Chapter 301: The truth

The morning shifted to afternoon and even the sun had changed directions as it drifted towards the west as evening approached. But Daniel had not yet left the prison grounds. He was still in his car as his mind was lost in confusion and shock. The time he had spent with his uncle kept repeating like a broken record and each time his confusion only grew. He did not know how much truth it held, but again, his uncle had managed to shake his confidence and strength. He did not even feel hungry even though a lot of time had passed. It was as if he had lost all the feelings after he met his uncle.

Daniel was so lost in his thoughts that he had not even realized the time until one of the prison guards, who had seen him sitting in his car idly without moving since the time he had come back, knocked at his window. Only after he was interrupted from his thoughts, did he realize that he was still in his car and had not moved an inch from the prison grounds. He forced a smile as he lowered the window and gave the guard, who was giving him a concerned look, a nod. He then started his car and drove away, his mind muddled with a lot of thoughts.

Daniel knew that Jack's words could not be trusted. But he still wanted to clarify it to stop the matter from blowing up and cause unnecessary problems to them in the future. It was better to be safe than sorry. So, he drove towards his parents' house as fast as he could. He knew his father's schedule and by now, he would be back at home. 

His parents were pleasantly surprised to see their son at this time of the day, especially when they knew that he had been busy at work for the last two weeks. Pamela pulled her dear son inside and hugged him tightly. She had missed him greatly and now seeing him home, she could not help smile widely. It was not his fault though. Since the day he had moved out of his parents' house, he would visit them every alternate day or at least once every four days whenever he was busy. But for the past few days, he had been too immersed at work that he had not found time to meet them. It was no wonder that his parents missed him.

Even Arnold was happy seeing his son, but his expression changed when he sensed something to be wrong with him. Though Daniel was smiling at his mother, Arnold could still see the worry in his eyes. It was as though he was concealing something deep within him and trying very hard to keep it that way. He knew his son well and he was an avid observant, he could see through things and it was not a surprise that he had noticed it which his wife could not.

"Son, come inside," Arnold said as he waited for his son to bring the topic he had in mind. Immediately, Daniel gave him one look of astonishment and Arnold just nodded. Daniel realized that his father had seen through his facade which he had painstakingly donned before his mother to avoid getting her worried. He was here to confront his father, not to break his mother's heart.

"Dad, I have an important case to discuss with you. Can we go to your study?" Daniel said as he took one glance at his mother. Pamela was not surprised by their conversation. Daniel had sometimes visited his father to get help in cases he had difficulty in dealing with and the father and the son duo would lock themselves up for a long time in the study until they reached a suitable conclusion.

"Sure, Pamela. Bring us some coffee." Arnold kissed his wife's cheek and walked away with his son towards the study.

As soon as they entered the study, Arnold's expression changed and he narrowed his eyes. "What do you want to speak about, son? Is it something very serious?"

Daniel did not give him an answer immediately as he did not know how to start the conversation. How could he ask his father if he was actually his birth father while he did not carry his mother's blood? His tongue felt as though they had been weighed down by tons of lead and they refused to speak a word.

Seeing his son's reluctance to speak, Arnold sighed lightly. "Daniel. how will I know what the issue is if you do not voice it down? Please tell me what is bothering you. Don't keep it to yourself." He coaxed his son to speak and this time it was quite effective. Daniel finally opened his mouth.

"Dad, I went to meet Jack today," Daniel revealed slowly taking in his father's expressions. But the man remained as composed as ever. He did not change his expressions nor were there any sort of changes in his eyes.

"And?"

"He told me some things."

"What were they?" Arnold was still composed as he folded his hands.

"That I am not an orphan and that you are my biological father." This time the calm face broke and shock took over his entire self. Arnold stared at his son dumbfounded as he pointed his hand towards.

"You..You." He stuttered he took a step back and would have collapsed to the floor if Daniel had not been quick enough to hold his father.

"Dad, Dad." He shouted when he saw his father's pale face and led him to the couch. He made him sit down and handed him a glass of water before he patted his back, trying to soothe his father. "Dad, calm down. Don't get agitated. Calm down."

Arnold clutched onto the glass tightly as he took a sip from it. His eyes wavered as he thought about the words his son had just spoken and he could not help but shiver in fear. He was scared now, scared of what would happen if the truth got revealed to everyone, especially to Pamela. What if she left him after everything got revealed? Can he tolerate the heartbreak once again? Can he tolerate letting the woman he had come to love over the years go? Could he bear the loss of his woman once again? No, never. He did not want to lose his wife or his son. 

Nobody uttered a word for a long time until Arnold picked up his courage and broke the silence. "It was a beautiful day when I met your mother. She was like a breeze on a spring day making one feel warm and contented. She joined as my personal assistant after two years I started working as an attorney. We gradually became friends and later it slowly developed into love. Even my parents were happy with our relationship and our happiness doubled when we found out that she was pregnant with my child."

Arnold stopped speaking and took a deep breath. He took another sip of water and started to speak again. "Your birth mother was ecstatic and my parents wanted us to get married as early as possible but your uncle started to create problems for our family and by the time we finished solving all of them, she was six months pregnant. Though we wanted to proceed with the wedding, she did not allow us to. She wanted to give birth first. So, we respected her wishes and pushed the wedding to a few months later."

"But the day you were born, the doctors told us that she had suffered a lot of internal bleeding and they could not save her. She had died immediately after giving birth to you. This news devastated me and I broke down completely." Arnold could not control himself as he reminisced his painful past and he started to cry like a little kid. Tears ran down his cheeks and he trembled in his seat.

Daniel hugged him tightly to console him. He never knew his father had gone through so much and had hidden such painful memories in his heart. Even he started to cry seeing his father cry. "After that, I was too depressed to do anything and my parents realized that it would not be good if I took care of you in the state I was in. I myself needed help, when would I take care of you? So, they took care of you more than me although we lived in the same house. After two years, they suggested me to get married and it was then I met Pamela."

"At first, I was reluctant to proceed with the alliance. But your grandparents forced me and I don't regret following their orders. I love Pamela a lot, more than your birth mother. She has given me everything that I could not have even imagined while I gave her nothing. She did not know the truth about you and my parents wanted to keep it that way. They did not want her to be depressed and they had decided to take care of you themselves."

Daniel had not spoken a word since the time his father had started speaking and he continued to do so as he listened to his father silently. "By then, I was not that depressed anymore and I wanted to tell Pamela about you. But your grandparents were against it and they threatened me with their lives. They promised me that you would not hinder our lives and she would be their loving daughter-in-law. I was bound by their promise and I could do nothing. I think fate had some other things in mind. Pamela and I lost our child and you eventually became our son."

"I am so grateful to have such a wonderful woman in my life. It was her who suggested to adopt you. Even though you are not her son, she has given you all the love and care a mother would to her child or probably even more. I am so happy to have met her." Arnold cried again as he smiled gratefully thinking about his wife. "It was she who brought me out of my depression and I will always be thankful for it."

Arnold had revealed everything he had hidden for more than twenty-five years and he now felt that a huge boulder had been removed off his shoulder. But he had attracted a new problem and now his son knew the truth and what he feared the most was Pamela knowing the truth. He did not have any problem telling her everything. But he did not want to lose her. He had already lost his first love, he would not want to experience the same heartbreak again.

"Dad, does Mom about it?" Daniel asked after a lot of thinking. He wanted to know if his mother knew the truth about his birth or if his Dad had been courageous enough to tell her everything.

"I know everything." However, instead of getting an answer from his father, he heard a voice from the doorway and saw his mother carrying a tray with her as she stared at the father and son duo, expressionless.