Chapter 13 - Howard’s Other Secret
Roderick wanted to know who his biological father was.
Alden did not know.
Howard’s letter said he had deliberately refused to ask Eugenia for a name.
Eugenia knew.
Roderick waited two weeks before contacting her through counsel.
One question:
Who?
Her answer:
Malcolm Vane.
Alive.
Seventy.
Retired architect in Vermont.
The relationship happened during the separation.
Malcolm had known Eugenia was married but separated.
Did he know about pregnancy?
No.
Eugenia and Howard reconciled before she knew.
When Roderick was born, Howard signed everything.
Malcolm was never contacted.
Was there legal paternity issue now?
Howard was Roderick’s legal father and had raised him.
Decades later, the question was personal, not about rewriting childhood.
Roderick did not call Malcolm immediately.
He spent months in therapy.
What did he want?
Medical history?
Yes.
Knowledge?
Yes.
Father?
Maybe not.
At thirty-seven, discovering your father is not genetically your father does not create a vacancy someone else automatically fills.
Eventually Roderick sent a letter.
Not accusation.
Not demand.
Malcolm responded.
He was shocked.
Agreed to a private DNA test.
Chain of custody.
Confirmed biological relationship.
Again, science told a fact.
Then humans had to decide what to do.
They met once.
Then again.
Slowly.
No instant father-son montage.
Howard remained Dad.
Malcolm became Malcolm.
May you like
That was enough at first.
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