«Nancy,» Kevin found that his voice was barely functional. Seeing her again, clearly ill and fighting for her life, brought back every emotion he had spent years suppressing.
Dorothy looked back and forth between the two adults, sensing the weight of their shared history even if she didn’t understand it. «Mommy, is this my daddy?» she asked with the directness that only children possess.
Nancy’s eyes filled with tears as she looked at her daughter, then at Kevin. «Sweetheart, this is Kevin Barton. He’s… he’s someone very special who knew Mommy a long time ago.»
Kevin knelt down beside Nancy and Dorothy, bringing himself to their eye level. Up close, the resemblance between himself and Dorothy was even more striking. They had the same eye color, the same shape of face, even the same small dimple in the left cheek that appeared when they smiled.
«Dorothy,» he said carefully, «your mommy and I need to talk about some grown-up things. Would you mind playing in your room for a little while?»
Dorothy nodded solemnly and disappeared down the short hallway, but Kevin suspected she would be listening from behind her partially closed door. Children, he was learning, were much more perceptive than adults often gave them credit for. Nancy gestured for Kevin to sit on the small sofa, settling herself carefully in a chair across from him. Even that simple movement seemed to require effort, and Kevin found himself fighting the urge to help her, uncertain of the boundaries in this surreal situation.
«I wasn’t sure you’d come,» Nancy said, her hands folded tightly in her lap. «When Dorothy told me she was going to find you and deliver the letter herself, I was terrified. But she was so determined, and I… I’m running out of options.»
Kevin studied Nancy’s face, seeing past the illness to the woman he had once planned to marry. «Nancy, I need to know the truth. Is Dorothy really my daughter?»
Nancy met his gaze steadily. «Kevin, I swear to you on everything I hold sacred, on Dorothy’s life, she is your daughter. She was conceived the last night we were together, before everything fell apart between us. I found out I was pregnant two weeks after you… after we broke up.»
«But the doctors told me I was sterile,» Kevin said, confusion evident in his voice. «The tests, the diagnosis…»
«Medical tests can be wrong,» Nancy replied. «Or maybe the situation changed. I don’t know the medical explanation, Kevin. All I know is that Dorothy exists, and she’s ours.»
Kevin was quiet for a long moment, processing the implications. «Why didn’t you tell me when you found out you were pregnant? Why let me believe all these years that I could never have children?»
Nancy’s composure finally cracked, tears streaming down her pale cheeks. «Because you thought I had betrayed you. You wouldn’t take my calls, wouldn’t see me. Your secretary had instructions not to put me through. I tried, Kevin. I tried so hard to reach you, but you had already decided I was a liar and a cheat.»
The pain in Nancy’s voice was raw and immediate, bringing back memories that Kevin had worked hard to bury. «The evidence seemed overwhelming,» he said quietly. «The photos, the witnesses, the phone call.»
«What photos?» Nancy asked, confusion replacing pain in her expression. «What witnesses? Kevin, what are you talking about?»
Before Kevin could respond, Dorothy appeared in the doorway, her young face creased with concern. «Mommy, why are you crying? Are you sicker?»
Nancy quickly wiped her tears and smiled at her daughter. «No, sweetheart. These are happy tears. I’m crying because I’m happy that Mr. Kevin came to visit us.»
Dorothy studied both adults with the penetrating gaze that Kevin was beginning to recognize as one of her defining characteristics. «Are you my daddy?» she asked Kevin directly, her blue eyes searching his face for the truth.
Kevin felt the weight of the moment settling on his shoulders. This little girl deserved honesty, but he also needed certainty before he made any commitments that would change all their lives forever. «Dorothy,» he said carefully, «I need to do some tests to make sure, but I promise you, if I am your daddy, I will do everything I can to take care of both you and your mommy.»
Dorothy nodded as if this was a perfectly reasonable response. «Mommy says tests are important. She has lots of tests at the hospital.»
The mention of Nancy’s medical situation brought Kevin back to the immediate crisis at hand. «Nancy, tell me about your condition. What exactly are the doctors saying?» Nancy glanced meaningfully at Dorothy, who was still hovering in the doorway. «Dorothy, sweetheart, would you go color in your coloring book while Mr. Kevin and I finish talking?»
After Dorothy reluctantly disappeared again, Nancy’s mask of strength finally slipped completely. «It’s ovarian cancer, stage four. It had already spread by the time they found it. I’ve been through two rounds of chemotherapy, but…» She trailed off, the unfinished sentence hanging heavy in the air.
«What do the doctors say about treatment options?» Kevin asked, though he suspected he already knew the answer.
«There’s an experimental treatment at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. It’s shown promise in similar cases, but insurance won’t cover it, and I can’t afford it. The cost is astronomical. Over $200,000 just for the first phase.» Nancy’s voice was steady, but Kevin could see the desperation she was trying to hide.
$200,000. For Kevin, it was less than he spent on his car. The realization of the different worlds they inhabited hit him with stunning clarity. While he lived in luxury, Nancy was literally dying for lack of funds for treatment.
«Nancy, regardless of the paternity test results, I want you to start that treatment immediately. I’ll cover the costs.»
Nancy stared at him in shock. «Kevin, you can’t possibly…»
«Yes, I can,» he interrupted firmly. «Dorothy needs her mother, and I…» He paused, surprised by the emotion in his own voice. «I can’t bear the thought of losing you again. Not like this.»
From down the hallway came the sound of Dorothy’s voice, talking to what Kevin assumed were her dolls or stuffed animals. «My daddy came to visit today,» she was saying. «He’s very tall and has blue eyes just like mine. I think he’s going to help Mommy get better.»
