He Gave Her My Eyes A Story of Final Sight novel Chapter 109

Hanson hesitated for a long moment, then finally looked up at Theresia, his voice barely above a whisper. “The other sample was Eric’s.”

Eric?

Theresia was so caught off guard she just froze. Her mind went blank. For almost ten minutes she sat there, silent and still, barely even breathing. She stared at nothing, lost in her thoughts, then finally grabbed her coffee and took a big gulp, like she was hoping it would calm the chaos inside her.

“What about the results?” she finally managed.

Hanson’s lips pressed into a thin line. “The test shows that you and Eric are biologically father and daughter.”

Whatever hope she had left disappeared in an instant. Her hand trembled, and the last bit of coffee spilled all over her clothes.

She should have seen it coming. Naomi had moved to Harrisburg before she turned twenty, taking her first job as a maid for the Baker family. She’d never dated anyone. There weren’t even any men in her circle of friends.

So the list of possible fathers was tiny. Theresia had always assumed her real dad was some guest who visited the Bakers, maybe a worker who came and went. She never imagined it would be Eric.

Suddenly, another memory flashed in her mind. When she was eighteen, Leila had tried to kick her out, but her grandmother had insisted she stay. Theresia vaguely remembered Eric speaking up for her too.

He must have known, even then. He must have known she was his daughter.

He knew everything, so why did he let Leila and her children treat her so badly? How could he just stand by and watch? How could he act like none of it mattered?

A mix of anger and embarrassment burned in Theresia’s chest, twisting her up inside. She wanted to go and ask Naomi everything, to demand the truth, but the more she thought about it, the more terrified she felt.

It was easier when it was just a suspicion. At least then she could hope she was wrong. But if she found out for sure, she was scared she wouldn’t be able to handle it.

She could accept being an orphan. She could accept any story about herself, except this one. She just couldn’t accept being an illegitimate child.

She got up, not caring about the mess on her clothes. “Hanson, I need to go,” she said quietly.

She turned and started to leave. Hanson called out, “Theresia, do you want me to go with you to talk to Naomi? Maybe we can get some answers together.”