HOLLY

THEY LEFT THE HOTEL THE MINUTE AMELIA phoned. Mara and Kate were headed to the cabin. Robin must have told his mom where they were.

Holly was petrified. She became quiet. He knew she didn’t want to see Mara.

“I promise you, she would never hurt you like that again, Holly. Never.” 

She nodded and buried her cheek against his shoulder as they walk out the hotel arm-in-arm.

During the ride to the cabin, Jake told her that they should go for a nice breakfast as he knew Amelia wouldn’t want to see his mother either. But he had no choice, he needed to do this. It was the only way for them to be truly free to live the rest of their lives together in peace.

Holly didn’t like that. How much more proof did he need to show him she wasn’t the one lying to him?

When they finally reached the cabin, there was no sign of another car. Holly finally managed to breathe.

They hurried inside.

“Mommy,” Jamie ran into her arms.

A part of her couldn’t wait to tell Jamie that they were going to stay. That Daddy was coming home. They were going to be the family she always wanted for them.

Amelia just gave her a smile and hugged her tightly. She didn’t have to say what was on her mind. Amelia spoke an entire conversation just with her body without using a single word.

Jake kissed Jamie on her head. “Good morning, pumpkin.”

Jamie was shy again and Jake just laughed. “Is it going to be like this every morning?” he joked.

“No,” Jamie said and laughed. “Where were you last night?”

“Daddy was painting, sweetheart,” Rod spoke from the kitchen counter.

“Painting?” Amelia asked.

“Rod,” Holly said.

“Rodney Ballucio,” Jane scolded and Amelia just wanted to know what she’d missed.

Jake just laughed and shook his head.

“You want to go for breakfast?” Amelia asked.

Jamie nodded. Jane, Rodney, Amelia, Holly, Moira, and Jamie left.

Jake followed them to the car as he gave Amelia the keys to The Beast.

“So what, you don’t trust me with your SUV?” Holly asked Jake and he laughed.

“I’ve seen you drive.”

She gasped. “Nothing is wrong with my driving.”

He bent his head into the window as Amelia adjusted the seat for her feet to fit the pedals. He kissed Holly softly.

“Okay, lovebirds, we need to leave.”

“Yes, Mom,” Jake grunted.

Amelia stuck out her tongue at her brother playfully as his eyes caught Jamie sitting between Rod and her grandmother. He winked.

“Drive safely,” he scolded Amelia.

“Good luck,” Amelia said and reversed out of the parking spot and drive through the black gates.

Amelia wasted no time. “So I take it you took my advice.”

“Yes, I did.”

“I told you it would be a different choice.”

“Yes, you did.”

Amelia laughed but she left it there. She glanced in the rearview mirror and asked Jamie if she wanted to sing a couple of songs.

Holly tried to join in on the ones she knew, but she couldn’t help feeling a knot in her stomach. What if Jake didn’t manage to break off his wedding? She sighed when she realized they had reached the town without passing Mara and Kate.

Amelia parked the car and Holly found her staring at her as they all started to climb out.

She pulled her back into her seat as she was ready to get out.

 “He’ll call off the wedding, Holly.”

“Then why does it feel as if I’m never going to see him again, Amelia?”

“That’s called doubt and I’m sorry, but you are stuck with us, whether you want it or not. We love you, Holly. Jake loves you. He cannot live without you. He will call this wedding off. What you have with my brother? It’s the real deal. That guy would walk through fire for you and Jamie. He will cancel the wedding.”

JAKE

Jake paced around the room and decided to give Holly a call, and was happy when she picked up immediately.

“What do you want?” she asked in serious tone and he laughed. 

“You guys at the restaurant?”

“Yes, we are. Jamie is already playing in the jungle gym.”

“Good,” he said.

“Are they there yet?”

“No, but please don’t worry about any of this, okay. Have faith in me.”

“Yeah, okay.” She took a deep breath.

“Holly, I love you.”

“Love you too,” she said and switched off the phone. She still didn’t believe him.

He went to sit outside where they made the big bonfire last night.

Half an hour later, he heard small little footsteps running toward him.

“Daddy,” Michael yelled and was in Jake’s arms. He closed his eyes and kissed the boy on his head.

This was breaking his heart.

Kate followed, and the look on her face told him she was furious. First he postponed the wedding, practically jilted her at the altar, and then he didn’t pick up any of her calls. Of course she was mad. That much he knew. He felt sorry for her too. Today wouldn’t be easy.

