Tomas.
I was waiting in my room, the door locked, anxiously awaiting the DNA results. The enormous diamond wedding ring felt heavy in my hand, a cold weight mirroring the icy dread in my heart. I was consumed by a gnawing worry; nothing felt simple, everything pointed towards impending trouble. Jennifer’s insistent knocks on the door echoed my inner turmoil. I hesitated, the weight of my secret pressing down on me, before finally opening the door.
“Yes, Jennifer?” I avoided her gaze, the effort to keep my eyes from betraying me a visible strain.
She moved closer, her touch gentle as she cupped my chin. “Tomas, look at me. What’s going on? Why are you barricaded in here? And Amanda too she hasn’t left her room all day. I even tried to play with your son, but she just slammed the door in my face. Something’s terribly wrong. I hate surprises, please, tell me everything.” Jennifer’s sigh was laced with genuine concern, a stark contrast to the turmoil raging within me.
I ran my fingers through my hair, my eyes rolling involuntarily before I plastered a forced smile onto my face. “It’s nothing, Jennifer, don’t worry, everything will be alright,” I lied, gently taking her hand.
“Come, Jennifer, sit next to me.” I pulled her onto the couch, my heart pounding a frantic rhythm against my ribs. The chilling premonition of something horrific hung heavy in the air, but I desperately tried to convince myself otherwise, clinging to the hope of a reasonable solution. Jennifer’s worry was palpable; I attempted to comfort her, but my eyes, I knew, were betraying me. For the first time, I realized I couldn’t hide anything from her; she saw right through my carefully constructed facade. I touched her cheek, my hand lingering on her shoulder, a gesture of comfort that felt hollow even to me. She flinched at my touch, her head slowly turning to meet my gaze.
Her eyebrows furrowed, a storm gathering in her eyes. “I’m not comfortable, Tomas. I just want to say this… don’t try to lose me again. Because this time, you’ll lose me forever.” She pulled her hand away, rising to leave. I reacted instantly, pulling her close to my chest. “Jennifer, please, trust me this time. Have faith in me.”
Jennifer’s look was a mixture of hurt and disbelief. She rolled her eyes, a silent rejection of my plea, and walked away, leaving me reeling. Carl’s booming voice called my name from downstairs. I ran, my heart pounding, to find him. “What’s going on, Carl?”
“Mr. Tomas, come here, please!” Carl’s face was etched with a grim urgency. I followed him to my office, shutting the door behind me. Carl thrust a sheaf of papers into my hands. My gaze fell upon the document, and I began to read, slowly at first, then with increasing speed, my heart plummeting with each word. I sat down heavily in my chair, my face buried in my hands, the weight of the truth crushing me. I let out a frustrated huff, then tossed the papers onto the floor in a gesture of helpless rage.
“What do we do now, Tomas?” Carl’s voice was strained with anxiety.
“We do what I planned. We bring Amanda to me, and we make sure Jennifer watches from afar. I have to do this. The results say he’s my son!” My voice was hard, my eyes narrowed.
“But Jennifer?! She’ll never handle this! It’ll be devastating for her! How can you do this to her?!” Carl’s protest was filled with anguish.
I slammed my fists on the desk. “I have no choice! Do as I say! Now!”
Carl nodded, his head shaking in silent dissent, and left the office. Minutes later, Amanda arrived. “Tomas, you called me?”
“Yes, Amanda. Please, have a seat.” I left the door ajar, a deliberate act to ensure Jennifer could see and hear everything. I couldn’t explain to Jennifer; I had to do this, even if it would break her heart.
I caught a glimpse of Jennifer peeking through the crack in the door, her face a mask of apprehension. I pretended not to notice. I knelt before Amanda. “Amanda, I’m sorry. I wasn’t sure if your son was mine, so I waited for the DNA results. Now I know you weren’t lying; he is my biological son. Marry me, Amanda. I want to start a new life with you and my son. Everything is ready for the wedding ceremony tomorrow.” Amanda let out a breath, a strained smile stretching across her face. Something felt off; her smile was forced, a mask hiding something deeper. I heard Jennifer’s quiet sobs, and Carl leading her away. My heart ached; I loved Jennifer, but I felt trapped, convinced this was the only way. *This must be finished,* I whispered to myself as I helped Amanda put on the ring. She hugged me tightly, but the embrace felt cold, lacking the warmth I shared with Jennifer.
We ended the day with Amanda leaving to buy her wedding dress, taking some guards with her, leaving little Tomas with me. I summoned Carl to my room, locking the door behind him.
“Yes, Tomas, what now? I need to be with Jennifer; she’s distraught, locking herself in the closet, crying uncontrollably!” Carl’s voice was sharp with worry.
My hand flew to my chest; my heart felt like it was about to burst. “Stop it, Carl! Trust me, this is for her sake! Take little Tomas to the hospital, buy him some candy on the way, and get new results from different hospitals, more doctors. I feel the last results were flawed!”
He lifted little Tomas, then returned a few seconds later. “You need to watch Jennifer. I’m worried about her; the new results might take a long time. Don’t marry Amanda until we return; just tell her you’re taking Tomas out. And another thing our men saw Paul, the Russian mafia’s son, and Davis, your old friend who used to look after Amanda, at the hotel a few hours ago. They heard them plotting revenge for the wedding day!”
