Dad relieved after DNA test confirms paternity

Anthony* is breathing easier these days.

The 24-year-old says he is relieved and happy after DNA results confirmed that he is the biological father of his nine-month-old daughter with his babymother Melissa*. The child was conceived during a period when Melissa had sex with Anthony and her ex-boyfriend Jason* just three days apart.

"Mi wouldn't say mi feel no way, because a me always a do everything from day one. Mi did just want make sure say everything aright," he told THE WEEKEND STAR. "Mi affi build a relationship wid mi baby. First time when mi go round her and play with her, she always a cry, but them likkle things deh mi see it a change."

Melissa, 21, admitted her pregnancy was marked by doubt after she had slept with both men in just a short space of time. When she discovered she was pregnant weeks later, she could not say with certainty who the father was.

"The two of them was just days apart, so mi genuinely nuh know who get mi pregnant," she recalled.

Despite months of uncertainty, Anthony explained that he never separated the care he gave to both of Melissa's children.

"Whenever I visit my son, mi always play wid her (the baby) too. Anything mi buy fi one, mi make sure buy fi the next, even when mi was unsure," he said. Melissa's confusion deepened after a DNA test arranged with Jason returned negative. Melissa suspected foul play, alleging that Jason, who works in a medical facility, may have interfered with the process.

But through the partnership between DNA testing firm Polygenics Consulting and THE STAR, Melissa and Anthony finally received clear answers.

"I am not sad, and I am not happy," Melissa said of the results. "This give me some clarity; I really appreciate it."

But Melissa admitted that she believed her daughter bore Jason's features.

"They always say if you have somebody, the baby will come look like them. Maybe that's the reason why my baby looked like him, but now I know for sure," she said.

She also revealed that she had placed Anthony's surname on the baby's birth certificate without his consent, even while still uncertain.

"He was already supporting the baby even though he was not sure. Now he has more clarity," she said.

Anthony admitted it was Melissa's secrecy during her pregnancy that first pushed him to demand the DNA test.

"She was the one who made me push to do this, because when she got pregnant, she was hiding it. Given the circumstances, mi just glad it worked out for the best," he said.

Now that the doubt has been erased, Anthony said his focus is on fatherhood. For Melissa, the results have ended months of tension.

"Now mi can just focus on being a father to both of them," Anthony said. "Mi just glad say everything clear up, so mi can give her all the love and support she deserve."

*Names changed to protect identity.