“Where the hell were you?” Lisa came up.

He wasn’t a fan of his third sister. Somewhere along the line she’d turned into a bitch.

“Lisa, enough,” Gus’ voice came from the inside.

“No, Dad. He had responsibilities.”

“I said enough,” Gus yelled and Lisa fell silent. The rare times their father spoke to his children like that, they knew they were out of line.

Lisa rushed off toward the lake with Kimmi and Ben behind them. Ben was already eleven. He didn’t even look at Jake. They were close, the only brother Jake had, but after this, he wasn’t sure how close they were going to be.

Lilly walked out as Jake stared at the backs of his youngest three siblings. His mom had probably brainwashed them on their way back, making Jake sound like a bastard who was going to put them all through hell again.

Lilly smiled sweetly at Jake and sat down next to him. “I’m so sorry, Jake. Kate told me what happened. I hope you gave it to that girl. Take her to court or something. She can’t do this to you.”

He wanted to headbutt her, but he refrained. She knew nothing about Holly.

“Are you okay?” She stroked his arm.

“Thank you, Lilly. I’m far from okay but I’ll get there, eventually. 

“Your mom is waiting in the kitchen. And don’t you for one second believe that your mother would do this to you.”

Well, she had. He closed his eyes. He didn’t want to disrespect Lilly even though she’d disrespected Holly a few times now. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes again.

 “Please, just keep him away from the cabin. Go to the lake for as long as you can, okay?”

Frowning, she nodded again as Lilly took Michael and walked to the Lake.

His mother was talking to Robin and Kate in the kitchen and Kate was laughing at something Mara said. He shook his head and glanced over at his father, and saw both Frank and Armand were sitting with him. It felt like they were his only family, along with Amelia, of course.

Kate rushed to Jake’s side just as he reached the doorway of the kitchen, and flung her arms around him. Jake returned the hug, although he shouldn’t have as it only served to wash away all the doubt she had, doubt that was going to turn into reality and would mess her up bigtime.

 “Jake,” Mara said softly. “I never did those… those things... You’ve got to believe me.”

Jake could feel his rage boiling up inside him. Every ounce of anger he’d felt over the past four days combined into one terrifying cloud of fury. “So… what?  Holly is some sort of a sociopath who put herself and my children through hell for no reason at all?”

“Children?” Kate gasped, looking at him. Jake released her from him and approached his mother. He looked at Frank, then his father; neither said a thing. Mara looked at both of them, too.

“I forgot, you don’t know.” He looked back at his mother. “Holly was a twin, Mother. Her sister died when she was fifteen, so the gene was strong and yes, there were two babies. Romalia didn’t make it. One of my daughters died and I wasn’t there to help her!” He had tears in his eyes again, but he had no time for them now.

“Romalia?” Mara repeated.

“My little girl died nine days after she was born because you have a controlling demeanor when it comes to me. Why did you do it, Mom? Just tell me why!” he roared.

“I didn’t do anything, Jake! That is what I’m trying to tell you. You really think that I would sit by your bedside and watch you suffer if I was at fault here?” she yelled. “You are my son. I have to admit, I wasn’t happy when she fell pregnant, but I accepted it.”

“So, you’re telling me that Holly is lying, is that it?”

“I don’t know why she told you that story but I swear, I wouldn’t do that to you. To tell your father his formula wasn’t working, Jake, really?”

“Why don’t I believe you?” he said, turning on his heel to go to his room to phone Amelia. Somebody would make her crack and she would tell the truth. He knew Holly could never do that, and no doubt Robin would side with Mara again. It felt like he was never going to be with Holly.

“Where are you going?” his mother yelled after him.

“Just give him a minute,” Gus said.

Amelia’s phone rang, and as soon as she answered, Jake said, “Mom is saying Holly is lying.”

“What?” Amelia said and started to laugh. “You know what? I don’t care, Jake. I don’t want to see her.”

“Everyone is starting to believe that Holly is some sort of a sick person here, Amelia. I need you.”

She was silent for a second but then grunted, “Fine, give me some time.”

Jake went back downstairs. The conversation revolved around the wedding and how Phil, Kate’s dad, had handled the guests at the venue. All that talk was giving Kate more hope, hope he should’ve shut down as soon as he’d arrived. But due to the circumstances, he needed to stall until Amelia got there.