I nodded grimly. “Don’t worry, I’m ready for that.”
“They said Jennifer has to be gone forever! For God’s sake, take care of her!” Carl’s words were a desperate plea.
“I’m sorry, Carl, but I have to keep my plan secret, even from you. Because I know now that I love her more than anything, even more than my own son,” I murmured after he left.
I went to my secret room, the place where I kept my surveillance equipment, and watched Jennifer through the cameras. She was in the closet, pale and red-eyed, her face streaked with tears. She sat huddled on the floor, clutching a ring the diamond ring I’d given her when we pretended to be engaged. My breath hitched in my throat, my own tears falling freely.
I wiped my tears, staring at the screen. ‘Sorry, Jennifer. Please forgive me. But you’ll understand how much I love you tomorrow. This is for your sake,’ I whispered to the screen.
**Jennifer:**
I searched for Tomas, finally finding him in his room. I knocked repeatedly; he took several minutes before unlocking the door.
“Yes, Jennifer?” He avoided my eyes, the effort visible in the stiffness of his posture.
I stepped closer, touching his chin. “Tomas, look at me. What’s going on? You’ve been holed up in here all day, and Amanda hasn’t left her room either. I even tried to play with your son, but she shut the door in my face. Something’s wrong. I hate surprises, tell me everything.” My sigh was heavy with unspoken fear; a deep-seated feeling told me something terrible was about to happen.
He ran his fingers through his hair, a long breath escaping his lips as if he were collecting his thoughts. His eyes flickered, then he forced a smile. “It’s nothing, Jennifer. Don’t worry, everything will be okay.” He took my hand, but his touch lacked its usual warmth.
“Come, sit with me.” He pulled me onto the couch, but the forced calm couldn’t mask the anxiety radiating from him. My heart pounded; I felt a growing dread, but I fought to remain calm, determined to find a solution.
He was more worried than I was, his eyes betraying the lie in his words. He tried to comfort me, but his gaze darted away, revealing the hidden truth. For the first time, I saw the vulnerability behind his carefully constructed facade; he couldn’t hide from me anymore. He touched my cheek, but the gesture felt strained, lacking its usual tenderness. I pulled away slightly, my head turning slowly to meet his gaze.
My eyebrows furrowed. “I’m not comfortable, Tomas. I just want to say this… don’t lose me again. Because this time, you’ll lose me forever.” I stood up to leave, but he pulled me back to his chest. “Jennifer, trust me. Have faith in me.”
I gave him a searching look, my eyes questioning his sincerity. I rolled my eyes, a silent expression of my doubt, and left. Carl’s shout from downstairs announced Tomas’ summons. Tomas ran off, leaving me feeling increasingly uneasy. I tried to peek into his office through the small window, but couldn’t make out what was happening.
I saw Carl hand Tomas some papers. Tomas read them, his face paling, before throwing them to the floor in frustration. I only caught the last part of Carl’s words: “… the results say that he is my son.”
“But Jennifer?! She’ll never handle this! It’ll be devastating for her! How can you do this to her?!” Carl’s voice was filled with outrage.
Tomas slammed his fist on the desk. “I have no choice! Do as I say! Now!”
What choice? What was this about? Me?
Carl left, and I hid in the kitchen, waiting for him to leave before venturing towards Tomas’ office.
A few minutes later, Amanda arrived. Tomas left the door ajar, a deliberate act to ensure I could see and hear everything.
He knelt before Amanda. “Amanda, I’m sorry. I wasn’t sure if your son was mine, so I waited for the DNA results. Now I know you weren’t lying; he is my biological son. Marry me, Amanda. I want to start a new life with you and my son. Everything is ready for the wedding tomorrow.” Amanda’s smile felt forced, a mask hiding her true emotions.
After witnessing Tomas’ proposal, I felt numb, barely able to stand. Carl helped me to my room; I locked myself in the closet and wept for hours, clutching the ring Tomas had given me, screaming in silent agony.
*Why, Tomas? Why after everything I did for you?* I whispered, my heart breaking. *Could you not hear my pain? Could you not feel me?* But I knew I had to be strong. I had to let him go, to give him my blessing, to wish him well, even though my heart was shattering. I would attend his wedding, I would smile, I would be happy for him, for the last time. I cried myself to sleep, exhausted and heartbroken.
**Amanda:**
“Hey, Paul. Our plan is going perfectly. The fake results made Tomas change his mind, and now he’s mine. I guess we don’t need to kill him or do anything to Jennifer. Tomorrow’s my wedding. Tell the boss and Davis everything is going as planned; soon, everyone will get their revenge.” I spoke into the phone while selecting my wedding dress.
“The boss wants to talk to you, Amanda.”
“Good work, Amanda. This is much better than I expected. You know I can’t let Tomas die now; I need his money first. You have to marry him tomorrow, then later, you’ll take advantage of the situation, kill him, and take all his money as his wife. Davis will be happy too; his son will inherit Tomas’ fortune. We’ll control the world with all that money.” The Russian boss’s laughter was chilling.
“Yes, boss. Don’t worry, everything is under control. Please tell Davis not to do anything foolish. You know how jealous he is! Just tell him I never slept with Tomas. I can’t betray the man who saved and supported me all these years. Davis is my only love.” I hung up, a cold calculation in my eyes.