Testing Times

Arriving at work, we had a small office in a business park that was separate from the two dozen workshops we operated across the state. My father made the occasional appearance, but he was more the figurehead of the organisation, leaving me to the day-to-day running. My personal assistant, Tracy, greeted me with a smile and a cup of coffee like she did every morning, though it faded as I'm sure I still had a face of thunder.

"Morning Mark," she still greeted me with, brightly as always.

"Morning Trace. Can you get my lawyer on the phone at 9am?"

Her face fell completely. "Of course, Mark. Can I..."

"Don't ask. At least, not yet. I'll tell you later though."

Before I could walk by her, she hugged me briefly. I appreciated it, telling her that, before I walked into my office. Sitting down, I opened my laptop and checked over the usual emails that had come in overnight. I wasn't one of those people who checked their emails all through the night. I insisted all my employees had a good work and life balance. Happy workers were more productive and less inclined to leave our organisation.

Just after 9am, my lawyer, Ben, gave me a call. Asking what I needed, I told him everything I'd learned the night before and what my options were. Australia being a no-fault country, my name being on the birth certificates, I was going to be fucked from the viewpoint of being required to pay child support if or when I wasn't given at least joint custody. To be honest, I was so pissed off, and considering their shit attitudes, I didn't particularly want custody of them anyway. I knew I'd think differently after cooling off. I still loved them like they were my own.

Ben suggested I not make any hasty decisions, take a few days to calm down, and then call him back so we could assess my options. But I told him I didn't particularly want to stay in the house, and I was confident that Sarah was likely still having an affair. He suggested that hiring an investigator could help, but again, he suggested I take a few days, but he'd start organising something anyway.

Returning home was difficult that evening as I simply didn't want to go back to the house. Walking inside, I dumped my bag where I normally did. There was no greeting for my wife this time, heading straight down the hallway. My sons barely greeted me like normal. I didn't let it bother me. Chloe had her door closed. Remembering the knock that I used to use, her door opened quickly, greeting by her gorgeous smile as she hugged me tightly.

"Evening, Daddy!"

"Evening, sweetheart. Are you okay?"

"Don't worry about me, Daddy. How are you?"

Leading her into her bedroom, I shut the door and sat on the edge of her bed with Chloe next to me. "I talked to a lawyer today. Do you know much about divorce in this country?"

"A little bit. A couple of my friends had their parents divorced while I was in school. It wasn't easy on them. Both times, the father either left or had to leave the house."

"Remember the reasons why?"

"Not really as the kids were not told, except that their parents were splitting up and the usual comments about how they both still loved them, it wasn't their fault, that sort of thing."

Sighing to myself, she hugged me tightly again. "There's a good chance I'll be the one leaving, sweetheart. Kicking the mother out of the home is practically impossible unless I can prove she was violent, where most coppers would just laugh at me, or a negligent mother, such as she's constantly high on drugs or something. And I have to be gone for a minimum of a year before I can apply for divorce. Ben is going to look into requirements, but your mother and I are on similar wages. Frankly, I'm going to start doing a few little things over the next few days. Most importantly, I'm going to look for somewhere else to live. Just a small apartment or something."

"I'm coming with you, Daddy. I'm not having you living alone somewhere else."

I turned and hugged her tightly. "Thank you, sweetheart. I think you'll be the main help getting me through this."

"You should ring Nanna and Pop, plus Auntie Caroline. Don't keep this hidden, Daddy. They deserve to know. Hell, I'm thinking I'll email the results to her parents and siblings."

"I'll call them soon, sweetheart. Once Ben gets back in touch and tells me what my options are."

Before I left, she asked, "Daddy, you won't consider, you know, staying or anything?"

"She's lied to me for years. She's pretty much committed fraud against me, sweetheart. Those two boys are not mine. I may have raised them, they might call me Dad, but they're not my blood. I didn't sign up to be a stepfather. I signed those birth certificates in the belief that those two were of my blood, a result of a union between their mother and myself. I've been living a lie since Michael was born."

Dinner was again awkward as I could barely stand to look at Sarah. Funnily enough, even the two boys sensed something out of the ordinary. Not that they treated me any differently, but I noticed the occasional curious glance in my direction. It amused me that Sarah tried to engage me in conversation. I almost laughed in her face, barely able to keep my temper in check again.

