“You’re doing great, babe,” I whispered.
She shot me a quick smile, and then it was time. Time for everything we’d hoped for, worked for, to finally happen.
When the first cry pierced the air, I felt a rush of relief, pride, and love all tangled together. I didn’t even realize I was holding my breath until I let it out in a shaky exhale.
Stephanie reached out, eager to hold our baby, but as the nurse laid the tiny, squirming bundle into her arms, something in the room shifted.
Stephanie stared at the baby, her face draining of color, eyes wide with shock.
“That’s not my baby,” she gasped, the words catching in her throat. “That’s not my baby!”
I blinked, not understanding. “What do you mean? Steph, what are you talking about?”
She shook her head, even as the nurse explained that they hadn’t cut the umbilical cord yet, so this was definitely our baby. She looked like she wanted to shove it away.
“Brent, look!” Her voice was rising, panic seeping into every syllable. “She’s… she’s not… I never…”
I looked down at our baby and my world tilted. Dark skin, soft curls. I felt like the ground had just been ripped out from under me.
“What the hell, Stephanie?” I didn’t recognize my voice, sharp and accusing, slicing through the room.
The nurse flinched, and from the corner of my eye, I noticed our families, frozen in shock.
“It’s not mine!” Stephanie’s voice cracked as she looked at me, eyes brimming with tears. “It can’t be. I never slept with anyone else. Brent, you must believe me, I never—”
The tension in the room was suffocating, thick, and choking, as everyone quietly slipped away, leaving just the three of us. I should’ve stayed, but I couldn’t bear the betrayal.
“Brent, wait!” Stephanie’s voice rang out from behind me, broken and desperate, as I marched toward the door. “Please, don’t leave me. I swear to you, I’ve never been with anyone else. You’re the only man I’ve ever loved.”
The raw honesty in her voice made me stop. I turned to look at her. This was the woman I’d loved for years, the woman who had stood by me through every trial and heartbreak. Could she really be lying to me now?
“Steph,” I said, my voice softening despite the storm raging inside me. “This doesn’t make sense. How… how do you explain this?”
“I don’t understand it either, but please, Brent, you have to believe me.”
I looked back at the baby in her arms, and for the first time, really looked. The skin and hair were still a shock. But then I saw it: She had my eyes. And a dimple on her left cheek, just like me.
I closed the distance between us and reached out to cup Steph’s cheek. “I’m here. I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m not leaving you. We’ll figure this out together.”
She collapsed against me, sobbing, and I held my wife and my daughter as tightly as I could. I’m not sure how long we stayed like that, but eventually, Stephanie started to nod off. The long hours of labor and the stress of our baby’s shocking appearance had taken a toll on her.
I gently untangled myself from them and murmured, “I just need a minute. I’ll be right back.”
Stephanie looked up at me, her eyes puffy and red, and nodded. I knew she was scared I wouldn’t come back, but I couldn’t stay in that room any longer. Not with the way my mind was spinning.
I stepped out into the hallway, the door clicking softly behind me, and sucked in a deep breath, but it didn’t help. I needed more than just air. I needed answers, clarity, something to make sense of the chaos that had just torn through my life.
“Brent,” a voice called, sharp and familiar, breaking through my thoughts like a knife.
I looked up to see my mother standing near the window at the end of the hall, arms crossed tightly over her chest. Her face was set in a hard, disapproving line, the kind that used to send shivers down my spine as a kid when I knew I’d messed up.
“Mom,” I greeted her, but my voice was flat, emotionless. I didn’t have the energy for whatever lecture she was about to deliver.
She didn’t waste any time. “Brent, you can’t stay with her after this. You saw the baby. That’s not your child. It can’t be.”
“She is my child, I’m sure of it. I—” My voice faltered because the truth was, I wasn’t entirely sure. Not yet. And that doubt… God, that doubt was eating me alive.
Mom moved closer, her eyes narrowing. “Don’t be naive, Brent. Stephanie has betrayed you, and you need to wake up to that fact. I know you love her, but you can’t ignore the truth.”
Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. Betrayed. I wanted to shout at my mother, to tell her she was wrong, but the words stuck in my throat. Because some small, cruel part of me was whispering that maybe she was right.
“Mom, I… I don’t know,” I admitted, feeling the ground start to slip away from beneath my feet. “I don’t know what to think right now.”
She softened, just a little, reaching out to touch my arm. “Brent, you need to leave her. You deserve better than this. She’s clearly not who you thought she was.”
I pulled away from her, shaking my head. “No, you don’t get it. This isn’t just about me. That’s my wife and daughter in there. I can’t just walk away.”
Mom gave me a pitying look. “Brent, sometimes you have to make hard decisions for your own good. You deserve the truth.”
I turned away from her. “Yeah, I do deserve the truth. But I’m not making any decisions until I have it. I’m going to get to the bottom of this, Mom. And whatever I find out, I’ll deal with it. But until then, I’m not giving up on Stephanie.”
She sighed, clearly dissatisfied with my response, but she didn’t push further. “Just be careful, Brent. Don’t let your love for her blind you to reality.”
