Extra 6

Extra 6
Adler was finishing adjusting his coat to leave the house and head to the hospital when his housemaid approached him in the hallway.

"Mr. Müller, a gentleman has arrived who says he needs to speak with you." Adler raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Did he tell you what it's about? I need to leave for the hospital now."

"He says it's important." He sighed.

"Bring him into the living room." She nodded, and he called Jack, who would be late to the hospital, to go ahead. When he finished, he headed to the living room. When he arrived, there was a figure of a man with his back turned to him. "Good morning, how can I help you? I need to leave." The man turned around and didn't say anything for a moment, there was just a bit of silence, then Adler knew who he was. "How dare you stand in my house after all these years?" The man remained silent for a brief moment before speaking.

"Hello, Adler."

"What do you want? What is it you want to take from here now?" Adler gestured to the house and then looked at him. "You took my wife, do you want my living room now? My collection of rare coins?" The other man smiled nostalgically.

"You're still a collector." His words were a confirmation. "I came because she asked me to."

"I don't care what she asked you. So you can leave and tell her my response. I'm not interested in anything she wants to say. It's been many years since she left this house to go with you, Samuel White."

"For the sake of our friendship..." Adler interrupted him.

"What friendship? How dare you mention our friendship? I don't even remember it anymore. So you can leave," he turned towards the hallway, "Mrs. Dallas, show the gentleman to the door and..." Samuel interrupted him.

"She's dying." Adler didn't look at him but fell silent. He furrowed his brow and then looked in his direction. "It's not her fault she fell in love with someone who wasn't her husband, Adler. I know it wasn't right, but I want you to know we're paying for the damage we caused." He paused briefly. "Her chemotherapy stopped working. She went into a coma and came out, but I know it was just to say goodbye. Please, Adler." His voice broke. "She needs her family's forgiveness." Adler took a deep breath and held it for a few seconds before releasing it through his nose. His heart was racing.

"She wants forgiveness? She's had that forgiveness for a long time. We did it to move on with our lives. I taught my children that hatred isn't good, carrying resentment in our hearts wouldn't let us be happy. So, in that regard, we're fine with ourselves. The forgiveness... She has mine and her children's forgiveness. So tell her she can go in peace." Samuel closed his eyes and lowered his head, wiping away a few tears that had escaped, nodded, opened his eyes, and looked at Adler while wiping his cheeks.

"Samanta..."

"Don't say her name in this house," Adler pleaded. Samanta was his ex-wife's name; after so many years, she had left them to go with his best friend, whom he had grown up with in Germany, and then settled in the United States. Their families were best friends, and thus, they grew up together. Until infidelity came to that house. Adler had forgiven her, but he couldn't bear to hear her name because of the countless memories he had with her in that house. Even after all this time, it hurt like the first day. He had cried over her betrayal. And although it took him a long time to forgive her, he eventually did. Now, with new chapters in his life, the imminent arrival of his first granddaughter filled him with happiness, and he didn't want anything to tarnish that. But he didn't want to keep carrying it either...

"If I have to beg for..." Adler raised his hand as a signal to stop.

"You don't need to beg, Samuel." Samuel's haggard and aged face briefly moved Adler. What if he closed the chapter that caused him so much pain? Could he finally put an end to that pain by facing his past? "I have something very important to do." Adler hesitated for a moment. "But I could go for a moment. Give me the details of where she is."

"She's admitted at Presbyterian, oncology ward." Adler raised his eyebrows in surprise. And Samuel noticed. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing," he cleared his throat. "How did you come?"

"By car." There was a silence between them. "So you'll go?"

"Yes," he let out a long sigh. "I think, on second thought, it might help me face this part of the past that still hurts despite the years."

"Adler..." Samuel paused. "I apologize for the harm I caused your family. You didn't deserve this betrayal, neither from me nor from her. We were immature. We wanted to see the world together. Now, after everything we've been through, we just want to be at peace."

"Alright," Adler let out a second long sigh. "I forgave you a long time ago, Samuel, I really did. I needed to do it; otherwise, hatred would have consumed me. I had to raise my two children alone. Now, I'm in a stage I never thought I'd live. So I want, just like you, to have more peace than I already have."

"Thank you, thank you, Adler."

Adler arrived at the hospital with a lump in his throat. His Samanta, that beautiful cheerful woman who had given him two children, was slipping away. He didn't want her to go without seeing her first, and he convinced himself that his children should do the same, as long as they agreed.

"Dad! Finally, you're here!" Eda exclaimed, almost running towards him. Adler was startled, but seeing Eda's smile calmed him down.

"Don't scare me, girl." Eda hugged him. When they separated, she cupped his cheeks. He noticed her eyes were glassy. "What's wrong, dear?"

"Emma went into labor... Little Emily is coming!"