The second report: [99.99%]
It hit me like a ton of bricks—Ollie was Edmund's kid.
Looking at the report confirming I had no biological tie to the child I treated as my son felt like my heart was getting ripped right out of my chest.
I thought I was ready for this, but seeing it laid out like that made me tremble.
Honestly, I don't even recall how I made it home.
By the time I came to my senses, I found the floor littered with cigarette butts.
Ophelia walked in, coming back for some files, and her frown deepened at the sight.
"Ollie's still here. Don't smoke in the house," she scolded.
Seeing me in a daze, she shifted her tone, saying, "I've thought about it. Yesterday was my fault. I shouldn't have hit you."
"To make it up to you," she added, "I'll stay home tonight."
"Here, I bought you an apology gift," she offered, tossing a box at me.
I opened it up and found a tie clip, identical to the one Edmund had worn this morning.
A cheap freebie from when she picked up his shirt, I bet.
At that realization, bitterness surged through me.
Was this all I was worth to her?
Thinking about the damn reports made my hands shake again.