Chapter 112
Adrian’s POV
Daniel’s Mansion – Later at night
The confrontation ended the moment she left, but I couldn’t sleep.
Her words kept playing over and over in my head.
Instead of feeling guilty, I felt anger.
And rather p>
Relieved.
For sixteen years I held onto questions no one would answer.
Today, they answered.
I remembered clearly everytime mother would change the topic and would scold me for being dumb allowing others to target me because of my father’s name.
I should have felt satisfaction on seeing her leave,
But all I felt was…emptiness.
I never wanted to hate my mother.
I only wanted the deserved truth from her.
And now p>
I realized anger had long gone p>
And what was left behind was p>
Sadness.
Sadness for the childhood I would have had, if Dad was with me.
I kept tossing and turning as I kept recalling the times I asked mother about dad and she would turn me down.
Finally, I decided to go to the kitchen and see that maybe after eating a sandwich, I might feel sleepy.
As I came down the stairs, I saw Dad’s study light was still on.
I looked at the wall clock.
“At this hour?” I said.
Seeing the door was half way open, I approached the study.
I was worried dad may get angry, but I went in anyways.
Dad was so busy, he didn’t even notice me entering the study.
I saw his entire desk was covered with files, documents, folders.
I saw medical files, hospital records p>
Notes written by Lori, donor records p>
Legal documents and coffee cups.
His cold dinner still sat on the desk on the side of the study.
It was obvious he had been studying and reviewing the files for hours.
I also noticed there were three stacks.
One for the lawyers, one for the court, and one for p>
Me?
He didn’t have to do this as the lawyers would have,
He didn’t have to skip his meal over this p>
But he did p>
For me.
“This time I’ll make sure she understands,” Dad whispered.
“No one can take Adrian away from me p>
My body froze on hearing dad say that.
Mother’s coming over had made him worry.
I sat in a chair and continued to watch dad without disturbing him.
I saw dad had highlighted some dates.
He was writing notes of some things.
He also had made copies of some documents.
He cross-checked the donor records.
Then he organized Lori’s records.
Every few minutes later he would end up reading a document.
He read over and over to make sure there was no mistake.
I recalled watching Uncle working late nights too.
It was different as he was busy with business files,
But the tension was the same.
Jonathan used to work late night so he could get the Blue Heart back and be free from mother.
Dad was working so he could prove mother was wrong and could keep me.
For the first time I understood what unconditional love really was.
Jonathan’s for Aunt and Janet p>
Dad’s for me, Aunt and Jenny.
It wasn’t getting expensive gifts as mother said.
It wasn’t promises that could be broken anytime.
It was the effort one put in loving and taking care of you.
“Adrian?” Dad’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts.
“What are you doing so late p>
“I couldn’t sleep so I came down to get a sandwich and saw your light on p>
“Oh,” Dad said, getting up. “Sit here, I’ll make one and bring it over p>
“No, Dad,” I said, making him sit back.
“I’ll just stay here for a while,” I said. “If it’s alright p>
“Alright?” Dad said, smiling. “Of course it’s alright p>
He even began telling me what he was doing.
Unlike mother,
He didn’t hesitate and didn’t keep any secret from me.
“I know you’ve seen them,” Dad said as he kept the files in front of me.
“But I’m sure you didn’t understand everything p>
Then he began to explain in detail.
He explained the donor records.
The clinical records.
The records that confirmed the pregnancy.
Lori’s investigation notes.
Now, everything was clear before me.
Nothing was hidden.
I realized Dad wanted me to know everything, unlike mother who would always make me wonder who was right and who was wrong.
That’s when I realized,
For years p>
Mother decided what I should and what I shouldn’t know.
Whereas, Dad p>
He was allowing me to decide for myself.
“Adrian,” Dad said in a low voice.
“There’s still one thing you don’t know and you should p>
“I want you to listen carefully as I won’t be able to tell all this again p>
I understood it was hard for Dad, whatever it was that he was going to tell me.
“I met your mother back in college,” he said.
“She clearly told me her father, your grandfather Fredrick wouldn’t accept us so we decided to run away p>
“The day we did,” he continued.
