her late husband of cheating. But now she needed the truth. She needed to know if Patrick had cheated on her.
Nancy went home with the baby, took Patrick’s hair from his comb and went to the hospital.
‘Hello, I’d like to do a paternity test,’ she told the receptionist.
‘Very well, madam. Usually the results are ready in a few days,’ the woman replied.
‘Can it be done sooner?’ – Nancy asked. ‘I’ll pay more.’
‘We have an expedited service. Let me see what I can do. But it will cost more.’
‘I’ll take it,’ Nancy replied. She turned in Patrick’s samples and paid for the test.
Sitting in the corridor waiting for the results, the infant began to cry. Nancy sniffed the baby’s clothes. The nappy didn’t need changing.
Nancy surmised that she must be hungry. There wasn’t much time before the results were ready, so she went to the supermarket and bought baby food, bottles and some nappies – just in case.
She went back to the corridor and sat there feeding the baby. After an eternity had passed, the nurse came up to her with the results.
The woman handed her an envelope and left.
‘It’s the truth and I’m going to have to accept it whether I like it or not,’ Nancy thought as she opened the results.
Her head spun as she read the words, ‘99% probability of paternity.’
Nancy looked at the sleeping baby in her arms and held back tears. Patrick was cheating on her and keeping her in the dark.
Nancy decided that she would not live with the evidence of his cheating. She would find the baby’s mother and get her baby back.
After recovering, Nancy drove home and began going through Patrick’s things. But she found nothing that could point to his mistress. She then went to his office, checking drawers, files and cupboards. But nothing.
Nancy sighed. The baby was asleep in the living room. She picked up the baby monitor and headed for Patrick’s car. She checked the places under the seat, in the glove compartment, and every nook and cranny of the car. But found nothing significant.
Nancy lowered herself into the driver’s seat when her gaze fell on the GPS. And then it hit her. Patrick was terrible with landmarks and always used a sat nav. If he ever visited his mistress’s house, her address would be there.
Nancy turned to the list of her latest destinations. The list wasn’t long, mostly familiar places: local restaurants, a building materials shop, and Patrick’s office. But then one place caught her eye – it appeared more often than the others, and she didn’t recognise it.
‘This is it,’ she thought. She took the baby with her and drove to that address.
Arriving at the place, Nancy found herself in front of a modest house. She took the baby in her arms, went to the door and knocked.
‘Hello? Is anyone home?’ – she asked.