The door to the study opened and Pamela entered with a tray in her hands. Daniel and Arnold stared at her in shock while the woman maintained an expressionless face. They could not make out what she was thinking but Arnold was sure that his life was ruined now. The woman who he had come to love gradually had found the truth he had kept a secret and hidden deep in his heart. Now that everything was out in the open, he was sure that his life was ruined and Pamela would leave him forever.
"Pamela." Arnold stood up immediately and he went forward to hold her in his arms but his wife took a step back making him halt his attempts. Daniel too stood up and his gaze was unfathomable. He was trying to detect what his mother was thinking but he could find out nothing from her emotionless face.
Pamela placed the tray on the table and took another step back. "Pamela, listen to me. Pam, please listen to me." Arnold tried to touch her again but she took another step back and held her hand in from of him to stop him from moving towards her. Her indifference broke Arnold's heart and he could not comprehend how things had come to this way. He did not know how to salvage the situation but any which way he was not ready to lose his wife. No, he loved her dearly.
"Pamela, please listen to me. I know I am in the wrong. I should have told you everything before, it was my mistake. But I did not want to hurt you or even lose you. Pamela, please don't leave me, please. I love you, Pamela. Please." Arnold begged as he slipped to his knees and bent forward and apologized to her continuously. He wanted to do everything that would stop her from leaving him and even if it meant begging on his knees. He did not care if his state looked miserable or pitiful. He just wanted his wife, damn the pride and ego. They did not feed him or give him the love, it was his Pamela who he needed now.
"Mom," Daniel too stepped forward to explain the situation to her, but the problem was he did not know what to tell her. How would any woman react when she found out that her man had another in his life before she got married to him and the worse part was that she was pregnant with his child? Moreover, now that child was now her adopted son. Will any woman take it kindly and brush it off that she was the mother of her husband's child with another woman? No way. Not many women were that magnanimous enough to do something so great.
Pamela folded her hands and took a glance at Daniel who stood dumbfounded before her eyes landed on her husband. He looked horrible with the way his eyes had puffed up with all the crying he had done and even now tears continued to leak down like a broken tap. His face was bent towards the ground as he did not dare to meet his wife in the eye. His heart was filled with guilt.
"I was waiting for you to come clean for a long time and finally the truth came before me," Pamela stated, her voice steady and strong. The was still no change in her emotions but her words spooked Daniel and Arnold greatly.
"What do you mean Mom? Did you know about it before?" Daniel asked, his eyes wide and mind completely muddled in shock. The sudden twist of events was too much for him to bear. How could he accept it that the man he had assumed to be his father, turned from his biological father to an adoptive father and again reverted back to his biological father? Was the universe playing a joke in his life? Was he a person who could be played with and did his feelings have no value in this world?
On hearing Daniel's question, Arnold lifted his head and stared at his wife waiting for an answer. He too wanted to know if she had known about before and if she did, why did she not confront him? Why did she stay silent all these years and how long had she known about it?
"Yes, I knew about it long back. To be honest, I knew about it even before I got married to you." Pamela answered, her eyes boring into her husband's head. She was still standing before him and made no attempts to make him stand up. He was on his knees as he gaped at her in horror.
"How?" That was all he asked as his mouth had run dry in fear.
"When I had come to visit you one day at your house, I overheard your parents speaking about Daniel. I found out everything then."
"Why didn't you confront me about it? Most importantly, why did you marry me even though you knew the truth?" Arnold finally found his voice and fired the questions at her. Daniel was still in shock and his mind had already lost it. He could not even comprehend what was even happening in the room. All he had in mind was that his existence was a joke to everyone and how messed up his birth was.
He plopped on the couch the next instant and the sudden sound broke the eye contact between Arnold and Pamela. It was after seeing a pale Daniel sitting on the couch, his eyes losing all focus as he stared blankly, did they realize that he was still in the room. In the midst of the tiff between the husband and the wife, they had forgotten how much of a shock this would have come out to their son.
Pamela was the first one to run to him and she hugged him tightly as hot tears flowed out of her eyes. She knew how devastated her son must have been and she had felt the same when she had learned the truth.
Her alliance with Arnold had just been fixed and the wedding invitations had been sent to every relative and friend when she had found out the truth. Previously, she had only heard that Arnold's ex-fiance had died in an accident and that was what the world knew too. But then, when she had gone to meet his parents to discuss the wedding preparations, she had overheard their talk and the truth had come forward this way before her. She had been too devastated and had shut herself down in her room for two days.
Pamela had liked Daniel right on their first meet. She had come to like the serious man who had a melancholic aura around him when he had met her. He had been silent all the time and when they had gone to have a private talk, he had told her everything about his past leaving the truth about his son. His honesty had pleased her greatly and she had accepted to get married to him right away. Who knew her dreams would be shattered right away? So, she had decided to break the alliance with him and had gone to meet him again at his house.
But that day, she met Daniel for the first time, and seeing the motherless child, her heart had ached and she rethought her decision. Arnold's parents had seen her enter and had started to make plans for the wedding. The entire time, Pamela's eyes were fixed on Daniel who at that time was just one year old. He was lying silent in his grandmother's arms as his big eyes took in everything that was happening around him. To him, everything was new and he did not even understand how the adult's world worked.
Pamela's resolve had shattered seeing the cute baby and she had decided to marry Arnold at least for Daniel's sake. She wanted to give him the motherly love he was deprived of. But secretly, she was wishing for the Adler family to come clean in front of her. She wanted them to tell the truth themselves and she had to wait for a long time when finally, the truth came out in an unexpected way.
It was not Arnold who had told the truth, but her son Daniel who had confronted his father and had brought it out. Arnold's face was filled with pure shock when he heard her true thoughts and it later turned to admiration. The woman he had married was a true angel and he could not have gotten someone better. She was really a great woman, even better than his dead lover and he was blessed to have her in his life.
Pamela noticed Daniel's pale expression and she hugged him again. "Listen, Danny, irrespective of what happens, you are my son and nothing will change the fact. You will always be my son and you better remember that. I love my son the most even more than my husband." Pamela declared with a straight voice.
Arnold: "...!!!!"
Daniel, though he was sad, chuckled on hearing his mother's words. He knew that his mother's words were genuine and she had always loved him. She had doted on him and had taken care of him like a true mother would and he had no complaints against her. In fact, now his love for her had reached another level. There was something else in his heart that had occupied space along with love and respect for her, gratitude. He was grateful that she had accepted him as his son and he could not be any happier. His mother was truly the best.
"Pamela, in that case, have you forgiven me for the mistakes I have committed?" Arnold asked when he noticed his wife's serene expression. She looked to be happy and now was the time for him to beg for his forgiveness if he wanted to save his marriage.
"You, Mister are sleeping in the guest room for a week."
Arnold: "....!!!!!!!!!!"