I buggered off to the gym an hour after dinner. I would usually go in the morning before work or directly after work. Lifting weights made me feel better, spending ninety minutes working myself into exhaustion. Returning home later that evening, Sarah was already in bed. After showering, I checked on Chloe, finding her lying back in bed, playing on her phone. Kissing her forehead, she wished me goodnight, sitting up to hug me. I tried to ignore the fact she was wearing a very small vest, tight to her body that highlighted the curves of her generous bust.

The next couple of days and then the weekend was awkward around the house. Sarah was definitely picking up on my different attitude towards her. I'm sure she wasn't blind to the fact I wanted nothing to do with her physically. The only person who really received any attention from me was Chloe. I did try and not change my attitude towards the boys, but their continued disinterest in me simply had it mirrored back.

"Are we not going out tonight?" Sarah asked, tracking me down in the backyard on Saturday afternoon.

"No, we're not, Sarah. Why would I bother taking out someone who simply isn't interested in me in return?"

"What gives you that idea?" she asked, pissed off by the fact she had the temerity to sound hurt.

I turned around and she took a step back as the glare I returned was no doubt hate filled. "The fact that you, as my wife, have shown a complete lack of interest in me or our marriage for the past six months or longer. In fact, I can pinpoint the last day you seemed to genuinely give a shit about me at all, and that was on my fortieth. I'm led to believe you only faked giving a shit that day because the rest of the family was present."

"I love you, Mark. You're my husband. I don't know what you think..."

"Give me a break, Sarah. You stopped giving a shit about me and our union a long time ago. I was just too blind and blinkered to see it. Well, not any longer. So no, I'm not taking you out tonight. I'm not going to bother putting any effort into this marriage. I'll follow your example going forward from now on."

Watching her cry didn't make me feel better, it only made me feel worse, because there was part of me that still loved her. But that love was slowly drying up with each passing day. She wasn't stupid though. She now knew something was up, but I had to get at least some of my thoughts off my chest. About time she learned what I really thought about her.

Waiting until late afternoon, I called a couple of my friends, asking if they wanted to meet up for a drink. Despite both being married, I was friendly with their wives, so they were happy to meet up with me in a couple of hours. Heading inside, I showered and changed. Nothing more than a shirt and jeans, though I heard Chloe was getting ready at the same time.

"You off out, Daddy?"

"I am."

"With Mum?"

"Nope. She got one or two truths earlier on."

"Where is she?"

"Sulking in the living room."

She got up and I noticed the dress she was wearing. Strapless, down to her knees, tight to her body. She'd stopped dancing once she'd started to develop her breasts, giggling that they'd bounced around far too much, even when wearing a sports bra. She was otherwise trim and fit, as she'd sometimes get up early and join her father at the gym for a workout. Hugging me as always, the scent of her perfume was delightful. "Where are you going?" I wondered.

"Just meeting up with a couple of girlfriends for a drink. You know I don't go out and party much, Daddy. I'm a good girl."

I leaned back and gave her a look, Chloe returning one of complete innocence. I chuckled and kissed her forehead. "I like to hear that my little girl is also a good girl."

"Only for you, Daddy. Have fun tonight."

"I will. And you have fun too. Give me a call if you need anything."

Grabbing what I needed, I headed towards the front door, Sarah glancing in my direction. I was expecting anger and fiery words in my direction. Instead, she sat there looking sorry for herself, no doubt trying to illicit some sympathy from me. If she wanted that, she could look at the boys for that as I wasn't giving any.

"I'm going out with mates. I'll see you later tonight."

I didn't even bother waiting for a response from her before heading outside. One of my friends arrived within a couple of minutes, his wife driving us to a nearby pub, the sort of place we could get some decent grub and enjoy a few schooners. We started out chatting about all the usual shit. Jobs. Footy. Daily lives. Our kids. Men were not particularly good at discussing problems sometimes, but with the emphasis on mental health nowadays, I cleared my throat and finally confessed what I'd discovered thanks to Chloe.

"Holy shit," Nathan muttered, "Are you sure they're not yours?"

"Absolutely. DNA results were one hundred percent accurate. Chloe even emailed them back to clarify the results. The reply was that, bluntly, the two boys are not mine."

