Secret exposed
Author's pov
Stephanie couldn't believe her eyes when Juliana invited her to come to her house. She had expected rejection, but Juliana's tone showed eagerness to hear what she had to say. Without properly dressed, she immediately left her house, got into her car, and drove straight to her best friend's house. The closer she got to Juliana's house, the more she felt a sense of nostalgia. This route used to be her favorite when they didn't have any issues, and as she approached Juliana's house, a deep compassion arose in her heart.
Stephanie stopped her car some distance away from Juliana's house and turned off the engine. She suddenly felt discouraged, as if she was going there with envy.
"Please stop thinking in that direction. I am going to help my best friend," she challenged her accusing thoughts. She started her car again and drove towards Juliana's house. As she neared the house, Juliana, who was sitting down, stood up, and both of them felt apprehensive. It had been a long time since they had set eyes on each other or embraced. As Stephanie walked closer to the door, Juliana quickly opened it and rushed to embrace her. They held each other for a few minutes, unable to let go, perhaps because they were trying to control their emotions, and tears were already in their eyes. Finally, they separated and saw the genuine friendship they had once missed. Juliana was the first to speak.
"I am sorry for everything I have done to you..."
"Stop feeling guilty. It all happened by coincidence. You met James before knowing he was mine. Let's go inside," Stephanie said, holding Juliana's hand and gently leading her into the house. They sat close to each other.
Stephanie didn't know how to start what she wanted to say, and Juliana looked at the floor, feeling a strong sense of shame and guilt.
"Juliana, what I'm about to say is not out of envy," Stephanie broke the silence.
"Okay," Juliana nodded, unable to raise her face.
"I am not here to break your relationship, but I'm here to let you know who your fiancé really is," Stephanie 's voice cracked as she continued.
"First, your boyfriend's name is not Gabriel. His real name is James."
"Hmmm..." Juliana stole a glimpse, and Stephanie continued.
"If James is the man of your dreams, then what I'm about to say might not make any sense.”
"Please tell me," Juliana said, but Stephanie paused for a while before speaking.
"James is a deadbeat man, I'm sorry to say. He has secretly fathered six children. Once the woman gets pregnant and it's time to give birth, he disappears. I can make a video call to show you the kind of person you are dating. When we were together, I was the one indirectly financing the relationship. During the short time we were together, he spent more time at my house."
"Are you sure James has six kids?" Juliana asked, surprised.
"Wait, let me make some video calls," Stephanie said, taking out her phone and dialing a number.
"Hello, Jane. How was your night?" Stephanie asked.
"I'm fine. Thank you for checking on me."
"I'm here with my friend," she turned the camera towards both Juliana and herself. "This is Juliana, my best friend. She can help you find the father of your son. Can we see a picture of your son's dad?"
"Okay, give me a few seconds," Jane said, stood up, went inside, and came back with a picture she took with James.
"Here is the picture, and his name is Sam," Jane said.
When she mentioned Sam, Juliana widened her eyes in surprise and said,
"Don't worry, Jane. We will try to find him."
"It's so bad that he ran away from his responsibility as a father," Jane's voice trembled with emotions. Stephanie quickly said, "Please be yourself. You have been strong before, be the strong woman you are. We love you and we will do our best."
"Okay," Jane wiped the tears from her cheeks, and Stephanie ended the call.
"That's just one case. There are five other women, and I have their phone numbers," Stephanie said.
"Are you sure?" Juliana asked, disbelief in her voice.
"Seeing is believing, right?" Stephanie brought her phone close to her face and dialed another number, putting the phone on speaker.
"Hi Kate, I'm Stephanie , the investigating journalist who called. I'm still working on your story. I'm with my boss, and she would like you to repeat what you told me yesterday."
"I want the father of my son. Despite everything he has done, running away before I came back from work, I still love him and I want to see him. I want him to come and see the beautiful boy I have. I am traumatized by not having his dad around. It's been a burden for me. I need him please, his name is Fredrick," Kate said.
Stephanie and Juliana were shocked by the second woman's request and the new name.
"Oh my god, he goes by another new name Fredrick?" Juliana paused and continued, "The other woman called him Sam. Does it mean that Gabriel has different names for every woman he meets?" Juliana asked. All Stephanie could do was shrug.
"I'm starting to have second thoughts," Juliana said.
"Second thoughts about what?" Stephanie asked. "Please clarify. I didn't come here expecting a win-win situation. I came to inform you. One other reason I came here was to apologize for the unkind words I said to you the last time we met. I didn't think twice. I just let out all my anger without considering the consequences."
Juliana quickly embraced Stephanie and patted her on the back. Juliana said, "You spoke out of anger. It wasn't your fault. You're a rare friend, and you didn't want me to get hurt..."
"I hope I haven't ruined your relationship?" Stephanie said aloud, a smile on her face.
"No, no. It's up to me to decide what I want to do now. I just remembered something, and I want to apologize for not telling you earlier. It's happening tomorrow. My daughter, Daisy, will be throwing a celebration party, and she agreed to be one of my directors. Surprisingly, she wants to celebrate this bold step. I fully support her, and I'm inviting you now. Please forgive me for not informing you sooner. I thought you would never come because I will be bringing Gabriel along."
"Because I value this friendship and want us to be friends again, I will come," Stephanie replied, and they embraced once more.
Juliana got up and brought out a bottle of wine, started to drink and they talked about other things.
***********
It was 8:30 PM, and Daisy was at her dad's house. As her celebration party approached, she made sure her dad and Sadie had no alone time together. She continued to pretend that she had no idea about what was going on between them. All she was waiting for was the next day.
Throughout the day, calls kept coming from the people they had invited, and Daisy was particularly interested in hearing about Sadie's mom, ex-boyfriend, and her mom's boyfriend.
Just as she was about to go to sleep and leave Sadie in her room, she asked Sadie, "How is your mum? When will she be coming? Why didn't she come today?"
Sadie replied, "She said she'll be taking the first flight tomorrow morning, and besides, the party is scheduled for 3:30 PM. She has plenty of time to make it."
"And her boyfriend?" Daisy inquired.
"Yes, both of them are coming," Sadie smiled. As Daisy turned and walked towards the door, Sadie thought to herself, "You've been following me around all day. Please give me some space. Let me be alone."
The moment Daisy opened and closed the door, Sadie let out a sigh of relief and fell onto her bed.
About thirty minutes later, Daisy rushed into Sadie's room, and Sadie managed to open her eyes. Daisy said,
"I don't know what's happening, my mum was crying on the phone. I don't know what's going on, and I want to go and meet her. Will you come with me?"
"To your mom's house?" Sadie replied slowly and added, "You know your mom doesn't look at me kindly. I don't think I can come with you. I'm sorry."
"Okay, okay," Daisy grumbled, "I'm going to meet her now. I can't let her sleep in such a mood. I don't even know what's happening to her."
"I'll give you a call," Sadie said, trying not to smile. As soon as Daisy left her room and closed the door, Sadie clenched her fists as if she had won a jackpot.
"Come and lock the door, Sadie!" Daisy called out as she walked towards the front door. Sadie deliberately waited for a few minutes before coming out of her room to lock the door from inside. When she saw that Daisy had left in her car, Sadie locked the door with great joy and ran towards the stairs, heading straight to Justin's room.
"Justin, Justin, wake up! I have a surprise for you!"
Justin, who was already asleep, woke up and in a sleepy tone said, "Please, I want to sleep. Let's talk tomorrow."
"Daisy went to see her mom..." Sadie laughed.
"Really? What are you still doing at the door?" Justin asked.
"You locked it from inside."
Justin immediately got up and rushed towards his door to open it.
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