Chapter 170: Renee Is Not Our Daughter

Chapter 170: Chapter 170: Renee Is Not Our Daughter

Rhea Dempsey had already been thinking about moving, and she could conveniently use the fear of Cole’s family causing trouble as an excuse.

That way, Diana Jennings wouldn’t get suspicious.

Renee Jennings was also thinking of moving, because their place at Eastgate Villa was ready.

That evening, Rhea Dempsey sat on the sofa, watching videos of rental properties recommended by an agent.

"Stop looking." Renee Jennings sat down next to her, blinking her big, bright eyes. "I’ve already picked out a house."

Rhea Dempsey put down her phone and asked, "How many bedrooms does it have?"

Renee Jennings furrowed her brow for a moment, then shook her head. "I forgot to count."

"You had to count? How many rooms could there be?" Rhea Dempsey thought she was pulling her leg.

Renee Jennings was silent.

When Rhea Dempsey picked up her phone to look at listings again, Renee Jennings simply locked the screen. With a serious expression, she said, "I really have found a place. I guarantee you’ll love it."

"Alright, alright, I’ll stop looking." Rhea couldn’t win against her, so she put her phone down and glanced at the wall clock. "It’s getting late. Why isn’t your dad back yet?"

The words were barely out of her mouth when Dalton Jenson pushed the door open and came in.

"Dad, you’re back! Mom was just wondering where you were." After Renee Jennings spoke, she noticed something was off about his expression. "Dad, what’s wrong?"

Dalton Jenson looked at her, his eyes a little red.

Rhea Dempsey uncrossed her legs and walked over. "Why are you crying? Did someone at work give you a hard time?"

Dalton Jenson shook his head, blinking hard to hold back his tears. "It’s nothing. Just got some wind in my eyes."

"Really?" Renee Jennings wasn’t convinced.

"When have I ever lied to you?" Dalton Jenson said as he walked toward their bedroom. "I’m going to take a shower."

Watching his lonely figure retreat, Renee Jennings frowned. "Mom, ask Dad what’s wrong later. Something seems off about him."

"Alright," Rhea Dempsey nodded, feeling a little worried herself.

Renee Jennings sat back down on the sofa. After a moment’s thought, she picked up her phone and transferred two thousand to her dad.

’Is he upset because he’s short on cash?’

When Rhea Dempsey entered their bedroom, Dalton Jenson was already out of the shower and lying in bed.

"Dalton Jenson, what’s going on with you?" she asked as she sat at her vanity to apply her skincare.

The room was quiet. Dalton Jenson, tucked under the covers, remained silent.

Rhea Dempsey finished applying her eye cream, then lifted the covers to get into bed. Just as she was about to speak, Dalton Jenson suddenly turned and pulled her into a hug.

"What happened?" Rhea Dempsey frowned, a sense of unease growing. "Talk to me."

Dalton Jenson began to sob. "Honey..."

Rhea Dempsey’s heart sank, and her voice turned icy. "Are you cheating on me?"

"What are you talking about?!" Dalton Jenson was both exasperated and hurt. "Am I that kind of irresponsible man?"

"Then what else could it be?" Rhea Dempsey eyed him with suspicion.

Dalton Jenson sighed. "I’m afraid you won’t be able to handle it..."

Rhea Dempsey’s eyes darted thoughtfully. "I think I can handle anything, as long as you’re not cheating on me."

"Really?"

"Stop dragging it out and just tell me!"

Dalton Jenson pressed his lips together and said in a low voice, "Someone came to see me today. They said... Renee isn’t our daughter. That they’re her real parents."

"What?" Rhea Dempsey stared at him in disbelief, then rolled her eyes. "What kind of joke is this? It’s not funny in the slightest."

Dalton Jenson’s face was etched with pain. "I thought they were joking at first, too. But then... they showed me a paternity test..."

"Paternity tests can be faked!" Rhea Dempsey’s tone was resolute. "She’s the daughter I gave birth to. How could I have possibly taken the wrong baby?"

"But that’s what they said happened... that she was switched at the hospital..." Dalton Jenson said, his voice thick with emotion. "They said someone did it deliberately as revenge, swapping all the newborns. And our... our biological daughter... her whereabouts are unknown..."

"Impossible!" Rhea Dempsey shot upright, shaking her head violently. "I don’t believe it!"

Dalton Jenson sat up too. "I don’t want to believe it either," he sighed. "But they had surveillance footage from the hospital nursery... from that year..."

Her eyes red, Rhea Dempsey stared at him. "Where’s the footage?"

Dalton Jenson reached over for his phone, tapped the screen a few times, and handed it to her.

Rhea Dempsey took the phone. A knot of dread formed in her stomach as she saw the time and date stamp on the footage matched.

In the video, someone dressed as a nurse moved the newborns from one bassinet to another, even switching their identifying name tags.

"I still don’t believe it!" Rhea Dempsey tossed the phone onto the bed and, covering her face, broke down completely.

Seeing his wife in such a state, Dalton Jenson’s own heart ached with sorrow.

He reached out, pulling her into his embrace. "Rae, it breaks my heart to see you like this."

"Why...?" Rhea Dempsey sobbed breathlessly against his chest. "Why is God so cruel!"

There were times, in a fit of anger, when she would say she didn’t have a daughter like Renee. But now, faced with this, she wished more than anything that it was all just a bad dream.

"Maybe... maybe it’s just a sick joke," Dalton Jenson comforted her softly.

Rhea Dempsey gradually composed herself.

Dalton Jenson gently wiped her tears away. "Stop crying. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it."

Rhea Dempsey asked, her voice hoarse, "What exactly did they say when they came to you?"

Dalton Jenson: "Just that Renee isn’t our biological daughter. They showed me the paternity test and this footage, and then they left."

"Nothing else?" Rhea Dempsey frowned, puzzled.

Dalton Jenson shook his head. "That was it."

"That’s so strange." A sliver of hope sparked in Rhea Dempsey’s heart. "Could it really just be a prank?"

"I don’t know," Dalton Jenson sighed. "I’m sorry. I was so shocked and heartbroken, I didn’t think to ask more questions."

"Don’t blame yourself," Rhea Dempsey said, patting his hand. "I would have been the same way. I wouldn’t have been able to think straight."

Just before they fell asleep, she added, "Whatever happens, we can’t let Renee know about this."

**

「The next day.」

Renee Jennings was up bright and early the next morning. When she saw that Rhea Dempsey’s eyes were swollen like walnuts, her heart sank.

"Mom, what happened last night?"

Rhea Dempsey kept her back to her. "Nothing happened."

Renee Jennings pressed, unconvinced. "Then why are your eyes so swollen?"

"M-mosquito bites," Rhea Dempsey said, avoiding her gaze.

"On both eyes?" Renee Jennings moved to face her, her expression full of concern. "Did Dad do something to hurt you?"

"No." Rhea Dempsey turned away again. "Your dad wouldn’t dare. I’d kill him!"

"Then why were you crying so hard?"

"I told you, it was mosquito bites! Why won’t you believe me?"

Seeing that her mother wasn’t going to talk, Renee Jennings didn’t press the issue.

At noon, she went straight to Dalton Jenson’s office building to intercept him. The two of them found a small restaurant for lunch.

"Dad, why aren’t you eating?" Renee Jennings asked, noticing he was just picking at his food.

Dalton Jenson quickly started eating. "I am eating."

Renee Jennings put a piece of spare rib in his bowl, her eyes searching his. "Are you and Mom hiding something from me?"

Dalton Jenson choked on his food. "COUGH, COUGH... What are you talking about? COUGH..."