My broken eyes meet hers.
She sobs as the tears run freely down her face.
I stare at her, unable to speak through the tightening in my chest.
“I didn’t know what to do,” she whispers in a barely recognisable voice.
I keep staring at her.
“What would you have done in that situation?” she yells.
“If I had told you the truth back then I would have messed up your whole life and you were already going off the rails at that point. Remember the partying, the fighting, the women?”
Cameron squeezes my shoulders and I put my hand over his.
“I decided to not say anything. No good could come from that kind of information. Your father loves you, Joshua.”
I drop my face into my hands as the tears start to flow… who am I?
I hear Cameron sob behind me as the deafening silence fills the room.
“Get out,” I whisper through the lump in my throat.
“Joshua, no,” she cries.
“Don’t tell me no!” I yell as I stand furiously.
“Explain to me how Wilson has the same blood as me!”
Her face drops.
“What?” she whispers.
“Wilson and I are 100% brothers, we have the same blood. You were sleeping with this man for six fucking years. Do not dare insult my intelligence with your lies one moment longer. Are you still sleeping with him now?”
“What?” she whispers again and I can see by the look on her face she didn’t know this previously. “No,” she shakes her head frantically.
“We have the tests. Who is he?” I scream.
“Joshua, calm down,” Cameron whispers.
I pick up a paperweight from my desk and throw it across the room in anger. “I will not fucking calm down. Tell me his name!” I scream.
She starts to shake her head nervously. “Joshua, stop it, you’re scaring me.”
I regain my composure as the angry tears roll down my face.
And she sobs again. “It can’t be,” she whispers.
“Does he know?” My broken eyes meet hers. “Does your husband know that two of his children are not biologically his?”
She shakes her head as her tear-filled eyes silently beg for forgiveness and time stands still.
“Please don’t tell him,” she whispers.
I stand. I can’t be here any longer. “You have seven days to tell him or I will.”
“Joshua, no,” she cries.
“I want the name of my biological father in an email with contact details.”
“Joshua, no,” she cries. “Please… Joshua.” She goes to grab me but I push her away.
I stand still. I have never been so angry, so hurt. “Get out of my house and get out of my life. I’m done.” I leave the room in a rush.
Natasha
I sit quietly alone in the party room with the door just slightly ajar. Joshua’s office is diagonally across and three doors down the hall. I have cleared the house from everyone. The girls have gone to Adrian’s for the day, I have given Birgetta the day off, and the guards are out the back in their office. The only voice I can hear raised is Joshua’s. Ten minutes ago something hit the wall with a thud… god knows what that was. What the hell is going on in there? I sit silently waiting, wondering what I am going to say to him… them, when they emerge. A deep lead ball sits in my stomach. I have seen people at work for this very matter but when it’s your own family it’s completely different. The door slams and I hold my breath and close my eyes. Here we go. I sit for ten minutes as I watch the gap through the door. Joshua hasn’t come down the hall so he must be still in his office and then finally I hear the door open and hear Cameron’s and Margaret’s voices.
“I can’t believe this,” Cameron sighs.
“Where is he? I need to see him,” Margaret whispers.
“You heard him. He doesn’t want to see you.”
“He will never forgive me, Cameron. What will become of our family?” she sobs.
My heart drops and I know that my Lamborghini is somewhere in this house hurt. I put my hand over my mouth. Shit, what do I do?
“The driver will take you to a hotel,” Cameron sighs.
“Why can’t I stay here?” she whispers.
“You know why,” he snaps. “Stop your shit.”
She cries and then I hear her voice muffled. Cameron is obviously cuddling her.
“I don’t want to leave,” she sobs.
“Just go Mum. Please.” He sighs, their voices go out the front door and I sneak out into the hall. Where is he? He didn’t walk past the door, my eyes flick around the hallway and then to the end door, the garage. I walk down the hall and slowly open the garage door and close it behind me. It’s darkened so I flick the light on.
I walk down between the cars, but I don’t see him. I walk to the other side of the Lamborghini. My heart drops-my beautiful man is sitting on the floor leaning up against the car, his head in his hands… crying.
Tears instantly fall to my cheeks and I walk over and drop to sit silently next to him on the floor.
I have no words.
“Josh,” I whisper.
He keeps his head down but pulls me onto his lap and I wrap my arms around his neck.
“I’m here, baby. It’s ok,” I whisper into the top of his head.
He sits deathly still as his head stays buried in my chest and the pain I feel coming from him is so strong.
I don’t know what to say. What could I possibly say to make this situation better?
For forty minutes we sit on the cold cement floor.
Finally he speaks. “Can we run away?” He smiles sadly.
I smile through my tears. “We can. Where do you want to go, my Lamborghini?”
He shakes his head as he stands and pulls me up by the hand. “Anywhere but here.” He sighs.