“We met at the bus stop p>
“She brought some cash, jewelry and her policy along with her p>
“I called the police and reported a lost and found bag p>
“We stepped aside, and once we saw the police take the bag, we took a bus, and it stopped at Livelane p>
“There I got a job and we began to live p>
“One day I found out the local clinic ran a blood donation camp and paid the donors p>
“So, I began donating p>
“But soon we began to fight and one day she left without a word p>
“Later on, I also left Livelane and moved to the city p>
“For all this, I have no proof, as for what I’m about to say, these files are the proof p>
I leaned back, not in relief, in despair as I knew what dad was about to tell was on how I was conceived.
“We were young men who thought we could donate blood and get some money in return p>
“Then after two blood donations, the doctor said, we had to have a cancer screening p>
“He said it was for safety we didn’t have cancer p>
“And we thought it was good as in case, we would know beforehand p>
“What we didn’t know was in the pretext of taking our semen for cancer screening, he was using it for his illegal sperm donation program p>
“Imelda knew she was choosing mine when she filed her consent form p>
“The records were so well hidden p>
“No one knew p>
“And when Lori’s investigation intensified p>
“Overnight, our identities files disappeared p>
“Lori never gave up and made sure every record was safely stored in her basement p>
“Her intention was if one day any one of us found out, we could follow the lead p>
Then Dad placed the file with mother’s name on it.
“When I read this file,” he said in a low voice.
“My life changed forever p>
He smiled, but a sad one.
“The strange thing is p>
He trailed off a bit.
“I never knew about all this, and the fact I had a son or a daughter p>
He trailed off again.
That’s when I realized Dad never made the choice to donate.
Someone took it from him without his consent p>
Without his will.
“Adrian,” he said in a low voice.
“I never abandoned you p>
“If I knew you existed, I would have come for you p>
“I remember when I first came to take Janet and saw you p>
“I felt like I knew you p>
“When I found out you were Imelda’s and Jonathan’s son, I thought it was cause of my relationship with Imelda p>
“Then when I worked with Jonathan, knowing he was your father p>
“Watching you proudly call yourself a Rollings p>
“All the while I was completely unaware that you were my son p>
“When I found out about you, I wondered when we crossed paths, what would happen p>
“What conversations we would have p>
“What opportunities we would have, considering the sixteen years I lost p>
“I spent seven years knowing about you, walking away from you p>
“Not knowing you were my son p>
Silence fell between us.
“Imelda p>
He trailed off.
“Not only separated you from your father p>
“But me from my son p>
“Sixteen years p>
“She stole sixteen years of memories from us p>
Silence fell between us again.
“Now I try to think p>
“How did you celebrate your first birthday p>
“Your first day at school p>
“Your first bicycle ride p>
“Jonathan must have taught you, right p>
“Yes,” I said.
“Uncle taught me how to ride p>
“He celebrated my first and all birthday’s p>
“Mother only celebrated my sixth and seventh as they were big parties for her clients p>
“Uncle was the one who took me to every first class, she was too busy p>
“My first A plus certificate, my first drawing certificate, my first football trophy p>
“All…Uncle Jonathan was there for me p>
“Every school form asking for ’father’, Jonathan was there p>
“But I always felt he was half with me, and now it all makes sense p>
Now I realize,
How mother made him separate from Janet.
“The seven years I spent after he found out I wasn’t his son, I realized how he felt p>
“Longing for a person, who’s there, yet not p>
“I’m sorry Dad I slowly whispered.
“I am the cause of your and Uncle Jonathan’s hurt p>
Dad immediately shook his head.
“No, Adrian p>
“I can say this for Jonathan as well p>
“We both cherish every moment we had with you and have p>
“Veronica was going to become your official adoptive mother had I not found out p>
“And you were a child,” he said.
“How can any of this be your fault p>
“You didn’t know what was going around you p>
“The past cannot be undone p>
“But the future p>
“We can still make the best of it p>
“Dad p>
This time the word came out naturally and without any hesitation.
Dad froze as I realized calling him ’dad’ actually healed the pain of the years he had inside his heart.
Just then the sun rays came cutting through the curtains.
