Chapter 6 - THE WOMAN WHO WAS SUPPOSED TO REPLACE ME
I read Lauren's message three times.
Then I called her.
She answered immediately.
“Dana, thank you for speaking to me.”
“What did Bernice tell you?”
Lauren hesitated.
“That Cooper wasn't Glenn's biological son.”
“When?”
“Almost six months ago.”
My stomach dropped.
Six months.
Bernice had been preparing to destroy my marriage long before Glenn ordered us out.
“Did she have evidence?”
“No. She said there was a hereditary illness in your family and that you'd probably been unfaithful.”
I closed my eyes.
Bernice knew the medical history came from her own family.
She had simply reversed the accusation.
“Why are you telling me now?”
Lauren sighed.
“Because I thought Glenn and you had already separated.”
I said nothing.
“Bernice introduced us through a friend. She told me your marriage was finished, that you were only staying in her house while you found somewhere else to live.”
“And you believed her?”
“Glenn told me things were over between you. I should have asked more questions. I know that.”
Her voice cracked slightly.
Lauren explained that she was thirty-four, worked at a dental office, and had divorced two years earlier.
She had wanted a stable relationship.
Bernice had offered her exactly that.
A respectable accountant.
A beautiful family home.
And the possibility of children.
“She kept saying I could give Glenn the peaceful family he deserved,” Lauren admitted.
“Did she tell you Cooper had epilepsy?”
“Yes. But she described him like he was some kind of burden.”
I felt my hands tighten around the phone.
“He's a little boy.”
“I know that now.”
A long silence followed.
Then Lauren said, “Dana, I don't expect you to forgive me. But I don't want to help destroy a child's life.”
The next morning, Glenn arrived at the laboratory for the paternity test.
Bernice came with him.
Of course she did.
Cooper was sitting beside me in the waiting room, holding Mr. Buttons.
When he saw Glenn, his whole face brightened.
“Daddy!”
He jumped from his chair.
Glenn instinctively opened his arms.
Cooper ran toward him.
For a few beautiful seconds, my son looked like the happiest child in the world.
Then Bernice spoke.
“Glenn, remember why we're here.”
His arms stiffened.
Cooper noticed.
He stopped smiling.
“Did I do something?”
I crossed the waiting room and crouched beside him.
“No, sweetheart. You didn't do anything.”
The nurse called our names.
Glenn and I had agreed to use a laboratory that verified identities and maintained a documented chain of custody.
No home kits.
No opportunities for accusations about switched samples.
The technician collected cheek swabs from Glenn and Cooper.
The process took only a few minutes.
Cooper giggled.
“That tickles.”
Glenn smiled despite himself.
“Yeah, buddy. It does.”
I saw Bernice watching them.
Her face was unreadable.
Afterward, she tried to follow Glenn outside.
But Lauren was standing near the entrance.
Bernice stopped.
“What are you doing here?”
Lauren looked straight at her.
“I came to tell Glenn something.”
“Whatever it is can wait.”
“No, it can't.”
Glenn approached.
“Lauren?”
She took a breath.
“Your mother told me Cooper wasn't yours six months ago.”
He frowned.
“What?”
“She said Dana cheated. She said your marriage was already over.”
Bernice immediately interrupted.
“I was trying to protect my son.”
Lauren shook her head.
“You told me all of that before Glenn had even asked Dana for a DNA test.”
Glenn looked from one woman to the other.
“Mom?”
“Don't be foolish,” Bernice snapped. “You know what that woman did to you.”
“What woman?” I asked. “The one who raised your grandson or the one you selected to replace her?”
Bernice's mouth tightened.
Lauren removed a small gold necklace Glenn had given her.
She placed it in his hand.
“I can't continue this relationship. Not like this.”
Then she walked away.
Glenn looked stunned.
For the first time, Bernice's plans were collapsing in front of her.
But the day wasn't over.
As we walked toward the parking lot, Cooper suddenly stopped.
His eyes fixed on something I couldn't see.
He didn't answer when I called his name.
I immediately recognized the change.
“Cooper?”
His little hand loosened around Mr. Buttons.
The bear fell to the pavement.
Glenn turned.
“What's wrong with him?”
“Give him space,” I said, keeping my voice steady.
I watched Cooper closely and timed the episode, following the instructions his neurologist had given me.
The episode passed, and Cooper slowly responded.
“Mommy?”
“I'm right here.”
He looked confused.
“Did I drop my bear?”
Glenn bent down and picked it up.
His face had gone white.
“Dana, what just happened?”
“An episode. We need to call Dr. Patel and tell her.”
Cooper reached for the teddy bear.
Glenn handed it to him.
Then my husband whispered something I never expected.
“I remember that feeling.”
I looked up.
“What feeling?”
Glenn stared at the pavement.
“People talking. Then suddenly being somewhere else. Not knowing what happened.”
Bernice grabbed his arm.
“You were a nervous child. That's all.”
But Glenn pulled away.
“No, Mom.”
His voice was shaking.
“I remember the watch. I remember Rosie falling. And I remember waking up with doctors standing over me.”
He looked directly at me.
“Dana, take Cooper to the hospital. I'm coming with you.”
Bernice tried to object.
But Glenn had already opened the car door for our son.
At the hospital, Dr. Patel examined Cooper and reviewed the episode.
After discussing adjustments to his care plan, she turned toward Glenn.
“Your wife mentioned some possible episodes in your childhood. Would you be willing to undergo a neurological evaluation yourself?”
Glenn stared at his hands.
Then he answered quietly.
“Yes.”
Dr. Patel nodded.
“Have you experienced any unexplained loss of awareness recently?”
I expected him to say no.
Instead, Glenn looked at his mother.
“Twice last month,” he said.
“And once yesterday.”
May you like
Then he added the words that made Bernice grip the back of her chair.
“I've been hiding it because Mom told me that if anyone found out, I could lose everything.”