"Fuck!" Steven exclaimed, "So what are your options?"

I gestured towards Ben. "He's going to let me know tomorrow. I'm pretty much fucked in one regard. I'm going to be on the hook for child support. But I've already started looking into paternity fraud. And I'm going to find out who the father is."

Ben cleared his throat. "Mark, you've mentioned paternity fraud a couple of times. No man in Australia has ever managed to win a case."

"Don't give a fuck, Ben. I'll go all the way to the High Court if necessary. I'll go international and put this shit in the headlines. I'm left wondering how many millions of men are out there raising kids that are not actually theirs?" Ben gave me a look I could read easily. "Listen, Ben, I've raised those two all their lives, yet that bitch was fucking around on me then, and I think there's a good chance she's doing the same now."

"Fucking hell," Nathan stated, "Are you sure, mate?"

"I had no idea those two little bastards weren't mine. I guess I probably didn't know the signs. Ever since I got at least a little suspicious recently, I've done some reading but there's nothing to suggest she's cheating. Just a feeling in my gut. But the lack of intimacy and the fact she seems to give less than a shit about me would suggest something untoward is going on."

We enjoyed a few drinks before, to my surprise, my daughter walked in with three of her friends. Seeing them at the bar, I wandered over as my daughter turned to see me approaching. Without a word, she tottered over towards me in her heels, throwing her arms around me. "Well, hello there, handsome!" she cried.

"Okay, how much have you had to drink, sweetheart?"

She leaned back and giggled. "Hmmm. I think we might have enjoyed some cocktails at Emily's house before heading out."

"And why are you here?"

She glanced around before leaning up towards my ear. "Because I knew my very handsome daddy would be here, and my girlfriends thought you might like the attention of four sexy young woman, who are all still teenagers, by the way."

Her three friends all walked over. I'd known them for quite a few years as they'd all gone to the same high school together. They cheerfully wished me hello as Chloe wrapped her arms around my left as I walked to the bar. I earned a hug from each of them as I bought them a cocktail each and an additional bottle of wine for them to share. "Just behave yourselves," I suggested.

"We'll be good, Daddy," Chloe replied, before leaning up to my ear, "Unless you don't want my friends to be good. They can be naughty, if you really want them to be."

I gave her a look as I chuckled. "I think I'll return to my friends now. You girls have a good night. Chloe, if you've had enough by the time that I leave..."

"I'll see, Daddy. Otherwise, I'll share a taxi with my friends."

"Just get home safely, and that goes for all of you."

Four gorgeous smiles lit up their faces as they thanked me for caring. Returning to the table, I was finally smiling again as my friends all laughed at me. "Well, at least one woman in your life loves you," Nathan suggested.

"Considering I'm the one likely to move out of the house, she's already told me that she's coming with me."

"She's always been daddy's little girl," Steven said, clapping my shoulder, "Same thing with my little girl. Worships the ground I walk on."

"Fingers crossed it lasts for you like it has with Chloe. I've made mistakes but I'm not sure how I'd be if I didn't have her with me for support. Not fair for a nineteen-year-old girl but she helps me smile."

The four girls were having a good time, hearing them laughing and chatting away animatedly. Funnily enough, when they noticed me stand up with my friends, getting ready to go, Chloe was up and walking towards me, taking my hand and asking me to escort her home.

Arriving home a few minutes later, I led Chloe inside, the house in complete darkness. Sarah was fast asleep in bed. I couldn't be bothered going to bed so walked back to the living room, grabbing a glass and pouring myself a scotch. Sitting back after kicking off my shoes, I only turned on the lamp next to the couch, otherwise sitting in silence.

"Not tired, Daddy?" Chloe asked softly as she appeared, wearing nothing more than one of my band t-shirts and I would hope panties underneath.

"Just didn't feel like getting into bed with her." Walking over to stand in front of me, I had to ask, "You've got panties on, haven't you?"

Giggling, she lifted up her t-shirt to show off a pair of light blue that left little to the imagination. "I'm wearing panties, Daddy, but I'm not wearing a bra."

"Good to know. Want a drink?"

