CHAPTER 74: CHAPTER SEVENTY-FOUR: A SHOCKINGLY TRUTH

Kendrick’s POV

The ride home that evening felt too long, even though it barely took thirty minutes.

Christy sat quietly beside me, her fingers brushing against the faint curve of her stomach, lost in thought.

The streetlights flashed across her face in intervals, revealing a weariness that made my chest ache.

Neither of us spoke for a while. The air between us was thick with things we didn’t know how to say yet.

My mind kept replaying what happened at the hospital, the argument with my mother, the look in Christy’s father’s eyes, the humiliation in Christy’s silence.

It was all tangled together in my head like a mess I couldn’t untie.

When we reached home, I parked the car and just sat there for a minute, staring out the windshield. The night outside was quiet, except for the hum of crickets and the soft whoosh of the wind against the trees.

Christy turned to me slowly.

"You have been quiet the whole time," she said softly and I forced a small smile.

"So have you." I replied her.

She gave me a tired half-laugh that didn’t reach her eyes.

"Guess we are both trying not to explode." she said with a tired expression.

"Yeah... something like that." I looked at her for a moment before replying.

We got out of the car and walked inside. It was our new place, and though everything was neatly arranged, it still felt like we were guests rather than owners.

Christy sat down on the couch and rubbed her stomach absentmindedly. I could see it now, the faint bump that hadn’t been there a month ago. It wasn’t huge, but it was enough to remind me of everything we were fighting for.

I knelt in front of her and placed a hand on her bump.

"Hey there, little one," I murmured quietly, while using my thumb to trace small circles over her stomach.

Christy’s lips curved in a small, emotional smile as her fingers brushed through my hair.

"You talk to the baby like he can hear you," she whispered.

I looked up at her, a faint smile tugging at my lips.

"Who says he can’t?" I asked her with a smile.

"You really think it’s a boy?" she asked me with a soft chuckle.

"I just... feel it." I shrugged.

Her laughter faded, replaced by something softer.

"Kendrick... what if they never accept us?" she asked me suddenly.

I sighed and leaned my forehead against her stomach. "Then we will build our own family," I whispered.

"Even if the world turns its back on us, I won’t let them take you away again." I swore.

She stroked my hair gently, her fingers trembling.

"You mean that?" she asked with a shaky voice.

I lifted my head and met her eyes. "Every damn word."

Her eyes glistened, and I saw her fighting the tears that were threatening to flow out. I reached up and wiped one away before it could fall.

"Hey... no more crying tonight, okay? You’ve done enough of that." I said softly.

She nodded, her voice breaking a little. "I just wish things were normal."

"Normal is overrated," I said, trying to make her smile again.

"Besides, our story was never meant to be simple." I added softly.

"Yeah... tell that to my father." She gave a weak laugh

"I already did," I said dryly, and she chuckled softly.

For a brief moment, the heaviness in my heart lifted but it didn’t last.

Because somewhere deep down, I could still feel my mother’s words echoing in my mind.

Her sudden appearance, her lies and her refusal to tell me anything. Something didn’t add up.

I stood up and walked to the window, staring out into the night. My reflection looked back at me, tired and lost while Christy watched me silently.

Before either of us could say another word, my phone buzzed on the table.

I picked it up and saw the name flashing on the screen.

Evans, I have been waiting for his call for so long.

"Talk to me." I said as I pressed the phone to my ear

"Boss," Evans’ voice came through, calm but tense.

"I found something. Actually... a lot of things." he added quickly.

"Go on." I walked into the kitchen, away from Christy’s hearing range.

"I traced every possible lead about your mother, just like you asked. The trail was cold at first, but then I got a hit through an overseas financial record." he said.

"Meaning?" I asked him as my grip on the counter tightened.

"She has been living in Country Z for years, under a different name." he revealed and my heart thudded.

"What name?" I asked him, trying to control my emotions.

"Miranda Singania." he replied.

"You’re sure?" I murmured as I stood frozen.

"One hundred percent," Evans replied.

"At first, I couldn’t find anything under Lauretta Black but when I used her picture, a local confirmed it. He said her name wasn’t Lauretta, it was Miranda, Miranda Singania. He said she’s been living there for more than a decade." he explained.

My jaw clenched as I asked "What was she doing there?"

"That’s the part you are not going to like, sir." He said after a pause.

I ran a hand over my face in frustration. "Just say it."

"She is married, to a businessman named Adrian Singania and they have a son." he said.

The world seemed to tilt slightly as my breath hitched. "She... what?"

"She has a son, he is about twenty five years old and he is currently very sick, from what I gathered. The boy has been in and out of private hospitals for years, and the cost of treatment is enormous." he revealed with a serious tone.