Kate made them all coffee. Lisa joined them with Michael in tow. He ran to Jake again, who picked him up immediately. Jake couldn’t help but wonder what Jamie had been like at two. Holly told him that that was around the time when she’d started asking questions about her daddy. Michael had hardly spoken three words, yet Jamie had already asked questions at this age. He’d missed so much.

“Lisa, please, could you take Michael to the beach or something for a bit?”

“Jake…” Kate started. “…It’s his house, too.”

Jake gave her a look. “I don’t want him to be surrounded by people fighting, Kate.”

“Fighting? Your mother just told you she didn’t do it. Did you forget what this girl put you through five years ago?”

Jake shook his head.

“Answer me.”

“I’m not a child,” he gritted through clenched teeth at Kate. Turning to Lisa, he repeated, “Please.”

She huffed. 

“Don’t talk to Lisa with that tone,” Kate said.

“It’s fine, Kate.” Lisa smiled. “We all know this Jake very well.”

She took Michael as Jake grinded on his teeth.

What was so wrong with who he was with Holly? He was happy, all of them were, except his mom.

“Come on, bud, let’s go take a boat ride.” She took the boat keys that hung on the wall.

“Safety jackets please.”

“Don’t worry, I am actually very responsible.” Lisa sneered. Jake stared at his father.

“Ignore it,” Gus said.

Jake shook his head and took a deep breath. He opened his eyes and stared at Kate. “I can’t believe you’d want to keep him here. If you think I’m done fighting, finding out the truth as to what happened, Kate, you better fucking think again.”

“Your language,” she scolded.

“One of the reasons I don’t want Michael inside the house… I’m sorry, Kate. I’m not angry with you. I’m just at breaking point here.”

He sat on the stool and buried his face in his hands. “Mom, I’m begging you. Please just tell me the truth,” he asked again.

“I already told you the truth,” she said. “Jake, ever think that maybe Holly doesn’t like me?”

“Mom? I don’t get any of this.”

“You hardly knew her when she fell pregnant, Jake. Even after I begged her to go on the pill. She was irresponsible then, and irresponsible when she left, putting those babies through hell. That just goes to show you: she is not mentally stable.”

Jake laughed. “So, that was you.” He tried his best to ignore his mom’s last statement. He wasn’t going to believe that Holly was sick for one minute.

Mara flinched. “She told you that she was going on the pill, didn’t she?”

“Stop putting words in my mouth, Mom. She spoke to me about thinking of going on the pill. I found her reading up on it. Yet, you of all people, knew how bad that could be for someone like her. Her sister died of cancer. I didn’t want any of that for her. So we argued about it. She never mentioned it was you, but I an inkling you were behind it. Like I said, you compulsively need to control every aspect of my life.”

“No, I don’t. Damn it, you are a grown man.”

“Then why did you do what you did?” He smacked his hand down on the table, making everyone jump from fright.

“I’m not going to confess to something I didn’t do just to make you feel better, Jake. Holly is lying.”

Amelia’s voice screeched from the doorway “Ohh! So, that’s what you are going to go with, is it?” She entered the kitchen. “Why on earth would she lie, Mom?”

Jake hadn’t even heard her pull up. By the jump from Armand in his chair, neither had he.

“Amelia, please. I never said those things, damn it. Why doesn’t anyone believe me?” His mother face froze when her gaze fell on something behind Amelia. “What is she doing here?” Mara asked, looking at Jake.

“Holly? This is the same Holly who’s the mother of your child?” Kate said, confused.

Jake turned to see Holly squinting at his mother, ignoring Kate completely. They’d already met, and even liked each other.

Holly just stood there, not saying a thing.

Mara looked at Kate. “You know this girl?”

“Yes, she—” 

Holly cut right across whatever Kate was going to say. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure I heard you say I’m some sort of psychopath, Mara. Is that right?” She was livid, yet sounded utterly calm.

“Holly,” Jake said softly. He wanted to get her out of there. She didn’t need to be there. He was more than capable of sorting the whole mess out.

“Don’t, Jake.” She gave him a glare, one he’d only seen once from her—at the stairs when he’d learned about Jamie. She glared at Mara.

His mother sniffed primly. “I don’t know why you are telling my family lies, but you will tell them the truth.”

