Lucas threw back another drink of whiskey and grimaced. He didn’t know how people could drink this so often and not wretch. For now, it was good enough to dull his pain.

He had a son, a son with Scarlet.

The thought had been driving him crazy since he first heard of it and then it had been confirmed when he visited her house and saw the little boy. He was so beautiful and exactly as he had seen him in the picture. He frowned as his mind turned to Scarlet who had kept the child from him. She knew he had always wanted children with her, knew he would have loved to have a son and yet she kept it from him.

There was a knock on his door and Melvin walked in.

“Dear God, what happened in here?” Melvin asked

Lucas looked around and realized his friend must have been referring to the broken table and chairs.

“’I’m frustrated Melvin.” He said sitting up in his chair and trying to focus on his friend.

“What’s the matter?” Melvin asked

“I have a son.” He said

Melvin coughed as if he had choked on something.

“Wait what?” he asked

“Scarlet,” he said, “she has my son.”

Melvin’s eyes widened.

“You didn’t tell me”

“I didn’t know” Lucas replied, “Angela did a bit of sleuthing and it turns out I have a son.”

Melvin walked over to his desk and sat on one of the corners since he had broken everything else in his fit of rage.

“What does this mean?” Melvin asked

“I don’t know” he replied, “she won’t acknowledge that I’m the father.”

“So how can you be sure?” Melvin asked

“He’s mine” Lucas replied, “he has my, my everything.”

“Why would she keep this from you?” Melvin asked

“Turns out she tried to tell me,” he replied, “my parents caught all the messages and returned them without telling me. They told her they wouldn’t recognize the child, and neither would I.”

Melvin sighed heavily and slumped over a bit.

“That’s messed up man.” Melvin said, “do you think this is the reason they wanted you to get this company s badly? To get close to the mother of your child.”

Lucas’ head perked up. How is it that he hadn’t made the connection? His parents had set him up to find her. For what reason? He couldn’t be sure. They had kept it from him and even gone to the point of denouncing his son’s legitimacy and then they put him on the path to finding it out?

“How did she respond to you finding out?” Melvin asked

“She doesn’t think I should have him, she doesn’t even seem to feel bad for keeping a child from his father,” Lucas replied bitterly

“Well can you blame her?” Melvin asked

“How can you say that?” Lucas asked

“Lucas, this woman loved you once, your parents kept you apart and told her that her son wouldn’t be acknowledged by you or them and she’s been a single mother since his birth. What right do you have to make any claims to him?” he said,

“She must have known I wouldn’t reject my child,” he said, “she should have known.”

“From what I can tell, you ended it badly with this woman” Melvin replied, “you’re not the same to a woman after you break her heart. You claim she should have known better but you broke all the promises you made to her so how can she trust you now?”

Lucas ignored Melvin. He had already called his lawyers who told him that they met nothing but roadblocks with Scarlet’s lawyers. She had even omitted his name from the birth certificate. She had almost erased him from his son’s life. He needed to talk to his mother and find out what she had to say. Someone had to explain why this had happened and he needed to be with his son even if Scarlet hated him.

“I have to call my mother,” he said,

‘That’s probably a good idea.” Melvin replied,

“Get out,” Lucas said sourly

He waited until Melvin was gone before calling his mother. She answered in a cheery voice.

“Hello son, I didn’t expect you to call so soon.” She said, “if you’re worried about me, I’m doing quite alright.”

“I have a son.” He said, “you and father knew but you kept it from me.”

She was silent.

“How could you do this to me? To Scarlet, our son?” he asked

“Mother!” he shouted when she didn’t respond.

“I’m sorry” she whispered,

“What good is that to me?” he asked, “what good is that to anything or anyone?”

“We thought it was best for you two. When we intervened at that wedding, we didn’t know she was pregnant. We didn’t even think it was yours.” She said

“So why send me on this hunt?” he asked, “why set me up to find out like this?”

“Your father saw the little boy.” She replied, “we were having lunch one day and we saw Scarlet, she didn’t see us, and we did our best to avoid her but then we saw her little boy. Lucas, he looks like a copy of you.”

Lucas let out an agonized sigh. He wanted this all to end so badly.

“Your father wanted to patch things up but then he got sick, and he knew he was going to die, so he had her found and made the request in his will.”

“You should have told me.” He said as he slumped lower in his chair.

“I’m sorry son.” His mother said,

“What good is that?” he asked, “what good is any of it?”

He didn’t wait for her to reply, instead, he put his head on the desk and let out a low groan. How had his life toppled out of control so quickly? He thought for a moment about who he could blame. It wasn’t Angela, she had only revealed the truth. Maybe Scarlet, but she had tried to tell him years ago, and how could he be angry at her after breaking his vow to her and leaving her alone at the altar. He couldn’t blame his parents, they had been a the greatest of the threats to his love, but they had only advised him. He was the one who had made the decision. He was the one who had decided to leave without a word. He was the one who had messed up and lost the only woman he ever loved. The weight of it came crashing into him and he held his breath trying not to cry. He saw no way out, no way to make things right.