Harry Campbell sat in the pediatrician’s office, his heart light as he watched his twin boys, Josh and Andrew, giggle over something on Josh’s tablet. They were the center of his world—his pride, his joy, his family. But everything he thought he knew was about to shatter.
Dr. Dennison entered, a serious expression on his face. Harry immediately stood up, nervous.
“Mr. Campbell,” the doctor greeted him with a firm handshake. “Please, have a seat. I need to speak with you in private. The boys can wait outside.”
Harry’s stomach twisted. He had brought Josh in for more tests since he had anemia, but Andrew was perfectly healthy. What could be so urgent?
Once the boys left, Harry leaned forward. “Is Josh okay? Do we need to start a transfusion?”
Dr. Dennison sighed and shook his head. “Josh’s condition is manageable for now. We’ll try iron supplements first, possibly intravenously. But… Mr. Campbell, that’s not why I called you in.”
A cold feeling crept up Harry’s spine. “What do you mean?”
“Mr. Campbell… did you adopt the boys?” the doctor asked carefully.
Harry’s brow furrowed. “What? No, of course not. My wife and I had them naturally.”
Dr. Dennison exhaled slowly. “I have to ask because… your blood type is completely incompatible with the twins. That shouldn’t happen if you’re their biological father.”
Harry let out a nervous chuckle. “That doesn’t mean anything, right? I mean, sometimes parents can’t donate blood to their own kids because of genetics.”
The doctor nodded. “That’s true. But in this case, you and your wife are both blood type B. The boys are both type A. That… shouldn’t be possible.”
Harry’s mouth went dry. “What are you saying?”
Dr. Dennison hesitated before pushing a few papers across the desk. “I knew this would be hard to hear, so I took the liberty of running a DNA test on your sample, just to be sure. The results came back this morning. Mr. Campbell… Josh and Andrew aren’t your sons.”
The room spun. Harry gripped the arms of his chair as his vision blurred. “No. No, that’s not possible.”
Dr. Dennison’s voice softened. “There’s more. The test also showed that Josh and Andrew are actually your half-siblings. Which means…”
“Oh, my God,” Harry whispered. “They’re my father’s kids.”
The doctor gave a small nod. “I’m very sorry, Mr. Campbell. I know this is a lot to take in.”
Harry didn’t even remember walking out of the office. The drive home was a blur. He gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white. When he pulled into the driveway, he could hear his boys yelling from inside.
“Grandpa! We missed you!” they cheered.
Harry clenched his fists. His father. His father had done this. But he couldn’t explode in front of the kids. He forced himself to smile as he stepped inside.
His father, Robert, was in the kitchen, laughing with Nancy.
“What are you doing here, Dad?” Harry asked tightly.
Robert turned. “Oh, hey, son. Just visiting the boys—”
“Boys, weren’t you going to Bobby’s for game night?” Harry interrupted, his voice unnaturally cheerful.
“Right, Daddy!” Josh said. “Come on, Andrew!”
As soon as the door shut behind them, Harry turned back, his fury erupting. “Did you sleep with my father, Nancy?”
Nancy went pale.
“Son, look—” Robert began, but Harry cut him off.
“DNA doesn’t lie, Nancy!” His voice shook. “Tell me the truth.”
Nancy swallowed hard, unable to meet his eyes. She had to tell him everything.
Thirteen years ago, Nancy had been in Las Vegas with her girlfriends. The music in the club was loud, the drinks were strong, and the night felt endless. While waiting for her drinks, she smelled an intoxicating male cologne. She turned and saw a handsome man with silver hair and a charming smile.
“Can I buy you a drink?” he asked, leaning in confidently.
Nancy smiled. “I’m already getting drinks for my friends.”
“A girls’ trip?” he asked, amused. “I like that. I’m Robert.”
“Nancy.”
The chemistry was instant. The next thing she knew, they were making out in the elevator, and by morning, she was waking up in his bed.
Weeks later, when she found out she was pregnant, panic set in. She had no way to reach Robert, no way to tell him.
Her best friend, Anna, had been the first person she told.
“You’re having this baby alone?” Anna had asked, wide-eyed. “What about that Vegas guy? Can’t you find him?”
“Nope,” Nancy had sighed.
That was the night she met Harry. He was kind, sweet, and perfect. When Anna suggested she sleep with him so he wouldn’t know the baby wasn’t his, Nancy initially refused. But the fear of raising a child alone changed her mind. One night led to a relationship, which led to love, and then marriage. She had convinced herself it would never come out.
Until now.
Present day…
Harry’s hands shook with rage. “So you baby-trapped me with my father’s kids?”
“Son, I didn’t know,” Robert interjected. “She told me they were yours.”
Nancy glared at him. “You knew. You can’t put this all on me!”
Harry felt sick. His mind spun with memories—the laughter, the bedtime stories, the way Josh and Andrew looked up to him. His boys. But were they? He thought about their brown eyes, the same shade as Robert’s. He should have seen it.
Then a small voice broke through the shouting.
“Grandpa is our father?”
Everyone froze. The twins stood in the doorway, their friend Bobby behind them, eyes wide with confusion.
“Dad?” Andrew whispered, looking at Harry.
Harry tried to speak, tried to hold it together, but he couldn’t. His poker face, the one he had kept since leaving the doctor’s office, crumbled.
The truth was out.
And it had destroyed everything.
He swallowed hard, looking at the boys—the only thing that had ever truly mattered to him.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, feeling his world fall apart.