“Whose truth, Mara? Your version of the truth, you mean? ’Cause you’re forgetting one thing. I don’t have all the details of your version. So, I’m sorry, but that is not going to work, either.” 

Jake had never seen Holly so upset. And that was saying something.

“Well… I’m certainly not going to admit to something I didn’t do,” Mara retaliated. “Get her out of here, now!”

“No! I’m not going anywhere, not until you tell your family how you managed to work your son into that surgery of a lifetime, just so you had the time to remove me from his life. I’d always thought I wasn’t good enough for someone like Jake, but for you to make a decision like that on his behalf—”

“Holly,” Jake said again.

Ignoring him, she continued. “I loved him with all my heart. I walked two miles in heels with your daughter, who by the way wanted a baby of her own so badly. You made me believe she wanted me to abort, too.” 

Jake looked at Amelia and saw the muscles around her jawline clench. Armand got up from his chair and went to her. Holly was a few feet away from his mother now.

“I went through hell and almost died, but that was probably your plan all along. You knew I would run because I told you that day about my family. You, of all people, are so good at reading others and what they will do, aren’t you? You knew that those nine words would make me run, and you hoped I would go against my beliefs and abort my baby, which I’m sure by now you know turned out to be twins. Well, I’ve got news for you, Mara Peters: I didn’t. And I am not some pathetic loser who would make up this lie just to get what I want.”

“You became a doctor!” Kate snapped, which had Holly staring at her in disbelief.

“What?” Mara gasped, looking at Jake. Shaking her head, she looked to the ceiling. “How long has she been back, Jake?”

“What does it matter?”

“Of course, it matters,” she hissed. “You became a doctor?” she asked Holly, looking down her nose at her. “For what purpose? Just so your path would cross with Jake’s again?”

“Not at all. I made damn sure that wouldn’t happen, but I guess the truth always have a way to come out just at the right time.”

Mara opened her mouth to say something else.

Holly didn’t let her. “I became a doctor to help women so that they never had to go through what I went through. But then, Gus released his other drug, and I didn’t have to. So I joined Somers’ free clinic and fell in love with hearts. Funny how we have that one thing in common, don’t you think? To think I was so afraid of you and what you were going to say. Bernie was right—you are the psycho, who is now lying through her teeth to cover her own ass because none of your cards turned out to be safe, Mara.”

“To hell with you and Bernie. I don’t care what that girl said about me. I’m not going to listen to this any longer.”

“Wrong! You will listen to me.” Holly grabbed Mara’s arms and pushed her back against the fridge, knocking magnets to the floor. She was inches from Mara’s face. Jake wanted to jump in, but Frank stopped him. Taking a step back, she pulled something out of her pocket and slammed it down hard on the table. It was two pictures. Pictures he hadn’t seen.

“This is Jamie Bernice.” She pointed, glaring at Mara. “The baby you wanted me to abort. She almost didn’t survive, not that you care. She struggled her little ass off to hold on to life and if you don’t believe me, ask Frank.”

By this point, Jake thought that Holly was going to hit his mother. He felt on edge and didn’t like it.

“No, my boy,” said Frank softly, clearly reading Jake’s frame of mind.

“Just know that she was looking forward to meeting you, but I will never allow that to happen. This…” she picked up the other picture, “…is Romalia.” Jake hadn’t seen it before. “She died nine days later. We tried everything to help her, prayed she’d live. Everything. But she developed little black spots all over her body…” Holly’s voice broke.

Jake knew how extremely hard this was on her. It was hard on him too, as he didn’t know all the facts yet. He fought back tears.

“But still she fought, wanting to stay alive. She would press my little finger until the white of her fingers showed, and I didn’t even feel a thing.”

Jake’s eyes caught Armand who was hugging Amelia hard as her whole body shook.

“That was how tiny and weak she was.” Holly started to cry, which made it so hard for Jake, but she didn’t back down. “Without Gus’s shake, I couldn’t hold them in longer than 25 weeks!” she yelled. “Twenty-fucking-five weeks, and I’m the psycho!”

Tears rolled down Jake’s face, and he saw tears threatening to spill from Frank’s eyes; he’d been there. 

“I thought that I was going to die when she gave up. I pray you never go through that, as no one can explain that kind of loss to a person who has never had to face losing a child. My mom and dad had to sit with Jamie because I couldn’t. It is your fault that Romalia is dead, you hear me? Your fault, your fault!” Holly screamed louder and louder.