She sat next to me once she'd grabbed a glass for herself, curling her legs underneath her, pouring her a small glass of scotch. Cuddling into my side, we sipped at our drinks in silence. Feeling her shuffle, I wrapped an arm around her, kissing the top of her head, hearing the soft sigh of appreciation. Finishing my drink, I placed the tumbler down, caught by surprise when she started to cry. "It's not fair, Daddy," she whispered.

"What's not fair?"

"What she's done and doing to you. You don't deserve it, Daddy."

"It'll work out, sweetheart."

She calmed down rather quickly and was asleep a few minutes later. Carrying her to bed, I managed to get her underneath her covers. Unsure whether I should take her t-shirt off or not, I left it on, covering her up and kissing her forehead. "I love you, Daddy," she murmured.

"I love you too."

Sarah was in a mood all day Sunday, but it was amazing how quickly my feelings for her had changed. The moment Chloe told me about the two boys had destroyed much of the love I held for her and was the moment our marriage started to move towards its inevitable end. Once Ben would tell me what I needed to do, I'd seal away most of my feelings until later and focus on what needed to be done. Sure, I was upset that my marriage was a complete fucking farce, and that my wife was a cheating bitch, but there was no point crying over it.

The only thing worth crying about would have been the fact my sons were not mine, but as I've said, their attitude meant I was finding it difficult to be upset about that as well. Chloe was attentive all day on Sunday, even making me chuckle as she walked out to the pool in a gorgeous bikini while I was mowing the lawn, smiling at me every single time I was pushing the mower in her direction.

"Looking good, Daddy. Going to join me in the pool afterwards?"

"I'll go change once I'm done."

After lunchtime, making Chloe and I a couple of sandwiches, I changed and joined her by the pool. My daughter is a gorgeous young woman. Maybe I'm biased due to being her father, but when I compared her to her three friends the night before, my daughter outshone them all. She kept her brunette hair around shoulder length, and usually had it in a ponytail. She had gorgeous sky-blue eyes, had to wear glasses and wore fashionable thin black frames, always perched on her cute little nose. Perfect teeth were behind a pair of lips that I'm sure many young men would like to kiss. She had freckles when younger though most of those had faded. A healthy tan, I knew her bust was a full C-cup, verging on a D-cup depending on where she bought her bras. Keeping fit, her stomach was flat, and her legs were stunning.

I knew her hair and eye colour might have come from me as Sarah was a blonde with brown eyes. Given that the two boys were similar, I just figured they took after their mother.

Sliding into the pool, Chloe took all of thirty seconds before joining me in the water. We mucked about for a few minutes before she swam towards me, wrapping her legs around my waist, hooking her arms around my neck. It was quite an intimate moment, guessing my daughter was just trying to make me feel better.

"You think I'm beautiful, don't you, Daddy?"

"Of course I do, sweetheart, and not just because you're my little girl."

"Well, my daddy is very handsome, as I always say. Tall and broad, and I do like the chest hair, Daddy. I could curl up next to you and run my fingers through it. And you're fit! How does Mum not notice you?"

"No idea and I'm finding it difficult to care any longer," I replied with a shrug, "I have evidence of her cheating in those two boys, sweetheart. Learning the truth that night killed our marriage and a lot of my love for her. It's what pissed me off about asking about going out. It's like 'Are you fucking serious, woman?'"

"I think she's figuring out you know something is amiss, Daddy. She's not completely stupid nor oblivious." Kissing my cheek, she hugged me tightly. "Well, you're mine now, Daddy. I'm your most important girl."

"You certainly are now, sweetheart. Thanks for staying by my side."

"I wasn't going to hide it from you, Daddy, nor was I going to expect you to stay with her. It's just wrong what she's done. And it scares me to think about who else might know the truth."

"I guess we'll find out eventually."

We did have dinner together as a family and the battle lines were obvious. Chloe barely talked to her mother, and though it wasn't their fault, I knew her relationship with the two boys had been strained for a long time. I tried engaging them in conversation as always but, as usual, they didn't really care. Sarah was already starting to look worried.

Leaving early the next morning, Chloe joined me as we attended the gym first before I drove her to the train station to get to university, seeing me off with a hug and kiss on my cheek as always. Tracy knew what was going on by now, greeting me with a smile, a cup of coffee, and a brief hug. She'd been my PA for a decade, and I considered her a friend in addition to an employee.