“What’s this sudden family-man routine?” she said one night as Mark and Lucas stood shoulder-to-shoulder over a lasagna recipe Lucas’s mom once loved. “Trying to impress your new best friend? Or making up for lost time?” “Dana,” Mark said, not looking up, “if you don’t have anything helpful to say, don’t say anything at all.”
She scoffed and left the room. Lucas bit his lip, hiding a smile. Three days later, the envelope came. Mark sat beside Lucas on the couch as he opened it. Daniel stood near the window, arms folded. Lucas unfolded the paper slowly, scanning the lines until the words became clear. Paternity Result: Excluded – 0% probability.