Jake couldn’t handle it anymore and he got up, whether Frank was going to tell him to stop or not. Holly had been through enough.

“It wasn’t my fault, you crazy lunatic! I told you to get an abortion that day. You should’ve listened to me.”

Jake stopped halfway toward Holly. Everyone sucked in a collective breath, and Holly stepped back to give her space. Jake stared at his mother. For a second he couldn’t breathe. He should’ve known that it would feel like this. She’d finally confessed.

“I didn’t… mean it like that.” She looked at Jake, guilt tarnishing her face, tears in her eyes.

“Whatever. I’m done.” Holly turned and walked out, leaving the pictures where they lay on the table. When she walked past Jake, she didn’t even spare him a glance. He wanted to leave, too, but he still needed to tell Kate that the wedding was off.

Everyone flinched when the front door slammed shut. Amelia stood frozen to the spot, staring at her mother. He felt Kate’s eyes on him, but couldn’t bring himself to look at her.

“I can’t have children and you told her to abort…” Amelia cried, “…and that I was okay with it?”

Mara had the most awful look on her face, one mixed with sorrow and guilt.

“Amelia...”

“Don’t you dare Amelia me.” Her voice rose. “I hate you. I never want to see you again.” She ran out of the house. Armand rushed after her.

“Just wait for me, please,” Robin begged, and Armand nodded. 

Jake looked at Robin as she walked over to her mother. He knew how badly she believed her mother didn’t do this. “You know how hard that was for her to come here.” Jake didn’t know who she was referring to. Amelia or Holly.

“Robin, I don’t give a shit about that girl.”

“No, you don’t. You’ve made that perfectly clear to us all, Mom. But, you see, my brother does and you have betrayed him. You broke him and then rebuilt him into something he is not.” She sniffed. “How could you have stayed with him like that? Watched him disappear. You lied to all of us, told Daddy his formula didn’t work.” She started to cry too, something that Robin hardly ever did. “Made us hate Holly when she was fighting not only for her life, but for her babies’ lives, too. I can’t even look at you right now. The sight of you makes me sick. I never want to see you again… don’t ever contact me.” When she turned, Mara grabbed her by the arm. Robin swung back and slapped her mother in the face.

As if they were one man, Frank, Jake, and Gus were on Robin. “I mean that. You are not my mom. My mom would never have done that to any of her kids.”

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Jake tried to calm Robin down, at the same time leading her out as tears continued to fall. “Let me see your hand.” It was red; the palm was a bit swollen. He started to chuckle.

“It’s not funny, Jake.”

“I disagree. It was a little bit funny, Robin.”

“She deserved it, though.”

“Okay, hooligan, let’s go.” He led her to Amelia’s car, opened the passenger door, and helped her get in. “Make sure she gets some ice on that hand of hers.”

Amelia and Armand stared at Robin.

“What happened to your hand?” Amelia asked from the front seat.

“I slapped Mom. She made me so angry.”

Jake crouched and looked across Robin at Holly, who was staring out the window.

“Look at me,” he said, but she shook her head. “Holly, I’m sorry that you had to go through that again.”

“Just go, Jake,” she said. Armand looked over his shoulder and gave him a chin lift, echoing Holly’s words with the action. Amelia turned around in her seat and touched Holly’s knee softly.

Jake got up and closed the door. He stood watching as Armand drove away. He knew what was going on in her mind. He couldn’t even get his mom to confess. How the hell was he going to break off this wedding? As soon as the gates closed, he ventured back inside to find his mother holding a packet of frozen peas against her cheek. Kate stood next to her. Glancing down at the table, Jake picked up the photos Holly had left behind.

He looked at the photo of the tiny baby with numerous tubes protruding from her body, making her look like she was part robot, part human. His lip vibrated. She was so tiny. He looked at Frank who looked sad.

“We had to take pictures for the files, my boy. Sorry.”

“She was really this small?”

Frank nodded. “They both were.”

Jake looked at his mother again as he put the photos in his back pocket. “I’m going to ask you again, and if you tell me the truth of what happened that day—what you did, how you planned it, everything—I promise you ten sessions with Blair wherein you will have the chance to convince me why I still need you in my life. If not, you will walk out that door and you will never see me again.”

