Meryl paced the hospital corridor anxiously, her face streaked with tears. She was waiting for the doctor to emerge from the ICU, where her daughter was being treated.

"Please, God," she prayed, her voice trembling. "Let my Michelle be okay." Tyrson watched her from a distance, his mind racing with questions.

If Michelle was Meryl's daughter, then who was the father? Could it be that...No, that couldn't be possible. But what other explanation was there?

The doctor emerged from the ICU, and Meryl rushed to him. "Doctor, how is my daughter?" she stammered, her eyes searching his for any sign of hope. "Is she okay?"

"Fortunately, she didn't suffer any serious injuries," the doctor replied. "It seems she simply fainted from the shock. I'll need to speak with her father, though - I need his signature on some forms."

Meryl's brow furrowed. "Can I go in and see her?" she asked hopefully.

doctor said, though his tone was measured. "Just be sure not to disturb her - she needs to rest."

The doctor began to turn away, but Meryl interjected. "Are you sure she's okay?" she asked.

He sighed and shook his head. "We can only hope for the best," he said, then added, "If you'll excuse me, I have other patients to attend to." And with that, he was gone.

Meryl entered the ICU and saw her daughter lying peacefully on the bed, her forehead bandaged, various tubes connected to her body.

Michelle looked pale and fragile, but she was breathing steadily.

A lump rose in Meryl's throat, and she wiped a tear from her cheek, but she quickly regained her composure and hurried out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Meryl swallowed the lump in her chest and quickly wiped the drop of tears on her face, she went out immediately and closed the door behind her.

As Meryl made her way back, she noticed Tyrson talking to a man whose back was turned to her. As she drew closer, she could hear their conversation more clearly.

"Check the school's security footage," Tyrson said in a deceptively calm voice. "I want every detail on who drove that car."

Meryl felt a chill run down her spine. Tyrson sounded cold and threatening. She began to wonder what he had planned.

The man, who turned out to be Manson, bowed and left them. Meryl's heart pounded in her chest. "It wasn't just an accident?" she asked nervously, turning to Tyrson, whose eyes were cold and unreadable.

"It's clear that someone tried to kill her," he said, his voice flat and emotionless. "Now perhaps you owe me an explanation."

"What?" Meryl exclaimed, shocked at the implication that someone had tried to kill her daughter. That was the only thing she could focus on out of all the things he had said.

"You said earlier that the girl was your daughter," Tyrson said impatiently. "What did you mean by that?"

Meryl ran a hand through her hair, at a loss for what to say.

"Who's the father of that child?" Tyrson demanded, his voice harsh. Meryl brushed a lock of hair from her face, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"Can't you guess?" she asked, her voice trembling. Tyrson looked at her, his expression unreadable.

Tyrson scoffed, he frowned as she continued,"ever since I got the know you I haven't been with any other man even when we got separated, so can't you tell who the child belongs too" she added and he gave a dry chuckle.

"No...no way!"

"What do you mean?" she asked, her heart pounding in her chest. Surely he wasn't going to deny that Michelle was his child, was he?

"It's been f*ckin four years Meryl!" He he said his voice breaking,"so is Michelle!" She retorted.

"You've kept this from me for four years?" Meryl bit her lip, her eyes downcast. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I was so afraid of how you'd react. I knew you were hurting after losing Joanna, and I didn't know how to tell you about Michelle... I was scared too."

"Even though we've been together for the past two months, you knew how much I was hurting after losing Joanna," he said, his voice raw with emotion.

"And yet you kept the fact that I have a child from me. How could you do that?" He stared at her, his eyes full of hurt and betrayal.

Meryl flinched, feeling a wave of guilt wash over her. She had never meant to hurt him like this. But how could she possibly explain herself now? What could she say to make him understand?

People were beginning to look in their direction, but he paid them no mind. "You made me look like a bad father," he said, his voice cracking.

"A useless father who's running away from his responsibility." Tears streamed down his face, and he didn't seem to care who saw them.

Meryl's breath caught in her throat. She had never seen him like this before. It was as if he were a completely different person.

His eyes were cold and distant, his face twisted in anger and pain.

As he recalled the way Michelle would tell him how much she missed her dad, and how Meryl had always told her that her father was dead to them, he felt a hot surge of anger rising within him.

"Tyrson..." Meryl began, her voice trembling.

"No," he said, cutting her off. "I don't ever want to see your face again. And I'll take responsibility for my child once I've run a DNA test." He gave her one last glare, full of anger and disappointment, before turning away.

Meryl's eyes welled up with hot tears, as she bit down hard on her lips. When had things gone so wrong?

She had only wanted to keep her child safe. And now, with her identity exposed, Michelle's life was in danger. Meryl felt like she was drowning in a sea of regret and fear.

She knew she had to do something to fix this, but she had no idea where to begin. What could she possibly do to make things right again?

****

"Carl!" Tyrson called out as he stepped into his office. Dr. Carl motioned for him to sit in the chair across from him, and Tyrson complied.

"Here are her medical test results," Carl said, handing Tyrson a stack of papers. Tyrson's fingers trembled as he scanned the reports.

"She's been diagnosed with leukemia," Carl said, his voice heavy. "And it's at the early stage. She'll need surgery as soon as possible." Tyrson's face turned pale, his thoughts whirling in disbelief.

Just moments ago, Tyrson had found out he had a child who had been kept from him for years, and now that he had found her, she had been diagnosed with leukemia.

"What do you mean, leukemia?" he asked, his voice shaking. "Is she going to be okay?" The doctor nodded.

"The sooner she undergoes surgery, the better," he stated. Tyrson raked his fingers through his hair, trying to calm himself down. It was all too much.

"I had no idea you had a daughter," the doctor said, looking surprised.

"It's complicated," Tyrson responded, nodding in agreement.

"I understand," the doctor said. "I'll get started on the surgery preparations right away. Would you prefer to keep the surgery a secret from your daughter's mother?"

"Yes," Tyrson said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small container. He opened it, revealing a single strand of hair. "This is a DNA sample," he explained, handing it to the doctor.

"I'd also like you to run a DNA test on her, to see if she's a match for me," Tyrson said, his voice heavy with sadness.

The doctor nodded, a sad smile on his face. "I'll do what I can," he said, watching as Tyrson left the room.

As Tyrson walked down the hallway, he got a call from Manson and picked it just a minute of silent and his eyes widened.

"what?!"

As Tyrson walked down the hallway, his phone started to ring. He glanced at the screen and saw that it was his friend, Manson. He answered the call.

There was a moment of silence, and then Tyrson's eyes widened in shock.

"What?!"