Chapter 162: He is mine, baby
Mara was sitting on the couch, holding baby Audrey, when Rafael arrived. His face was set, but there was an undercurrent of something she couldn’t quite read in his eyes. She set Audrey down in her crib and walked over to him.
"You look like you’re carrying the weight of the world," Mara said, voice soft. "What’s wrong?"
Rafael didn’t waste time. He reached into his pocket, pulling out the small, sealed envelope with the lab results.
He handed it to her, his eyes watching her every movement as she opened it carefully.
"What is it?" she asked, her heart beginning to race.
Her hands shook slightly as she pulled out the sheet of paper. The words "MATCH CONFIRMED" stood out clearly on the top, and her eyes widened as she read further.
"It’s... him?" Her voice trembled, but her eyes were already filling with tears. "Andrew... my baby... he’s alive?"
Rafael nodded, his voice barely above a whisper. "Yes, Stef. He’s alive. Andrew is your son."
Mara collapsed into the nearby chair, the paper trembling in her hand, her breath caught somewhere between a sob and a gasp. Her hand flew to her mouth as disbelief and joy collided— hard, overwhelming, unstoppable.