His father stared at him, shaking his head back and forth as if he couldn’t quite come to terms with what had transpired. “My offer is the same, Mara.” Everyone looked at Gus. “To be honest with you, I don’t know who you are anymore. Tell the truth and I will accompany you to see a professional, and we’ll try to make this marriage work. But if you are not prepared to do that, I will sign divorce papers tonight. You know I have the contacts to make that happen.” Gus wiped tears away.

Jake knew his dad was angry, but to contemplate divorce after so many wonderful years—which, okay, five of them had been a lie—was something he couldn’t wrap his head around.

Mara looked at her husband, her eyes teary. “All right, can I at least have a drink, please, if that isn’t too much to ask.”

“Kate?” Jake said by way of asking, and she nodded. She looked angry, which only meant that by now she’d put two and two together as to why he’d spent so many nights at Downsend.

“Can I ask one question, Jake?”

“Sure.”

“How long has Holly been back?”

He didn’t reply.

“Jake?”

“I never said I’d answer, Mom.”

Mara sighed as Jake pushed a drink into her hands.

“I knew she wasn’t the one for you when she told me about her family.”

He got angry. “You what?” 

“She came from a broken home, Jake. People like that don’t know how to fight. Her father married a bimbo, which taught her it’s fine to cheat on your spouse, and you wanted that?”

Jake closed his eyes and counted to ten. His parents had been married for thirty-one fucking years, and he’d ended up cheating on his own almost-spouse.

“Her mother turned to the bottle when the world pushed her too much.”

“Pushed her too much!”

“Mara!” Gus shouted at the same time.

“It’s how I see it. Like mother, the daughter would do the same, and he would be dragged under.” She looked at Gus and pointed at Jake.

“She lost her daughter! You cannot possible have any idea how that felt, but I can tell you. It feels like someone has ripped your guts out and forgot to put them back in order and you’re left with a gaping hole right here.” Jake hit his chest hard with the palm of his hand as tears rolled down his cheeks. “One that grows and grows by the minute and shreds and pulls the rest of you apart. I’m not good with words like Amelia, but I know how that feels and I understand why Jane started to drink. It is an awful fucking feeling, one you can’t do anything about; you can’t control it, and you can’t make it better. Nothing makes it better. And because of you, I wasn’t there!” He smacked his hands on the counter hard. He was desperate to walk out, tell her to forget about his offer, but he couldn’t. He needed to know everything.

His mother stared at him. She had tears in her eyes.

“Don’t you dare cry. You don’t have the right to that.”

She wiped them away but didn’t say anything, simply lowered her eyes to stare at the table. Eventually—after what seemed like days of pure silence—she began to recount what had taken place. She had asked Holly to go on the pill. The subsequent news that Holly was pregnant had shocked her to her core. Mara had been livid, yes, but she’d also been scared. She was a hundred percent sure that her grandchild was not going to grow up in a happy home, because she was convinced Holly and Jake wouldn’t have been happy together, and that was when she made her choice and started to put her plan into action. It was why she’d begged Jake to go and speak to her that day—she just hadn’t bargained that Amelia would be there, too. As for recording the conversation, she admitted to doing it. The hairs on Jake’s arms rose at how insane his mother really was, that she was capable of doing what she did. It wasn’t the mother he knew. What had happened to her?

His phone beeped and he looked at the screen. It was a message from Amelia.

We are going back to my place. Holly doesn’t want to stay anymore. I swear Jake if you don’t sort this shit out, I will never speak to you again. Just break off this wedding and come home.

Mara kept quiet as Jake read the message. He put the phone in his back pocket.

“Sorry about that, I just had to deal with a message from one of your daughters.”

Mara nodded. “Is she okay?”

Jake huffed. “No, Mom, none of us are okay. You can carry on now. I’m listening.”

Mara took a deep breath and she carried on.

She had pushed the surgery to early morning rather than the afternoon, and she had phoned him around one in the morning to tell him. She’d said it was a last-minute decision from Dr. Huyo, but that it had been her doing, so she’d have time to carry out her plan. She couldn’t give Jake time to tell Holly about their conversation; otherwise her plan wouldn’t have worked.

Jake remembered how excited and honored he’d been to meet Dr. Huyo, the greatest neurologist the world had ever seen. She was right in this respect; interns didn’t get that chance, but she’d made it happen. It was a great career move for her son. So, she’d taken his phone and had redirected all of Holly’s calls to her own number the minute he went into surgery. Exactly what they’d all assumed.