The innocent certainty in Dorothy’s voice cut through Kevin’s heart like a blade. This child had already accepted him as her father, was already building dreams around his presence in their lives. The responsibility of that trust was both terrifying and exhilarating.
«I need to arrange for a DNA test,» Kevin said quietly. «Not because I don’t believe you, but because I need legal documentation for Dorothy’s sake. If she’s my daughter, I want to make sure she’s protected, that she has every right and benefit that should come with that.»
Nancy nodded, understanding the practical implications. «Of course, whatever you need.»
«In the meantime, I’m going to make some calls about your treatment. There’s no reason to wait for test results to get you the medical care you need.» As Kevin pulled out his phone to begin making arrangements, Nancy watched him with an expression of wonder and gratitude.
«Kevin, why are you doing this? After everything that happened between us, why are you willing to help?»
Kevin looked toward the hallway where Dorothy’s voice could still be heard, now singing a soft lullaby to her toys. «Because eight years ago, I lost the two most important things in my life: you and the family we could have had together. I may not understand what happened back then, but I’m not going to make the same mistake twice.»
That evening, Kevin returned to his penthouse overlooking Elliott Bay with his mind reeling from the day’s revelations. The luxury of his home felt almost obscene after seeing Nancy and Dorothy’s modest apartment. His living room, with its floor-to-ceiling windows and designer furniture, could have housed their entire apartment twice over.
Susan was waiting for him, pacing the marble floors in an elegant black cocktail dress. She had obviously gone home to change and prepare for what she expected to be an important conversation about their future. «Kevin, finally,» she said, rushing to greet him. «I’ve been worried sick. How did it go with that woman and her child?»
Kevin loosened his tie and walked to the bar cart in the corner of the room, pouring himself a generous glass of single malt scotch. «Her name is Nancy, Susan. Nancy Cromwell. And her daughter’s name is Dorothy.»
«Fine, Nancy and Dorothy,» Susan said impatiently. «What did they want? Money? Some kind of settlement to go away?»
Kevin turned to face Susan, seeing her clearly for perhaps the first time in their two-year relationship. She was beautiful, sophisticated, and ambitious—everything he had thought he wanted in a partner. But looking at her now, he realized how cold her beauty was, how calculating her every move.
«They didn’t want anything except for me to know the truth,» Kevin said. «Nancy is dying, Susan. She has cancer, and she wanted me to know that Dorothy is my daughter.»
Susan’s laugh was sharp and bitter. «Kevin, please. You can’t have children. We’ve discussed this countless times. It’s one of the reasons our relationship works so well. Neither of us wants to be tied down by children.»
«The medical diagnosis was wrong,» Kevin said quietly. «Or our circumstances changed. I don’t know the exact explanation, but Dorothy is my daughter. The resemblance alone is proof enough, but I’ve arranged for a DNA test to make it official.»
Susan’s composure began to crack, revealing the desperation beneath her polished exterior. «Kevin, you can’t be serious. You have responsibilities here. The company needs you. I need you. We have plans for our future together.»
«What kind of future, Susan?» Kevin asked, genuinely curious. «A future where I work 18-hour days and you attend charity events and plan vacations? A future where we congratulate ourselves on our success while my daughter grows up without a father?»
«Your alleged daughter,» Susan corrected sharply. «Kevin, this woman abandoned you eight years ago. She broke your heart, remember? Now she’s dying and desperate, so she shows up with some child and claims it’s yours? Can’t you see what she’s doing?»
Kevin studied Susan’s face, noting the panic barely concealed beneath her anger. Something about her reaction seemed disproportionate to the situation. «Susan, what exactly happened eight years ago? I mean, what really happened?»
Susan’s face went pale, but she recovered quickly. «What do you mean? You know what happened. Nancy was cheating on you. There were photos, witnesses. You were devastated.»
«I want to see those photos again,» Kevin said, «and I want the names of those witnesses.»
«Kevin, that’s ancient history. Why dredge up painful memories?»
«Because I need to understand the truth. For Dorothy’s sake and for my own.» Kevin’s voice carried a note of steel that Susan had rarely heard. «I’ve made arrangements for Nancy to begin treatment at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance tomorrow. I’ve also arranged for Dorothy to stay with a nanny during the day while Nancy undergoes therapy.»
Susan stared at him as if he had lost his mind. «You’re paying for her treatment? Kevin, that will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars for a woman who betrayed you and a child who probably isn’t even yours.»
«Even if Dorothy isn’t my biological daughter, which I believe she is, she’s an innocent child whose mother is dying. How could I live with myself if I had the power to help and chose not to?»
Susan’s mask finally slipped completely, revealing the calculating woman beneath. «Because it’s not your responsibility. Because you have obligations to the people who have stood by you. Who have built a life with you. Because throwing money at some woman’s sob story isn’t going to bring back whatever fantasy relationship you think you had with her eight years ago.»
Kevin set down his scotch glass with deliberate care, the crystal ringing against the marble countertop. «Susan, I think you should leave.»
«Kevin, please don’t let emotions cloud your judgment. We can work through this together. Maybe we could help the child in some other way, set up a trust fund or something, but you don’t need to get personally involved.»
«I said you should leave,» Kevin repeated, his voice quiet but final.
Susan stared at him for a long moment, seeming to realize that her usual tactics weren’t working. «Fine. But Kevin, when this fantasy implodes and you realize you’ve been manipulated, don’t expect me to be waiting around to pick up the pieces.»
After Susan left, Kevin stood alone in his penthouse, looking out at the lights of Seattle reflected in the dark waters of the bay. For the first time in years, his home felt empty. Not because he was alone, but because the people who mattered weren’t there with him. He pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts until he found the number for Dr. Michael Harrison, his personal physician and longtime friend.
