#Chapter 110: The DNA Results Are In And…

Ardal I jolt upright from the couch, my thoughts racing like a stampede. I'm desperate to move, to do something - anything - as I try to determine how best to tell him and force myself to accept that this fragile bond we just re-forged may be shattered any moment. Kadeem jerks in surprise. The soft light from the floor lamp catches his face, lending a warm radiance in the otherwise dim room. "What's wrong?" His brow furrows with worry and he stands, too, his shadow silhouetting the beige wall. I wring my hands together. My heart is galloping like a mustang and my stomach is twisting into knots. "Nothing - I... I feel sort of faint." He raises his eyebrows in disbelief and then peers at me with a mockingly befuddled expression. "Well, maybe you should sit back down?" He extends his hand towards mine to lower me to the couch with him. With some hesitation, I comply. I lower my head, staring into my lap. I feel him hesitate and then he gently brushes back my hair. I shut my eyes