8
Mr. Carter turned to Mrs. Carter, his face twisted with rage. “So, you were the one who blocked Jocelyn from getting the paternity test? You wanted to pin your own mess on her! All these years, and I had no clue. Tell me, who’s really Eric’s father?”
Eric looked at his mother, face clouded with resentment. “Mom! You ruined my marriage to Jocelyn. Noah really is my son!”
Mrs. Carter’s composure shattered, and she glared at me. “You already took the money and got divorced. Why did you come back? I’ve kept this secret for thirty years, and you had to go and ruin everything!”
I rolled my eyes. “You brought this on yourself. You threw Noah and me out in the dead of night, and you thought we’d just disappear? I’m telling you now, there’s justice in this world. Did you really think you could keep this secret forever?”
Mr. Carter’s entire body shook with rage. He slapped Mrs. Carter hard across the face. “Thirty years! I’ve raised another man’s son for thirty years!”
Eric tried to console him, but Mr. Carter shoved him away. “The two of you, a disgraceful mother and son, tricking me for decades. I could kill you!”
With that, he lunged at Mrs. Carter, hands around her neck. The two of them began struggling, Mrs. Carter calling out to Eric, “Eric, help me! He’s going to kill me!”
Eric just stood there, frozen. Watching this pitiful scene, I picked up my bag and quietly left, snapping a photo on my way out and posting it in the family group chat, with the caption: “Guess who’s really family and who isn’t?”
As I walked down the stairs, the sound of their yelling still echoed through the closed door. For the first time in ages, I felt truly at peace.
The next time I heard about them was from the police. According to them, a neighbor had reported the fight, saying they thought someone might have been killed. The police arrived at Eric’s house to find Mrs. Carter bleeding and battered, while Eric and Mr. Carter were both covered in blood and shouting. Mr. Carter was sitting on the floor, panting with a shattered bottle beside him.
The police sent Mrs. Carter to St. Vincent’s Medical Center, where they managed to save her, but she’d likely spend the rest of her life bedridden. I calmly recounted the whole sordid story to the police, and they assured me they’d follow up if needed.
After the police left, I headed to pick up Noah from preschool. Just outside the gate, I ran into Eric. He grabbed my arm, his face desperate. “Jocelyn, I made a mistake. I never should’ve doubted you. Can you forgive me? Think of Noah; he needs his father.”
With other parents and kids around, I pulled my arm free and said, “Get lost, Eric. Now you remember you’re Noah’s dad? Weren’t you the one who threw us out in the middle of the night? Or have you forgotten we’re divorced, and Noah’s with me now?”
Un chamelessly
11:51 AM
