Chapter Nineteen
Chloe drove the car home from Mansfield, while Ellen sobbed quietly beside her. It was incredible news, quite hard to digest. Tom and Ellen perhaps being related, perhaps not. What were the chances of that happening in a city the size of Melbourne? It would explain why the two of them were initially so drawn to each other, of course.
The afternoon had proven tedious to Chloe. Both of Ellen's parents had wallowed in their regret and sorrow for hours after lunch. Mr Jackson had seemed particularly heart-broken, or maybe he was ashamed to be discovered a liar after all these years. Chloe had never seen a grown man cry. She found it particularly distasteful really, and quite inappropriate to carry on so much in front of a guest.
Ellen had spent much of the afternoon crying too. The three of them had been at it for hours. Chloe had never smoked so many cigarettes, but being outside in the cold had been infinitely preferable to being inside with the wailing. Thank goodness she and Ellen had finally left the town, hopefully not to return for some time.
“Chloe,” Ellen said, looking up, her eyes red and puffy.
“Yeah, Elle.”
“Thanks for coming with me today.”
“No problem.” The afternoon had actually been a problem, a huge awkward situation, but Chloe couldn’t really speak her mind without offending Ellen.
“I need to know for sure about Tom and me. I need to find out before I show him the letter. I mean, if I tell him everything, and then find out it isn't true, well, it might ruin things anyway. He might never look at me the same way again.”
“That makes sense.”
“How can we find out, one way or another?”
Chloe thought for a moment, and then remembered something she had seen recently. “DNA test of course. We just need to get a sample of his DNA. Maybe some hairs from a brush or something.”
“How can we get a DNA test done?” Ellen sounded a little unconvinced.
“I saw a service advertised on late night TV the other night.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, there is a company that is called DaddyID or something like that. All you need to do is download the form, and send two samples in separate sealed bags. It's quick too I think. You get the results within forty-eight hours of it being received. You have to logon to some site. Probably costs a few hundred bucks though.”
“Money really isn't the problem here, Chloe.”
Chloe rolled her eyes. Ellen sounded particularly stuck up when she said that. “Right. Sorry, I forgot how much you are being paid just to get your picture taken.”
“There's a bit more to it than that, Chloe. What I mean is, that being related to my boyfriend is the problem. I’ll pay anything to know the truth.”
“Right.” Chloe didn't feel like debating how overpaid Ellen was, so kept quiet until she realised something much more interesting. “Shit,” she exclaimed.
“What?” asked Ellen, confused.
“I just realised something. If you are Tom's daughter, you are going to inherit a bloody fortune.”
“Chloe, if I'm Tom's daughter, I will never, ever be able to look at him again. I will have to move interstate and begin an intensive counselling program. I mean, I would have kissed my dad.”
Chloe laughed at that. “I guess, yeah gross. I wouldn't kiss my dad.”
“No kidding.”
“But you will still inherit a whole pile of money, and the controlling interest in a large cosmetics company.”
Ellen didn't respond, and instead stared out the window at the endless dry paddocks passing by.
Chloe realised that Ellen didn’t seem to care about money at all, which was impossible to understand. Ellen really was quite a dull friend at times. If she wasn't providing such great free accommodation and perks, Chloe would have moved out with more interesting people by now. Ellen was so strange at times too. She probably hadn’t even slept with Tom yet! Although Chloe had to concede, that under the circumstances, this probably was for the best.
Ellen suddenly perked up. “Tom opened one of our spare toothbrushes the other night and left it at our place. Do you think that it will be suitable for the test?”
“A toothbrush is perfect. Nice thinking. This means we can send it off tonight.”
Ellen looked somewhat relieved, and put some music on for the remainder of the trip home.
When the girls arrived home at their apartment, Chloe downloaded the form from the Internet and completed the required information. Meanwhile, Ellen sealed her toothbrush and Tom's toothbrush in separate sealed bags.
“I'm going to have a shower now, Chloe,” Ellen said. “Thanks for your help with this. Will you go and post it all tonight?”
“Will do, Elle. You've had a tough day. Why don't you take it easy tonight?”
Chloe was finished with the paperwork, and was just about to seal the envelope when she started thinking. A small idea had been growing in the back of her mind all afternoon. She thought about the pain that this knowledge would cause to Tom. It would be unbearable for him. Tom Bradley, the kindest, sweetest, richest, most amazing man that Chloe had ever met. She would do anything to protect him. Anything to ensure his happiness continued.
Chloe looked over her shoulder. The shower from Ellen's ensuite was already running. Without another thought, Chloe grabbed a fresh sealed bag and walked into her own bathroom. She put her own toothbrush into the bag and inserted it into the envelope. She took Ellen's toothbrush out and walked it back into the kitchen, and put it at the bottom of the kitchen bin. Perhaps the rubbish should go out tonight. Yes, an excellent idea, Chloe thought to herself. The DNA of these two samples would be unrelated. Tom would be kept in the dark. He wouldn't need to know about any of this. The chance of Tom and Ellen being related seemed very remote anyhow. He could continue to care about Ellen, continue to believe that there was something special about her. More importantly, he would remain happy and unaware. Wasn't the true nature of love sacrifice, after all?
Chloe realised then that she loved Tom. More than Ellen ever could. She would forsake her own possible relationship with him, to spare him the pain and shame of what this DNA test might show.