Who Is My Father?

With the weight of betrayal and deception crushing her spirit she rushed onto the road without looking and was nearly knocked down by a vehicle if not for a good Samaritan that quickly pulled her back.

"What's going on with you, young lady? Do you want to get killed?" the lady asked with concern etched on her face as she saw the torrent of tears flowing down Grace's face.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled.

"You don't need to feel sorry, just be careful. Whatever it is, it is not worth ending your life for," she advised.

Grace nodded and tried to pull herself together. The woman was right. She doesn't need to end her life for those assholes. Besides, she still needs to verify Lisa's allegations from their mother.

She hailed a cab and told the driver her destination as she sat inside.

She was so lost in thoughts that she didn't know when they arrived at her neighborhood, it took the driver to honk twice before she came back to her senses.

"We are here Ms," the driver said.

"Thanks." Grace stepped down from the cab and handed him her fare.

Her heart was beating in apprehension as she stared at the house she had always considered as her home.

She couldn't bring herself to believe that she was just a stranger that had been living there all these years.

Was she truly an illegitimate child and not related to anyone in that household?

Well, it's no use guessing, since everything chose today to play out, she will go all the way to know the truth.

With her mind racing with a million questions and doubts, she summoned courage and ascended the steps that led to the house.

She burst through the front door of her home, her emotions raw and unfiltered as she searched desperately for her mother, or more precisely, the woman she had always considered as her mother. Who knows whether she wasn't her real mother either.

"Mom! Where are you?" she called out at the top of her voice.

"What's the problem my child? Why are you screaming at the top of your voice? Do you want to bring the roof down?" Belinder Fowler emerged from the kitchen with an apron tied around her waist.

It was obvious she was preparing dinner as it was getting close to dinner time.

Her frown quickly changed to concern when she saw Grace's tear-streaked cheeks.

"Grace, what's wrong? What happened?"

Grace struggled to find the right words to articulate the whirlwind of emotions swirling within her as she couldn't believe that the kind hearted woman who has always loved and cared for her might not be her biological mother.

After some time, she was able to choke out a question.

"Who is my father, mom?"

Belinda was taken aback. "What are you saying, child? Your father is …"

"Mom, I want the truth," Grace demanded as she tried to stifle a sob.

"How did you come up with such an idea.who have you been listening to?" Belinda asked in a shaken voice.

"Mom... I just found out... I'm not actually Dad's daughter and that you are not also my mom. Is that true?" Grace's eyes were as red as a well developed tomato.

Belinda's eyes widened in shock as she listened to Grace. She gathered her into her arms, holding her tightly as she tried to calm her down.

"Don't lie to me, mom. You have to tell me the truth today or I will never forgive you if I find out you lied to me yet again."

Belinda saw the seriousness in Grace's eyes and knew that the girl wasn't joking about her threat. But what could have happened to make her suddenly question her paternity?

She had never seen her like this.

She reached out and clasped her two hands on Grace's shoulders, staring her straight in the eyes. It was the only way she could make her believe what she was about to say.

"Oh, my baby…" Belinda said. "I don't know who you have been listening to but I'm your mom."

"Really?"

"Have I ever lied to you?" Belinda asked, forcing a smile which came out as it truly was- forced smile.

Who was it that fed her such a lie? Was it her mother-in-law?

Grace didn't answer but fired the next question.

"What about my father?"

"What about him?" Belinda repeated Grace's question back to her.

"Is your husband my father?"

Belinda cringed at the indifference she sensed in Grace's tone and was quiet for sometime.

Grace could tell that she was struggling within herself.

"Mom?" She prompted.

Belinda exhaled a deep breath. "I guess you deserve to know the truth, although I never thought this day would ever come."

"I'm so sorry. I should have told you the truth sooner."

Grace pulled away, her gaze searching her mother's face for answers.

"What do you mean? What truth?"

Belinda took a deep breath, steeling herself for the difficult conversation that lay ahead.

"Grace, your father, Pete Fowler... he isn't your biological father."

Grace had had enough shock for the day that somehow, she didn't get the impact she thought she would have felt.

She just closed her eyes tightly as she digested her mother's words.

At least one of them was her parent.

"You were four weeks old in the womb when I discovered that your father was a royalty and hence was not allowed to have children before marriage. The penalty was death for your father and the child."

"He tried to convince his mother who was strongly against the marriage because of the tradition that maintained that he had to marry someone with royal blood but it was to no avail."

"It has never been done and it wouldn't start in my time for a Royal blood to marry a commoner" were the exact words your grandmother told us when I was introduced to her."

"In order to escape her wrath and preserve your life and that of your father, I

had to run far away from that town."

"Luckily I had not told your father about the pregnancy, so when he saw me some months later, I was already married to your father... I mean Pete."

"He was only heartbroken but there was nothing he could do. He had no choice but to let me go."

"So who is my father?" Grace asked when she sensed that her mom was done with her story.

"He is dead!"