The room seemed suspended in anticipation, all eyes fixed on us. My heart raced, but I maintained a calm smile and upright posture. This was the moment I had been waiting for—the moment Margaret had unknowingly set into motion.
David froze, his gaze locked on Alex, as if the past had collided with the present. “He looks just like you did at his age,” I said, my voice steady but tinged with quiet defiance.
Margaret’s eyes darted back and forth, struggling to process the scene unfolding before her. Guests who had arrived for an evening of extravagance were now captivated by an unexpected drama.
“David,” I continued, “meet Alex, your son.”
Whispers rippled through the room like a growing wave. David’s expression shifted from shock to disbelief, then recognition. He glanced at Margaret, who had lost her composure entirely, her mouth opening and closing without sound.
Alex stood beside me, an unmistakable reflection of his father, calm yet brave. He had been prepared for this moment, and his quiet courage bolstered my own.
“I didn’t know,” David finally murmured, a mixture of confusion and apology in his voice. “Evelyn, why didn’t you tell me?”
I met his gaze, memories of our turbulent past flickering through my mind. “It wasn’t the right time. I had to protect Alex. But now, he needs to know his roots.”
The guests leaned in, drawn away from Margaret’s intended spectacle by the unfolding truth. Her plan to showcase my supposed flaws had unraveled in the most dramatic way…
