Chapter 457: Chapter 457: Not Biological

Vera Xavier froze. Zachary Preston pulled a DNA test report from a drawer and handed it to her. "I did this behind your mother’s back right after you came home," he said. "After the mix-up with Cara, I was worried there might be other surprises. I happened to be making a trip to the provincial capital and heard about paternity testing, so I went and had one done. I never expected..."

Vera Xavier bit her lip and glanced at the date on the report. The results were dated one month after her return to the Preston family.

She thought back on all the care and attention Zachary Preston had shown her recently, and a whirlwind of emotions washed over her. ’He treated me so well, even knowing I wasn’t his biological daughter!’

Her eyes began to redden. Zachary Preston said softly, "I actually had one done for Cara at the same time. She’s not my daughter either. It’s possible you were all mixed up at the hospital."

He paused briefly before continuing, "I looked into it carefully. Several other women gave birth to daughters in the maternity ward around that time, but it’s been too long. I wasn’t able to find any news about your biological parents."

"Dad... why are you telling me all this now?" Vera Xavier asked softly.

Zachary Preston sighed. "At first, I wanted to find your real family and send you home to them. But in my current state... I can no longer take care of you, and I’m afraid I don’t have the means to help you find them, either. You’re grown up now, though, and you can take care of yourself. That, at least, puts my mind at ease."

When he first learned that Vera Xavier wasn’t his daughter, he had been somewhat crestfallen. He’d originally planned to tell Rona Langdon.

However, seeing how poorly Rona Langdon treated Vera, and knowing now that Vera wasn’t his biological child, he feared Rona would drive Vera out of the Preston family if he revealed the truth. Vera’s situation would have been too pitiful.

Later, as he saw that Vera Xavier was kind-hearted, intelligent, and driven, he began to feel that having a daughter like her was a wonderful thing. With his own biological daughter’s whereabouts unknown—perhaps lost to him for a lifetime—he decided to raise Vera as if she were his own flesh and blood.

But now, he had lost his job and the ability to care for himself. He could no longer provide for her. From now on, he would only be a burden, and she wasn’t his biological daughter, after all.

Besides, he had only raised her for half a year. How could he, in good conscience, let her take on the burden of caring for him indefinitely?

After much deliberation, he had finally decided to wait for her grandparents to be out of the house to tell her the truth.

The moment she heard his words, Vera Xavier understood his intentions perfectly. In this life and her last, she had seen too much heartlessness and false sentiment. Zachary Preston’s actions were truly those of an honorable man.

The tears she’d been holding back finally streamed down her face. "Dad, what did I do wrong? Are you abandoning me now, too?!"

The sight of her tears immediately sent Zachary Preston into a panic. "Vera, no," he said hurriedly. "It’s not that I don’t want you! It’s that you’re not my daughter to begin with. I’m just a burden, and you don’t have to suffer like this for my sake!"

After all, when he’d had his stroke, his own wife and child had abandoned him. He’d had his own taste of human heartlessness.

"But this isn’t suffering to me!" Vera Xavier said, wiping away her tears. "Dad, back then, you knew I wasn’t your daughter, but you still protected me completely and wanted to send me to college. For that alone, I’m willing to take care of you for the rest of your life!"

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