Daniel felt the world spin as if the very ground beneath him had been yanked away. The DNA results were irrefutable, a damning confirmation of a nightmare he couldn’t have ever imagined. How could it be? He had never touched her outside of his professional duties; he had been meticulous, respectful. His mind reeled, trying to find some semblance of logic in the chaos.
His thoughts spiraled, memories mingling in a tangled mess. Every interaction with Emily replayed in his mind. The gentle adjustments of her pillow, the careful calibration of her IV fluids, the soft, hopeful murmurs as he’d wished her goodnight. There had been no moment, no lapse in his professional conduct that could explain this betrayal.
Haunted by the revelation, Daniel felt like a ghost haunting his own life. The hospital buzzed with the news, an undercurrent of whispers that followed him like a shadow. Colleagues who had once nodded in greeting now turned their eyes away. Even the sterile, familiar hallways seemed to close in around him, their once comforting routine now suffocating.
