Page 92 of Left

It meant enough to rip a newborn from his mother?

Separate twin infants?

No, it meant something!

It happened once… not from Concetta’s description. Emmanuel could refute Larson’s claim. Hell, he wanted to, but not at his Mom’s expense. Emmanuel wouldn’t have confronted Larson if he knew his Mom was home. Larson, who (fucked him for all of this) obviously wouldn’t have confessed if Emmanuel’s Mom hadn’t pushed him.

“Mm.” Mom inhaled. “Give me a moment. I need to sit.”

Initially, Larson held unto her hand, despite her attempts to pull it away.

“Please,” she begged.

Larson reluctantly released her hand and helped her to take a seat. Emmanuel felt like he was watching the entire scene from somewhere outside of himself.

“I want to make sure I have this right.

You had an affair.

The woman became pregnant.

Then the two of you decided on a Solomon-type custody arrangement. You each took a child.”

Larson glanced at Emmanuel. It was like he was waiting for him to contradict his wife’s account. When he remained silent. Larson looked back at his wife. “Yes.”

“What about your other son?”

“I upheld my end of the bargain. His mother took him, and I’ve never met him.”

“You were content to walk away from your son?”

“Yes. The other child was provided for financially. But for you, I gave him up. For you. I made sure we had a family of our own.”

Did he really believe this shit? Or was he just trying to make Emmanuel’s Mom believe it.

“You did this for me?” Her laugh was brittle.

“Yes, I loved you, love you still. I would have done anything for you.”

“Manny, Manny Baby,” Ivy called softly, pulling him from the scene before him. “You’re crushing my hand.”

Her words jolted him, and he realised how tightly he was holding onto his wife’s hand. He loosened his hold but needed her touch to ground him. Emmanuel turned to her. “Doc, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Her eyes were watery.

“I hurt you?” Emmanuel asked, concern tinged his voice.

“No, this is too much,” Ivy stated, shaking her head, and she was right.

The tale Larson was spinning was wrong on so many levels. It seemed he saw nothing wrong with what he did. Even if the events had occurred the way he reported. They hadn’t. Concetta’s journals refuted his account. Over fifty years of lies. His Mom deserved better. Emmanuel didn’t want to cause her any more pain, but he couldn’t sit back and allow Larson to continue to lie to her. She had been stripped of so many decisions.

“Are you certain that is the way it occurred?” Emmanuel called to Larson.

Who turned a furious gaze at him? “You stay out of this. This is between my wife and I.” Larson all but bared his teeth. Rage contorted his features. How did Larson think he would continue to get away with these lies?

“No, I don’t think this is just between us, Larson. Once upon a time, it might have been. If only all those years ago you would have come to me and told me the truth. This affects us all.” His mother was ever graceful, as her name implied. She sat straighter on the sofa and smoothed out her skirt. “Emmanuel, I just want you to know it is my greatest accomplishment has been being your mother. This… what your father has done. Will never change how much I love you.”

Emmanuel nodded, but he felt the truth of her words. All the love that he had felt as a child, into his adolescence, and finally into adulthood, emanated from her. She had continued to shower his children with the same love and adoration. The irony was Larson had been cold, aloof, and demanding for as long as he could remember. Larson Scott had made it clear that Emmanuel was his legacy. He had to live up to the Scott name.

---