“It’s morning p>
“Dad?” Jenny’s voice called out.
“The lawyer’s here p>
Dad made mom and Jenny stay back and along with me and his lawyer, we went to the court.
Along the way no one talked.
Courtroom – An hour later
As we walked in, mother was seated along with her lawyer.
I noticed,
Mother was tense, anxious.
Dad was p>
Calm, respectful, prepared.
I guess that’s the difference between being wrong and right.
Mother was shouting every now and then.
Kept hailing insults towards dad.
While dad p>
He just presented the facts.
Dad’s lawyer presented the donor files,
Hospital records, notes written by Lori.
The medical timelines of when he was in Livelane and when he left.
Every document supported what he wanted conveyed in the court.
I realized truth never needed an angry voice.
Truth had its own voice.
Finally, the judge asked Dad to stand up.
Dad looked directly at mother as he got up.
The judge asked for his words.
Dad spoke quietly.
Each word carried weight and truth.
“Imelda didn’t only rob Adrian from a life with a father p>
“She also robbed me of my life with a son p>
Silence fell in the court.
It seemed as if the courtroom had frozen.
Dad continued.
“We both lost sixteen birthdays p>
“Sixteen school events p>
“Every first of my son p>
“She derived those from me p>
“She made Adrian believe someone else was his father, to whom I’m grateful for being there when he needed a father p>
I saw Dad fighting for me.
He didn’t lose his temper, even once.
He spoke the truth,
Even mother’s lawyer team lowered their eyes in disgust at what she did p>
Then the judge asked mother,
She didn’t stand up, instead her lawyer did.
“Your honor,” he said.
“We have no further evidence and the evidence Mr. Staf has provided is overwhelming for us p>
“Be it the notes written by Lori, the hospital records or the donor records p>
“None can be challenged p>
“We rest our case p>
Mother had nothing left to tell.
I saw Dad and his lawyer pack the files.
“Please defendant and plaintiff, rise p>
Dad and mother got up along with their lawyers.
“The court rules Adrian Staf will remain with his father, and since Adrian is already sixteen years old, and considering the steps Ms. Imelda compiled to conceive, the court grants Adrian Staf to decide visitation rights for his mother. The court rests the case p>
Dad smiled.
Not proud.
Not happy he was victorious.
Just relieved.
That’s when I realized being a father wasn’t only about being biologically related.
It was about choosing to be a parent.
Today Dad chose to have me in his life.
Today as we left the courtroom,
I didn’t walk behind him, but beside him was Adrian Staf, Daniel Staf’s legal biological son.
We left together and neither one of us talked on the way back.
In the car – a few moments later
Not that we doubted what happened.
Not that either one of us regretted the decision.
But because we didn’t need words to express what we felt.
We both had a warm smile on our face.
We both knew we were going back home.
Dad was going back with his son to his home where his wife and daughter were waiting.
I was going back with my dad to my home where my mom and sister were waiting.
For the first time the silence that fell between us was peaceful.
I realized now I never have to ask who my father is,
I knew who my father was.
I genuinely smiled for the first time in years.
At the courthouse – same time.
We didn’t know mother stayed back.
Her lawyer explained to her what it meant when the judge said he could decide about the visitation rights.
Mother had understood the case had collapsed.
Getting my custody now was impossible.
Dad had every evidence to prove he was unaware of my birth.
She had lost the rights to keep me with her forever.
Legally and emotionally,
She lost me.
I did glance once back to look at her.
I expected to see tears in her eyes, but I saw her smiling.
It wasn’t a happy one,
But a calculative one.
And what shocked me was,
She wasn’t looking at me.
She was smiling at a document in her hand.
A chill ran down my spine.
For the first time since I found out about Dad,
I was worried,
Not for myself,
But for someone, whoever the document was about.
I recalled as I was walking out of the courtroom,
I heard her say, “I already lost Adrian p>
She paused as a slow smile spread across her face.
“But Jonathan? He has something far more precious he doesn’t even know of p>
“And, I’ll make him find out and then lose it forever p>
I watched her as I left with Dad unable to shake the feeling one battle was over and another one might be ready to begin.