SHAYLA recive mail from court about KAI DNA test

 She was halfway through her morning coffee, still in her robe, hair tied up in a messy bun, Kai watching cartoons in the living room. It was supposed to be a quiet morning. A normal Saturday. But when she opened the mailbox and saw the envelope with the official court seal, her heart dropped.

It wasn’t the size of the envelope that scared her — it was the weight of it. The kind of letter that changed things.

Her fingers trembled as she slid it open. She stood on her porch barefoot, the morning breeze brushing against her skin while the world around her stayed silent.

Inside, in bold, emotionless lettering, it read:

“Notice of DNA Results – Case No. 406B-KD: In Re: Minor Child, Kai Parker.”

She had to sit down.

Right there on the porch steps, she stared at the document in disbelief. The test had been court-ordered weeks ago, following Anthony’s legal request for paternity verification. At first, she was hurt — deeply. The man who had once kissed her belly while Kai kicked from the inside was now questioning whether that boy was even his.

But she agreed to the test.

Not for him.

For Kai.

For the truth.

The envelope held two documents: the official court letter and the lab report from the DNA testing facility. Her eyes darted across the lines, past the legal jargon, until she found the section in bold:

Probability of Paternity: 0.00%

Shayla’s breath caught.

She read it again.

0.00%

She blinked, reread, blinked again.

Anthony... is not Kai’s biological father.

The world tilted. Her hands dropped into her lap, the letter limp between her fingers.

How?

It didn’t make sense. She hadn’t been with anyone else. Not during that time. Not even close. She was sure of it. Or… she thought she was.

Her mind spiraled. Could the test be wrong? Could they have mixed it up? Did Anthony tamper with it somehow? No, it was a court-certified lab. There were witnesses. Chain of custody. Legal protocols.

And yet… 0.00%.

She didn’t hear Kai approach. He was standing at the door in his footie pajamas, holding his favorite toy car.

“Mommy? Why you look sad?”

Her head snapped toward him, eyes wide and heart breaking.

She tucked the letter behind her and forced a smile. “Come here, baby.”

Kai ran over and climbed into her lap, the way he always did when he wanted comfort. She wrapped her arms around him tightly, holding him like he might slip away.

“You okay?” he mumbled into her neck.

“No,” she whispered, more to herself than to him. “But I will be.”

---

That night, Shayla sat alone in the kitchen with the papers spread across the table.

Anthony had already texted.

“Got the results. We need to talk.”

She hadn’t responded.

Her thoughts were tangled, memories blurring together. She retraced her steps, months back, years even. She remembered that brief breakup before Anthony came back into her life. She had gone to that wedding out of town. Got a little drunk. There was that one night — Darius. Her ex from college. It had been a mistake. She barely even counted it. They didn’t speak afterward.

Could it be him?

It had to be.

The realization hit her like a cold slap. She had been so focused on Anthony, on rebuilding with him, on creating a family that she never considered…

She didn’t even know where Darius lived anymore.

---

The next day, Shayla met with Anthony.

They sat in his lawyer’s office in awkward silence until he finally said it:

“You knew, didn’t you?”

Shayla looked up, stunned. “What?”

“That he wasn’t mine.”

“I didn’t!” she cried. “I swear to God, Anthony. I did not know. I thought— I believed—”

Her voice broke.

Anthony looked away. “I held that boy in my arms. I gave him my name. I loved him.”

“I know,” she whispered. “You still can. You’re still his—”

“I’m not,” he snapped. “Not legally. Not biologically. And maybe not anymore, period.”

That cut deeper than anything else.

“Don’t punish him for something I didn’t know,” she pleaded.

Anthony stood, his face hard. “I need time.”

Then he walked out.

And Shayla sat there, alone again.

---

Weeks passed.

She reached out to Darius through a mutual friend. He agreed to talk. Shocked, confused, but willing. Another test. Another wait.

And then…

Probability of Paternity: 99.99%

Darius was Kai’s father.

Now came new conversations. New fears. Would he want to be in Kai’s life? Would Anthony walk away completely? Would Kai one day ask why his whole world was based on a misunderstanding?

Shayla didn’t have all the answers.

But one thing she knew: Kai was hers.

Her love for him never changed — no matter what the paper said. No matter what Anthony decided. No matter what Darius might become.

She folded the court letter and placed it in a locked box, along with Kai’s baby pictures and the hospital wristband from the day he was born.

Because the truth had come crashing in.

And now, a new chapter had to begin