Chapter 32 - Thomas Hayes

***Revealing Secrets and Regrets.***

***A few days earlier…***

I take another sip of my drink, unable to get that photo and what Evelyn told me out of my head. Years ago, when I came home that day with my mistress, I found out that Sheila was pregnant, and it was the best day of my life because the news of her pregnancy saved our marriage. Well, for a few years, until she found out that I had betrayed her, and then everything fell apart.

**Memories…**

“Since when have you been cheating on me?” she asks, her eyes filled with tears.

“I had an affair with another woman for almost three years,” I say, bowing my head.

“I can't believe this!” I hear her choked voice. “How could you do this?” I lift my head and look at her.

“Let me explain, it's not that simple! Sit down and let me explain how things happened,” I say, trying to approach her.

“I don't want to know. I know we got married without love, and our parents had high expectations of us having children. The pressure from both sides of our families was immense! But none of that justifies your betrayal.”

“I know that whatever I say won't justify anything, but we grew so distant from each other. The fights between us were constant. We couldn't even spend five minutes in the same room together, and my travels, whether I wanted it or not, became my escape.”

“And that was a reason to cheat? You betrayed not only me but also our daughter,” she screams, heading towards the office door.

We're in the office of our house. I was signing some papers when she walked in. I don't know how she found out, even though it has been years since it all happened.

“Why? Tell me, why?”

“She's the CEO of a major construction company. We had closed a contract with her, but at some point, she became a close friend. My trips started getting longer, our conversations became more intimate, and one thing led to another. I ended up spending more time with her than with you. I even considered ending everything to be with her. Not because I felt something overwhelming like I do for you, but because of the situation we were in. The way she supported me, encouraged me. Many times you didn't treat me well, and we felt somewhat obligated to stay together.”

“Things were difficult for me back then. My parents pressured me a lot to have an heir. It was getting really hard, especially with you being away. I actually started falling in love with you, that's why I made that dinner and we had a wonderful night. But now…” she opens the drawer of a shelf in her office and takes out the envelope, throwing it on the table in front of me. “Open it!”

“I chose to stay with you!” I say, picking up the envelope and opening it. I looked inside and saw some photos of me and Eloisa.

“Who sent you this?” I looked at her wide-eyed.

“My father came here and gave me this. He said he didn't tell me earlier because he was waiting for Evelyn to be born. I… want you to take your things and leave!”

“What? No!” I say, getting up. “We have a daughter together, we're fine, and that was years ago! I truly love you, Sheila, don't do this to me, forgive me!” I say, tears welling up in my eyes.

“I want a divorce,” she says, and I approach her.

“Love, please, let's talk it out properly, and I promise I'll be faithful to you for the rest of my life. Since you told me about the pregnancy, I never saw her again and dedicated myself to you, to our family! Forgive me, please,” I say, wiping away a tear rolling down her cheek.

“I…”

**End of Memories.**

“Love!” I hear Sheila's voice. She's standing by the door, she approached and sat on my lap. “What's wrong? I called you several times, and you didn't respond.”

“I was just reminiscing about when you asked for a divorce.”

“It was a difficult time, but I had to do it. I decided to forgive you, but it wasn't easy. We had a long way to get here. I had to set aside my pride and reevaluate my actions. We were both wrong,” I embrace her.

“Why didn't you tell Evelyn the truth? Why didn't you tell her that your father hired someone to follow me and found out everything?”

“I don't want her to know. She still sees her grandfather as a hero, and revealing the truth would shatter the image she has of my father.”

“You're right, but after a few years, you left me,” I say teasingly, and she smiles.

“I take the blame for that. I held resentment towards you for years. I didn't see that you always tried to make things work. I was the one who did everything to make it fail.”

“But you finally came back to me, and now we don't have to hide anything from anyone! I was getting tired of hiding that we're together with our daughter.”

“I thought Evy would react more strongly, but this has been her biggest dream since she was four years old.”

“Yes, and one more thing will come true. She always asked for a sister.”

“That's true,” Sheila says, smiling.

“Can I ask you two questions?”

“Of course, love,” she says, looking into my eyes.

“Will you accept her if she's really my daughter?”

“Yes, she will be my second daughter. I will love her just as much as I love Evy. She's not to blame for anything, and from what our daughter told us, she suffered a lot, and her biggest dream is to have a mother. I know I can't replace Eloisa, but I will give her all the love she deserves,” she says, caressing my face. I kiss her and pull away, smiling.

“Thank you, thank you so much for accepting her. But now, I have another question.”

“Okay!”

“I'm going to hire an investigator to find Eloisa.”

“I agree. We need to know why she never said anything about the pregnancy and left her with that unstable woman.”

“I need to know what she was going to tell me that day she called, and with everything that's happening, I'm sure it was about her being pregnant. I'm certain her call was about that.”

“It could be. But I want you to know that I'll be by your side throughout this process, always!”

“I love you, more and more each day,” she gives me a beautiful smile.

“I love you too, my dear,” I smile and lift her up in my arms, carrying her to our bedroom.

•••••••• 🌺🦋🌺 ••••••••

I take my phone and call a friend who is an investigator. I want him to find out her whereabouts, and I hope he succeeds. I want to clarify some doubts because, from what I could gather, Ayumi, Evelyn's friend, is indeed my daughter. Given everything Ayumi has been through, I won't forgive Eloisa for abandoning her.