Matter-of-Fact:

Disclaimer: Don't own anything but the plot.

It's not as if I'm oblivious to the rumors that floated around our docile town of Kissimmee, Orlando. I hear the whispers about Claire and Todd's appearance, but I ignore them.

"How can he kid himself? How can't he know that they don't even look like him?" These are some of the things that my neighbors, friends, and ultimately everyone who knows me think as they see us. They may not say it, but I see the judgment and criticism in their eyes.

I just couldn't take it after a while. As soon as William Block called after mysteriously ignoring me for years about a job opening, I jumped at it. The best way to avoid a problem is evasion, right?

Uprooting my family from their lives, we traveled across the country to an unfamiliar state. They all seemed excited about this move, but I was the happiest of them all. Finally, I'd be rid of the demons that plagued me in Orlando. I could start all over. However, as soon as I got there, I found out that the gossip about my 'kids' still existed. It's become a routine to ignore them. Although, I can't help but wonder who is Claire and Todd's real father. I know it can't be me.

Where could Claire have gotten her bright blue eyes from? I know she got the blonde hair from her mother (she dyed her hair brown), but where could she have gotten those perfect blue eyes from? And don't even get me started on Todd. Where did that dark red hair come from? No one in either of our families have auburn hair. It's astonishing.

One day, a few months after living with the Blocks, I looked up at William's eyes after a tennis match. My own eyes widened as I saw my daughter's crystal blue eyes reflecting back. After that, I knew we had to move again. I couldn't take knowing that he was the father. Nevertheless, they convinced me otherwise to stay. I didn't want my family hating me forever.

One day, I met Dylan Marvil's father when he came for a visit. When I saw his shock of hair, perfectly matching Todd's, I knew. I knew whom my wife had cheated on me with in the early years.

But, I'll always ignore them. I'll ignore the whispers. I'll ignore it all. The matter-of-fact is that I love them too much to let them go.