With that, I turned and walked away. I couldn’t stand there and listen to any more of her doubts, not when I had so many of my own. I made my way down to the hospital’s genetics department, every step feeling heavier than the last.
By the time I reached the office, my heart was pounding in my chest, a relentless reminder of what was at stake.
The doctor was calm and professional, explaining the DNA test process as if it were just another routine test. But for me, it was anything but routine.
They took my blood, swabbed the inside of my cheek, and promised they’d have the results as soon as possible.
I spent those hours pacing the small waiting area, replaying everything in my head. I kept thinking about Stephanie’s face, the way she’d looked at me, so desperate for me to believe her.
And the baby with my eyes and my dimples. My heart clung to those details like they were a lifeline. But then I’d hear my mom’s voice in my head, telling me I was a fool for not seeing the truth.
Finally, the call came. I could barely hear the doctor’s voice over the roar of blood in my ears. But then the words cut through the noise: “The test confirms that you are the biological father.”
Relief hit me first, like a wave crashing over me, followed by guilt so sharp it made my breath catch. How could I have doubted her? How could I have let those seeds of suspicion take root in my mind?
But the doctor wasn’t finished.
She explained about recessive genes, about how traits from generations back could suddenly show up in a child. It made sense, scientifically, but it didn’t erase the shame I felt for not trusting Stephanie.
The truth was clear now, but it didn’t make me feel any less like an idiot. I had let doubt creep in, let it poison what should have been the happiest day of our lives.
I made my way back to the room, the results clutched in my hand like a lifeline.
When I opened the door, Stephanie looked up, her eyes filled with hope I didn’t deserve. I crossed the room in three quick strides and held out the paper to her.
Her hands trembled as she read, and then she broke down, tears of relief streaming down her face.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, my voice thick with emotion. “I’m so sorry I doubted you.”
She shook her head, pulling me close, our daughter nestled between us. “We’ll be okay now,” she said softly.
And as I held them both, I made a silent vow: no matter what came our way, no matter who tried to tear us apart, I would protect my family. This was my wife and my child, and I would never let doubt or judgment come between us again.
Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Separate After 27 Years of Marriage and the Reason Is Unexpected
One of Hollywood’s longest lasting couples, Hugh Jackman, 54, and Deborra-Lee Jackman, 67, shocked audiences when they shared the news that they are going their separate ways. The duo, who share 2 children, have been together for half their lives and the reason for their soon-to-come divorce has been revealed, and it’s nothing like what people expected.
Hugh and Deborra-Lee met in 1995.
Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness met on the set of the Australian TV series Correlli in 1995, on the first day of the actor’s first job after drama school.
“She was a big star. Everyone loved Deb. I get picked up by the car and Deb is in the front seat of the car. I get in the backseat. She had sunglasses on, she took off her seatbelt, turned around and said ‘Hi, I’m Deborra-Lee Furness, nice to meet you.’ and I remember thinking, ‘I like this girl’.”
6 weeks into filming, Jackman noticed a man courting Deborra-Lee, and he thought “that man has a crush on her”. That’s when he realized he was actually jealous of the man, and he had a crush on her himself. A few days later, after not talking to her for one week, he confessed his feelings and to his surprise, she reciprocated; she told him she was also crushing on him and that’s how their love story began.
After 11 months of dating, Hugh and Deborra-Lee tied the knot.
Over the following years, the couple struggled with infertility and experienced many failed IVF attempts and sadly, multiple miscarriages, all of which were “particularly difficult on Deb,” Jackman shared. Becoming parents was always their plan, Jackman shared, “We thought we’d have a kid or two biologically and then adopt. But when we decided we’d had enough of IVF, we went ahead with adoption.”
In 2000, they adopted their eldest son, Oscar, now 23 years old, and their daughter Ava, in 2005, who recently turned 18.
Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee had a happy life together.
The two never missed a moment to show each other and the world how much they mean to each other. Every single year Jackman honored his wife by publicly sharing how much he loves her and fans always admired and gushed over the outpour of love.
In April 2023, on their 27th and last wedding anniversary, Jackman shared a loving tribute to his wife, stating, “27 YEARS! I love you so much, and together we have created a beautiful family. And life. Your laughter, your spirit, generosity, humor, cheekiness, courage, loyalty is an incredible gift to me. I love you with all my heart.”
Just a few months later, one of Hollywood’s most loved duos announced their separation.
In a joint statement, Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee announced, “We have been blessed to share almost 3 decades together as husband and wife in a wonderful, loving marriage. Our journey now is shifting, and we have decided to separate to pursue our individual growth.
Our family has been and always will be our highest priority. We undertake this next chapter with gratitude, love, and kindness. We greatly appreciate your understanding in respecting our privacy as our family navigates this transition in all of our lives.”
2023 brought many Hollywood couples to a stop, with many celebrities divorcing after years spent together. Another recent divorce was Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner’s and their reason, although different than the ex-Jackmans’, is equally devastating.
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