‘Not even an eyelash’ - Dark-skinned man says baby too brown to be his

June 06, 2025

From the moment her baby boy entered the world, 28-year-old Ashley* had no doubt who the father was.

To her, it could only be Mark*-- a 43-year-old father of six and her long-time "friends-with-benefit" partner. But for Mark, it only took one glance at the newborn's complexion for suspicion to creep in.

"Mi black, and di baby brown, brown... . All mi friend dem a seh, a nuh fi mi pickney," he told THE WEEKEND STAR.

"Mi a look pon him from him born till now, him deh one-year-old and mi cyaan see one thing weh come from mi; nuh nose, nuh mouth, nuh nothing?"

Ashley and Mark grew up in the same community and had been casually involved for years, often engaging in intimacy without a committed relationship.

"We were friends with benefits because we never deh pan nothing serious," Ashley explained.

"Mi used to talk to a guy overseas while I was with him, but at the time we never have sex and a Mark alone mi did a sleep with, suh mi sure a him a di father," she added.

However, for Mark, the situation was never just physical. After they tragically lost a baby to stillbirth, he hoped that the shared pain would pull them closer. Instead, he felt more emotionally distant than ever.

"Mi used to talk to her certain way and a try push certain vibes, but she neva interested. She just wah do har own thing," he said.

"A when she get pregnant again mi realise seh she neva did serious 'bout me."

He confessed that even during the pregnancy, he noticed red flags. But it was the child's birth that really solidified his doubt.

"Yuh si mi other six pickney dem, when yuh see dem, yuh see me. Same face, same complexion. Even the baby weh she have before did favour me," he said.

"But this a bwoy yah, yuh cyaan find mi inna him. Is like mi nuh deh nowhere deh."

"Mi keep looking fi see miself inna him, but nothing. Di baby just a grow and mi still nuh see even a eyelash," he fumed.

Despite his uncertainty, Mark agreed to have his name listed on the child's birth certificate as the father. He has also vowed not to abandon the child if a DNA test proves his suspicion to be correct. He told THE WEEKEND STAR that he has been supporting the child, even though he can do more.

"Mi still gi enuh, mi nuh heartless. But mi cyaan lie, mi nuh give 100 per cent like before. Because mi nuh feel like him a mine," he said.

Meanwhile, Ashley admitted to having sex with another man, but said it was during her second trimester of pregnancy. She has no doubt that Mark is the baby's biological father.

"Mi know mi complexion brown, and maybe di baby look more like me, but that nuh mean a nuh fi him. Him a di father," she said.

Ashley and Mark have been selected to benefit from free DNA testing from Polygenics Consulting, which has joined forces with THE STAR to bring clarity to families across the island.

*names changed to protect identity

Other Ӱ԰ Stories