Three Big Secrets - S01 E02

Story 2 months ago

Three Big Secrets - S01 E02

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 2

Episode 2: Three Big Secrets

The small office felt like it was shrinking. Mark Harrison sat in the plastic chair and felt the walls closing in on him. It was a very strange feeling. One moment, the room was just a normal doctor’s office. The next moment, it felt like the ceiling was coming down and the walls were moving closer. Mark tried to take a deep breath, but the air felt very thick. It was hard to breathe. The room had a very strong smell. It smelled like medicine and clean floors. But there was something else in the air too. It was a feeling of very great sadness. It was a feeling of dread. Dread is when you know something very bad is about to happen, and you can feel it in your bones.

Mark’s heart was beating very fast. It felt like a small bird was trapped inside his chest, hitting its wings against his ribs. He wanted to run away, but he could not move. He looked at the doctor, who was still looking down at the papers. Mark could not handle the silence anymore. It was too quiet. He had to say something.

"Is someone sick?" Mark asked. His voice sounded very strange. It was weak and it cracked like a dry stick. He was thinking about his children. He was thinking about Leo, Sarah, and little Mia. He was worried that the doctor was going to tell him that one of them had a bad disease. He was ready to do anything to save them. He would give all his money. He would give his own life if it meant his children would be okay.

The doctor finally looked up from the desk. His eyes were not cold anymore. Now, they were filled with something even worse. They were filled with pity. Pity is when someone feels very sorry for you because something terrible has happened to you. Mark saw that look and his stomach turned over. He felt sick. He didn't want the doctor to feel sorry for him. He wanted the doctor to tell him that everything was going to be fine.

The doctor did not speak right away. Instead, he reached for a piece of white paper. It was a very simple piece of paper. It looked just like any other document you might see in a school or an office. But for Mark, that paper was about to change everything. The doctor slowly slid the paper across the large brown wooden desk. Mark watched the paper move. It seemed to move in slow motion. When it finally stopped in front of him, Mark saw rows of numbers and names. To anyone else, they were just numbers. But to Mark, these numbers were like a death sentence for his happiness. They were going to kill the life he loved so much.

"We ran the family compatibility tests three times to be absolutely sure," the doctor began. His voice was steady and low. He spoke slowly so that Mark could understand every word. "There is no mistake, Mr. Harrison. We checked the results over and over again because we wanted to be 100 percent certain."

Mark looked at the doctor’s mouth as he spoke. He felt like he was in a dream. This could not be real life. This must be a nightmare, and he would wake up soon in his own bed. But he didn't wake up. He was still in the cold office, and the doctor was still talking.

"Mr. Harrison, you are a very healthy man," the doctor said. "The tests show that you are in great shape. But science is very clear about one thing. Science does not make mistakes about these things."

The doctor paused for a second. He looked like he was choosing his next words very carefully. Mark held his breath. The world seemed to stop spinning.

"These three children," the doctor said, pointing to the names on the paper. "Leo, Sarah, and Mia. They are not biologically related to you."

Mark felt as if the floor had suddenly vanished. One second he was sitting in a chair, and the next second he felt like he was falling into a dark hole. It was a bottomless pit with no end. He could not feel his hands. He could not feel his feet. He felt like he was floating in a dark place where there was no light and no sound.

"Not mine?" Mark whispered. The words felt heavy in his mouth. "What do you mean they are not mine? I was there when they were born. I held Leo in my arms when he was just a tiny baby. I saw Sarah take her first steps. I stayed up all night with Mia when she had a fever. They have my eyes. They have my smile. How can they not be mine?"

The doctor looked very sad. "I understand this is a huge shock, sir. But the DNA results are very clear. A father and his children share certain things in their blood. You do not share these things with Leo, Sarah, or Mia. It is physically impossible for you to be their biological father."

Mark looked through the large glass window of the office. From where he sat, he could see the waiting room. The sun was still shining outside. He could see his family. He saw Linda, his beautiful wife of ten years. She was sitting on a bench, and she was laughing. She was playing a game with the children. Leo was making a funny face, and Sarah was giggling. Little Mia was sitting on Linda’s lap, reaching for a colorful toy. They looked so happy. They looked so perfect.

Mark looked at them and felt a pain in his heart that was bigger than anything he had ever felt before. For ten years, he thought he was the father of those three beautiful children. He had worked hard every day to give them a good life. He had tucked them into bed every night. He had told them stories. He had wiped away their tears when they fell down. He loved them with all his heart. And now, this doctor was telling him that it was all a lie.

Who were these children? If they were not his, then whose were they? Mark looked at Linda. She looked so innocent. She looked like the same woman he had fallen in love with a long time ago. But if the doctor was right, then Linda had a secret. She had a very big secret that she had kept for ten years. She had looked him in the eye every day and pretended that everything was normal. She had let him believe that he was the father.

Mark felt a wave of anger start to grow inside him. But it was mixed with so much sadness that he didn't know what to do. He felt like his whole life was a movie, and someone had just turned off the screen. Everything he knew was gone. His memories felt like they didn't belong to him anymore. Those birthdays, those Christmas mornings, those trips to the park. Were they all fake?

Mark stood up. His legs felt like they were made of jelly. He was worried that he would fall down, but he forced himself to walk. He picked up the piece of paper from the desk. His hand was trembling so much that the paper made a crinkling sound. He didn't say goodbye to the doctor. He didn't ask any more questions. He couldn't. His mind was full of too much noise.

He walked toward the door of the office. Every step felt like he was walking through deep water. It was so hard to move. He reached the door and turned the handle. The clicking sound of the lock felt very loud in the quiet hallway. He walked out of the office and toward the waiting room.

The hallway was long and white. Mark felt like a ghost walking through a palace. He saw his reflection in the shiny floor. He looked different. His face was very pale. It was the color of a white sheet. His eyes looked hollow and tired. He didn't look like the happy man who had walked into the hospital an hour ago. That man was dead.

As he got closer to the waiting room, he saw Linda again. She was still smiling. She hadn't seen him yet. She was telling a story to the kids, and they were all listening with big eyes. Mark stopped for a second. He looked at the paper in his hand. He looked at the family he thought was his. He felt like he was about to explode.

He took a final step and entered the waiting room. The noise of the children playing filled his ears.

Linda looked up. She was ready to ask him what the doctor said. She was ready to talk about the ice cream they were going to eat. She started to open her mouth to speak, but then she saw his face.

Mark’s face was ghost-white. He was holding the paper out in front of him like a weapon. He didn't say a word. He just stood there, shaking.

The smile on Linda’s lips died instantly. It didn't just fade away; it disappeared in a second. Her face changed completely. The color left her cheeks. Her eyes grew very wide. She looked like she had seen a ghost. But it wasn't a ghost. It was the truth.

A look of pure, paralyzing terror came over Linda’s face. She didn't ask what was wrong. She didn't ask about the tests. She saw the paper, and she saw Mark’s eyes, and she knew. She knew that her secret was no longer a secret. She sat there, frozen on the bench, as the children continued to play around her, unaware that their world had just ended.

The silence between Mark and Linda was the loudest thing in the world. It was a silence that told a story of ten years of lies. It was a silence that broke Mark’s heart into a million pieces.

What do you think will happen next?

How can a mother keep such a big secret for ten years?

What should Mark do now that he knows the truth?

Do you think Linda has an explanation for this, or is there no excuse?

How will the children feel when they find out the man they love is not their biological father?

The story is just getting started! You do not want to miss what happens in the next part. Will Mark leave his family, or will he stay and find out the truth? Make sure you follow our page so you can get the notification for Episode 3 as soon as it is posted!