Sarah looked up from washing the dishes, thinking the sound of running water had distorted what she heard.
Turning off the tap, she looked at her husband, John, standing in the doorway with a serious expression.
“What did you say?” she asked again.
“I want a DNA test for our child,” John repeated, his voice firm.
“Why?” Sarah asked, drying her hands with a towel.
“Because I don’t think our son is mine.”
This was shocking news. Their four-year-old son, Tim, was doted on by John, who, despite not being the father of the year, had always taken an active role in Tim’s life. He spent time with him, bought him toys, and even babysat when Sarah needed to go out.
He had never before suggested any doubts about being Tim’s father, nor was there any reason to. Sarah and John had been married for six years, and she found out she was expecting a year later.
That year was a happy one, and Sarah had been faithful. So where was this coming from?
“Can I ask why you think this?” Sarah inquired, trying to keep calm.
John smirked, looking at her sharply. “See! You’re already trying to talk me out of it! If you had nothing to hide, you wouldn’t worry!”
It sounded absurd.
They might not have had an all-consuming love, but Sarah believed love was about mutual respect and fidelity. If you get on well with someone and respect each other, that was love in her book.
But never in their years together had John humiliated her like this. Their marriage had been built on respect and trust, and suddenly he was throwing wild accusations.
“I’m not trying to stop you,” Sarah replied as calmly as she could manage. “I’m just curious why, after four years, you suddenly think Tim isn’t yours?”
“Look at him!” John argued, thinking he had an ironclad point. “I’m blonde, my whole family is blonde, and Tim has dark hair and brown eyes!”
“So do I,” Sarah pointed out. “And he’s the spitting image of my dad, as you always say!”
“I don’t see it,” he countered. Just six months prior, he’d remarked on Tim’s resemblance to his grandfather. “But I do think he looks like your colleague!”
“Which one?” Sarah asked, now more amused than annoyed.
“The one, Mark!” John mocked her.
Sarah couldn’t help but laugh. Mark was a furniture mover she used to work with at the store before she became pregnant. Tim bore no resemblance to him whatsoever, apart from dark hair.
“This is nonsense,” Sarah shook her head with a sigh. “You know I’ve never cheated on you!”
“My mum and sister told me you’d deny it! But I’m doing the test anyway!”
Ah, there it was… everything fell into place.
Sarah was one of those people everyone found likable. She was kind, easy-going, and always ready to help. But she also had a strong backbone, refusing to let others take advantage of her. If she didn’t like something, she said it. She wasn’t one to flatter.
Her relationship with John’s mother hadn’t started well. Initially, his mum seemed like a pleasant lady, always laid out a spread when they visited, complimented Sarah, and remarked how lucky John was to have such a smart and beautiful wife. Sarah felt fortunate, considering all the horror stories she’d heard about mothers-in-law. But later, Sarah found out that the same lovely woman would criticize her behind her back, calling her stupid, a bad cook, and ugly to boot. It stung since Sarah knew she was far from unattractive.
Naturally, Sarah didn’t overlook this. On their next visit, she openly broached the topic, advising her mother-in-law to make up her mind about her opinion.
That’s when the woman’s true nature emerged. Sarah simply stopped talking to her. John visited her with Tim, but Sarah kept her distance.
John’s sister was her mother’s match. She loved gossip and would talk trash about everyone. Everything was someone else’s fault—her husband left (when he found out about her affair), she got fired (caught stealing), and her power was shut off (six months unpaid bills). At first, Sarah tried to bridge the divide but realized she couldn’t sit idly and agree with her grievances.
Now, it seemed his mother and sister had poisoned his mind. They’d been working on him for a while, trying to convince him.
Sarah decided to give John a chance to come around. She sat across from him at the table, requesting he take a seat.
“John, you know your family isn’t fond of me. They’ve planted seeds of doubt in your head, potentially destroying our marriage.”
“If you have nothing to hide,” John stated, seemingly ignoring her words, “then you won’t mind taking the test.”
“Okay,” Sarah relented, “but on one condition.”
“What’s that?” John said, amused.
“When the test shows the child is yours (and it will), you pack your bags and move in with your mum. Then we divorce.”
“Why?” John frowned.
“Because I won’t stay with someone who doesn’t trust me without any reason. If your mum’s opinion matters more than mine, go ahead! If you think for yourself, you’ll realize I’d never betray you.”
John pondered this. Sarah hoped he’d regain his senses and stop this nonsense. But evidently, he was too brainwashed.
“We’re doing the test. End of discussion,” he eventually said.
“Fine,” Sarah nodded.
Perhaps his sister and mother truly convinced him Tim wasn’t his, or maybe he didn’t take Sarah seriously. But the next day, DNA samples were taken from both John and Tim.
The test results took a week. During that time, neither John nor Sarah spoke to each other, and Sarah noticed John’s aloofness towards Tim as well.
She was eagerly awaiting the results too. To prove her point to John. Sarah had made up her mind. If John had come to this decision independently, she might have understood. But this was all his mother’s doing. And what next? His mother might concoct other reasons to drive them apart. Sarah wouldn’t tolerate it.
When the results arrived by email, Sarah called John over. She opened the email without looking at it herself and held out her phone to him.
John scrutinized the results for a long while before smiling.
“So Tim is mine! What a relief! Let’s celebrate!”
“Sure,” Sarah replied. “Not about the paternity—that was obvious from the start—but about our divorce.”
“Divorce?” John frowned. “Are you serious, Sarah? Yes, I had my doubts, but do you know how many men unknowingly raise someone else’s child?”
“I don’t care,” Sarah interrupted. “I refuse to live with someone who doesn’t think independently, who can hurt someone close just because of hearsay, and who ignored his own son for a week over a figment of their imagination. Leave, John.”
John continued trying to save their family for some time, even apologizing and promising to ignore his family in the future.
But Sarah was resolute. It seemed like a trivial incident, but it revealed the true character of the man she had married and with whom she had a child.
Sarah felt sorry for whoever John might end up with next. Dealing with meddling in-laws would be challenging. But maybe John learned something and would be smarter in the future, though she doubted it. People seldom change.
