HER

THE TRUTH

ALEX's POV

I sat on the couch, my eyes still fixed on my phone as I deliberately ignored Mum's attempts to initiate a conversation. I couldn't even look her in the eye or give her the chance for us to talk. My heart was heavy with a weight that had been pressing down on me since...well, since everything.

Mum's voice was laced with a mix of frustration and concern. "Lex, you can't keep ignoring me, can you?" She paused, hoping I'd c***k, but I remained unyielding.

I crossed my legs, my gaze still fixed on my phone. "Mum, I'm busy. I'm sure you can tell." My tone was dismissive, a clear indication that I wasn't in the mood for conversation. I didn't think I would be in the mood anytime soon.

But she persisted, her voice tinged with sadness. "You can keep ghosting your mother, but that's not right, Lex." She knew exactly which buttons to press, but I didn't have one.

I snapped, my emotions boiling over. "Well, it's not right to hide the truth from me either! Do you still think I'm a kid? I'm twenty-four, for Christ's sake, Mum!" The words spilled out of me like poison, a toxic mix of anger and hurt.

Her eyes widened, and for a moment, I thought I saw a glimmer of fear. But she composed herself quickly, her voice barely above a whisper. "I really don't know where to start or how I should explain all of this to you, Lex."

I pounced on her hesitation, my words buried with accusation. "You can start by explaining what Mrs. Parker meant when she said...when she said you were sleeping with Ted's father!" The words felt like a punch to the gut, a painful reminder of the secrets she had kept hidden for so long.

Does she have an idea how crazy that sounded? Or how I felt the ground should just open up to

Swallow me whole? I was damn embarrassed.

Her face crumpled, and she covered it with her hands, her body shaking with sobs. "I'm not ready to talk about it," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

My anger flared up again, a raging fire that threatened to consume me. "What do you mean you're not ready? I deserve to know the truth! Do you think you're the only one hurt? I was too!" I lashed out, my voice rising the more.

Tears flowed freely from her eyes, but she quickly wiped them away, her eyes red-rimmed and puffy. "I'm sorry, honey. I let you down. I didn't think I'd have to talk about this one day..." Her voice trailed off, leaving me feeling frustrated, angry, and still very much in the dark.

Mum's voice cracked as she began to confess, "I loved him...despite knowing he was married, and that he loved me too." Her eyes drooped, weighed down by the secrets she'd kept hidden from me. "But I couldn't keep pretending that the moments we shared, the happiness we felt, would last forever."

She paused, her breath catching in her throat as she struggled to compose herself. The tears she'd cried earlier still lingered, and she sniffled, wiping her nose with the back of her hand. "I had decided to end it and walk away, when I discovered something..." Her gaze locked onto mine, her eyes speaking volumes of emotions she couldn't verbalize.

I watched, transfixed, as she shook her head, and fresh tears streamed down her face. My heart ached to see her in so much pain, and I instinctively wrapped my arms around her, holding her close as she sobbed.

But then, she dropped a bombshell that left me reeling. "I was already pregnant with his child," she whispered, her voice barely audible. Shock gripped me, and I slowly withdrew from our embrace, my eyes wide and filled with so much surprise.

"What?" I blurted out, my mind racing with the implications of her revelation.

My mind reeled as her words spilled out, each one a piece of a puzzle I never knew existed. "I was three weeks pregnant, and I had to meet with him in his office to discuss it," she said, her voice now breaking a little.

I felt like I'd been punched in the gut. "We didn't think Stella would suddenly return from France that day, to see him at his office..." Mum's eyes clouded over, memories of that fateful day flooding back. "She overheard our discussion, and she didn't take it lightly with Nathan."

My heart raced as I tried to process the story, each revelation more shocking than the last. "But she insisted I abort the pregnancy...and the worst part is, Nathan wouldn't even stand up to protect his own baby." Mum's voice cracked, the pain still raw.

I suddenly felt a surge of anger towards Mr. Parker, even though I was quite angry, I felt that way. He had abandoned his own child. But Mum's next words stunned me. "I bribed the doctor so I could keep you, and I'm glad I did...because you've grown into a loving young man." She smiled, her eyes shining with tears.

I sat there, frozen, as the truth sank in. "Mr. Parker is my father?" I asked, needing to hear it out loud. Mum nodded, her expression somber.

"Yes, he's your father...and I'm sorry I lied about who your father was, but promise you wouldn't reveal this to anyone yet, Lex?"

"Why?" I asked, irritated.

"I will reveal the truth myself, but give me a little time, honey"

I sighed, rubbing my head, trying to digest the revelation and the fact that I needed to hide it.

My whole life, I'd been living a lie, and now the truth was staring me in the face. I felt like my world had been turned upside down.