I leaned against the counter, trying to keep my composure.

"You’re saying my mother left her entire family, disappeared for years, and built another life and another family, like we never existed?" I asked him while trying to control my anger.

"I’m afraid so, sir." he replied.

"Unbelievable." I said as a bitter laugh escaped my lips.

"There is more... Her husband’s business recently went bankrupt and the boy’s medical bills have been piling up. That’s probably why she resurfaced now." Evans said after a slight hesitation.

I swallowed hard as my mind spun. "So she’s back... for money."

"Yes, sir, It appears she deliberately made herself easy to find by your father. She wanted to re-establish contact with the Blacks." he added seriously.

My knuckles whitened against the counter. "So all that drama at the hospital wasn’t about guilt or family, it was about her trying to play both sides."

Evans sighed. "I’m sorry, sir. I know this isn’t what you wanted to hear."

I let out a shaky breath as my blood was boiling with anger.

"Did you find any proof of the marriage?" I asked him.

"Yes, I got a copy of the registry record from Country Z. She signed as Miranda L. Singania. The ’L’ probably stands for Lauretta." He replied quickly.

I closed my eyes and let out a bitter laugh. "Unbelievable."

"Should I keep digging, sir?"

"Yes," I said through clenched teeth.

"Find everything...Every document, every hospital bill and every piece of dirt on her new life. I want it all." I instructed angrily.

"Understood."

"Evans?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Don’t contact me until you have something concrete. And don’t let her find out you are investigating her."

"Got it."

I ended the call and just stood there for a moment, staring blankly at the dark countertop.

My throat felt dry and my chest tightened.

Christy’s soft voice broke the silence. "Kendrick?"

I turned, and she was standing at the kitchen door with her face full of concern. "What happened? You look like you have seen a ghost."

I hesitated, trying to find my words. "It’s my mother."

Her expression softened. "Did Evans find something?"

"Yeah," I said hoarsely. "He found everything."

She walked closer. "What did he say?"

I wanted to shield her from this ugliness. But I couldn’t, as it was best she knows exactly what was happening.

"She has been living under another name, In Country Z. She is Married with a son." I said slowly.

Christy’s eyes widened in disbelief. "She... what?"

"She didn’t die and didn’t lose her memory. She just walked away and built a new life." I repeated.

Christy covered her mouth in shock. "Kendrick..."

I clenched my fists. "And now she’s back because her son is sick, so she needs money."

Her eyes filled with sympathy, but I shook my head before she could say anything.

"Don’t... Don’t tell me to understand her. Don’t tell me to give her another chance."

"I wasn’t going to," she whispered softly.

I looked away, trying to swallow the lump in my throat.

"All these years, I thought she was dead. I blamed my father, I blamed fate, hell...I even blamed myself. But she was out there, living comfortably with another man while I was drowning in that cursed house." I said angrily.

Christy reached for my hand and squeezed it gently. "You don’t have to carry that pain anymore, Kendrick."

I laughed bitterly. "Pain doesn’t just disappear, Christy, especially this type."

She frowned. "Then don’t let it consume you."

I turned to her with my jaw clenched tightly. "How can I not? She is back now, pretending to be some tragic woman who lost her way, while the truth is she is just trying to bleed us and run away with the family’s properties. I wonder how grandpa will react when he finds out"

Christy sighed and stepped closer until her arms were around me. For a second, I didn’t move. I just stood there, frozen. Then I slowly wrapped my arms around her and buried my face in her neck.

She smelled like lavender and warmth. Like the peace that I have been craving for so long.

"I don’t know what hurts more, that she left... or that she didn’t even look back."I whispered.

Christy’s hand moved up and down my back gently.

"Then let this be the last time she gets to hurt you, You can’t change what she did. But you can decide what you’ll do next." she said softly.

Her words hit me deeply.

After a long silence, I pulled back just enough to look into her eyes.

She smiled faintly and placed my hand back on her belly.

"This is your real family now, me and our baby, that is all that should matter." she whispered.

I nodded slowly as my throat tightened. "Yeah... you’re right."

But deep inside my heart, the storm hadn’t settled.

Because now, it wasn’t just about pain.

It was about betrayal, lies and greed.

And the realization that the woman who gave me life was capable of burying me emotionally to save another child.

As I stared down at Christy’s small bump, something inside me hardened.

"I’m done being played," I murmured quietly.

Christy looked up. "What?"

I forced a small smile. "Nothing....Just thinking out loud."

But my thoughts were far from harmless.

If Lauretta thought she could waltz back into our lives, take what she wanted, and disappear again, she was gravely mistaken.

I wasn’t the same boy she left behind.

This time, I would be the one writing the ending.