Page 44 of Shattering

Then, slowly, she stepped out.

Gray was already waiting inside.

He looked... frozen.

His hands were clenched into fists, his shoulders stiff, his phone lying face-up on the coffee table.

Cadi wordlessly walked in, using her key to unlock the front door—just like she had so many times before.

Only this time, it felt wrong.

She wasn't stepping into their home.

She was stepping into a place she used to belong.

She stood by the door, her arms folded, eyes locked onto him.

Gray just stared at the phone.

Motionless.

Cadi sat facing him, her expression grim.

Cadi let the silence stretch before finally, losing patience.

"Just open it, Gray."

His hands trembled slightly as he picked up the phone.

"DNA isolation was carried out separately for all samples. Genetic characteristics were determined by the following PCR-single-locus-technology analysis..."

His voice was tight, the words running together, his stress seeping through each syllable.

Then, his breath hitched, and he skipped to the bottom.

His voice wavered as he read—

"The probability of Mr. Gray Callahan being the biological father of Tomos Callahan is > 99.9999%."

A pause.

His fingers clenched.

His throat bobbed.

Then, finally, the last line—

"Conclusion: Based on our analysis, it is practically proven that Mr. Gray Callahan is the biological father of the child, Tomos Callahan."

Gray let out a sharp exhale, his entire body slumping with relief.

For a moment, there was nothing but joy.

The overwhelming, bone-deep certainty that Tomos washis—that he always had been.

That he hadn't lost his boy.

A breathless laugh escaped him, and his eyes burned, his hands shaking as he ran them through his hair.

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