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Her eyes moved past him.

Leonardo’s head was back, and his eyes were closed. His hands held a death grip on his knees. For the first time, Emmanuel didn’t think of what his brother put him through. Instead, he imagined how devastating it was to hear that his mother grieved so much over losing him, she barely had enough strength to give birth to Leonardo. Being the child which she kept wasn’t the prize he imagined it to be.

“Leonardo, are you okay?” Emmanuel asked.

“Yeah. How could they do this to her?”

It didn’t escape his notice his brother’s focus was on how his mother felt. He remembered back to when they had first met and how fiercely protective Leonardo had been of her. The mother and son had a relationship forged in grief. The sorrow Concetta expressed in her journals seemed so much more vivid.

When Diana came back, she continued the heartbreaking account of what Concetta went through.

“Back then, they didn’t immediately release mothers and their babies as soon as they gave birth, but they released that girl in less than twenty-four hours. When I asked the doctor about it, he told me she was being sent to another location to recover. I volunteered to go with her to help and made sure she had medical care if needed. He agreed. It wasn’t clear whether she’d be sent away alone or if someone was supposed to accompany her. I never asked. I was just glad I was with her. The other location turned out to be a cabin in the middle of nowhere. Way worse than here.”

Emmanuel could feel his blood boiling at the way they discarded her like an unwanted pet. She was a young woman who had just given birth to twins. He remembered how hard it had been on Doc. Each delivery was different, but each took a mental and physical toll. That was with the best medical care, a loving partner, friends, and family.

“I taught her how to breastfeed, change diapers, give baths, and how to take care of herself. We were there for twenty-one days. Then they flew her clear across the country. Every once in a while, I would hear from her. She always sounded so chipper and upbeat. Well, except for the last time. Connie finally admitted she had been struggling for years. I helped her find that rehab centre. I had a friend who worked there. Well, you know the rest. She never made it there. A freak accident. Ahh, she really wanted to make things right. To watch you graduate. Connie referred to you as her Little Light. So, that’s pretty much all I have. You boys have questions?”

They did, and most of the questions were regarding their paternal parent. What did Connie share with Diana about Larson? The whole arrangement to have the children separated. It was second-hand information, but they felt like Connie finally had a voice. Emmanuel wanted to take a trip to the nursing home and shake the shit out of Chester.

By the time they flew out of Quebec, Emmanuel was determined to expose Larson’s dirty secrets. Concetta’s life and what she went through would no longer be swept under the rug.

Thanks to Darsh’s ingenuity, they flew out of a better airport, and they didn’t have to drive for hours to reach it. He found a place for them to rent a helicopter which flew them to the new airport. Mother Nature cooperated as well. The fog lifted. Everything came together to ensure that they were home in time to accompany his Mom to visit Larson. It was weird how quickly he came to view the place where he grew up.

Emmanuel hadn’t seen Larson since it had been revealed he was his biological father. Coupled with the visit to Diana and he was struggling to keep his hands to himself. The only thing which brought any semblance of calm was the surprise they were bringing along to the meeting.

The surprise was really his mother’s idea. Emmanuel looked forward to Larson finding out that detail.

Becker greeted the group and directed them to the sitting room. However, not before informing the guests, this was his last week employed in the household. Becker had been a part of the house since Emmanuel was ten. Many of his formative memories included Becker. In many ways he played more of a paternal role than Larson. The house wouldn’t be the same without him. It was what Larson deserved. What did he know about hiring household staff?

“Grace! I was told you arrived—” As he took in the room’s occupants, Larson’s greeting died on his lips. All the occupants. Grace, Emmanuel, and of course Ivy was by his side, but so was Leonardo.

Larson looked ashen. Like an apparition who had met a violent end. His hand shook slightly as he pointed to Leonardo. “What is he doing here? Why would you bring him to my home?”

“Why is he here?” Emmanuel mocked. “I thought it would be a heartwarming moment for you to see both your sons together. Let me make the introductions. Larson, meet Leonardo Baldi.”

While he spoke, he gestured between them both. Emmanuel ignored the look of censure on his Mom’s face. Or the outrage on Larson’s.

“Leonardo, this is the man behind us being split up at birth.”

Leonardo stepped forward. “Larson, I’m sure you can understand why, under the circumstances, I don’t share the heartwarming sentiment. You destroyed my mother’s life.”

“She destroyed her own life! I do not know why you brought this scammer here,” Larson sneered.

“Scammer or not, he is your son,” Emmanuel countered as he put out his arm, barring Leonardo from reaching Larson.

“No, he is Connie’s son. It is what we agreed to. There is no reason for him to be here or you…” Larson pointed at Emmanuel, then at Ivy “… or you!”

Emmanuel pushed Larson’s hand away from the direction of where Ivy stood. Things were escalating. The control Emmanuel was holding on to was slipping.

Emmanuel’s mom must have sensed this, so she intervened and quickly de-escalated the situation.

“You asked for me to visit. Then promised, if I did, you would give me the answers I needed. Since I am not the only one seeking the truth, I brought along the boys and Ivy. They need answers as much, if not more, than I do. Let’s all have a seat so we can get those answers.”

As they sat, Emmanuel took time to really take in Larson’s appearance. The old man didn’t look at all like himself. Emmanuel had never seen him unshaven, or his shirt untucked.

“This isn’t what I meant. Of course, I will tell you whatever you need to know so we can save our marriage. They…” he said, waving his hand in Emmanuel, Ivy, and Leonardo’s direction. “…do not need to bear witness to our discussion. We have had a lifetime of talking things out between us.”

“Larson, we aren’t doing revisionist history tonight.”

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