She ground those words out as if they meant everything to her. 

She’d taken Amelia’s phone so Amelia wouldn’t be able to contact Holly the morning she asked Amelia to swing by early, and when Amelia had asked if Mara had seen the phone afterward, she’d used her daughter’s longing for a pregnancy to convince her that perhaps she was suffering from pregnancy brain, because that was what happened when you were pregnant: you became forgetful.

The men closed their eyes at this revelation. How could she have done that, play with Amelia’s feelings like that? Jake was never going to tell his sister what took place, ever.  

“I’m not proud of that, but I had no choice.”

“Just finish your story, Mother.” Jake felt sick. He got up and poured himself a cup of coffee.

Mara continued. Her story took ages to tell, but she was finally telling the truth. Jake asked her a bunch of questions when it was clear she wanted to skip some parts that weren’t making sense, then ended up filling in more details. She told them how she’d taken out the words she needed from her recording and changed Jake’s voicemail.

Mara even went as far as to record the sound of when a call came to an end, all the while praying that Holly would buy it and not wait for Jake to fight back, but Mara had been ninety percent sure that Holly would run and not look back. She’d scheduled a text to send at nine from Jake’s phone, told her visit so that they could talk to Mara, and Holly showed up half an hour later. Everything she told them from this point on corresponded with Holly’s version. When she was done, silence lingered in the air.

Gus was openly crying. “You told me that my formula didn’t work. I withheld a drug that could have saved so many women, Mara. It could’ve saved Romalia.”

“I told you to not give up, Gus. I told you that.”

“It’s not the same!” he yelled. Mara flinched, as did everyone in the room. Mara’s eyes held tears again. Jake didn’t know if they were tears of guilt, tears for what she had done, or tears of fear because she’d gotten caught in her web of lies that had ruined all their lives.

“To be honest with you, I regret that I gave you that ultimatum. I can’t believe you could have done that to Jake, and it scares me as I don’t know what else you are capable of. I’ll find another place to sleep tonight.”

“Don’t, please. I did all of it for Jake. I did it so he could have more. To not have to go through the same things we did.”

His father stopped and turned around.

“The same things you went through?” Jake hissed. “Mom, I was twenty-seven years old, not twenty-fucking-two. I wanted my baby, and because of you I never got to find out it was twins.”

“Jake, you were an intern. You know what having a baby would’ve done to you.”

“No, I don’t. I never got the chance to find out!”

“You wouldn’t have been where you are now. You are thirty-one and you own seventy percent of a hospital. You know how many thirty-one-year-olds own part of a hospital? None.”

Jake chuckled sarcastically. “I didn’t want a hospital, I wanted my child and her mother.”

From the look on Kate’s face, she didn’t like that, not one bit.

“You were not ready for fatherhood, believe me.”

Jake laughed again, his eyes wet and sad. “Holly did go on the pill. She was adamant, so I gave her what she asked for.”

“Don’t you dare lie to me!”

“I do not lie—that’s solely your department,” he said through clenched teeth. “I just didn’t give her the pill.” He chuckled again. It was then he realized how stupid his plan had been. He just hadn’t wanted to lose her. “You see, it wasn’t Holly who tried to pin me down... it was the other way around, Mother. I wanted the baby.”

“Jake, what are you saying?”

“I gave her Amelia’s pills, the fertility drugs.”

Mara closed her eyes. “Why did you never tell me that?”

“I told you a dozen times what I wanted. You just decided what you wanted to hear and what not to pay attention to!” he roared. “But no, you had to control everything, and this is the end result. You love it? ’Cause I sure as hell don’t. It hurts inside knowing that I wasn’t by her side. Knowing that I was lying in my bed, not wanting to live my life while she was going through hell. Why didn’t you just let me try to find her? Why? I was so close when you showed up. So close.”

When Frank gasped, all eyes turned to him.

“You were there, Jake.”

“What, when?”

“We went for coffee while Amelia and Armand were in the hotel with you, remember?” Jake looked at his dad, who squinted at Frank. “You told me what Jake was going through and I felt so bad for what all of you were going through.” He looked at Mara with compassion, compassion she didn’t deserve and then it turned into something Jake had never seen on Uncle Frankie’s face before. It was a mixture of sorrow, disgust, and pity. He couldn’t pinpoint it. “I got that phone call.”

“That was them?” Gus asked, shock anew on his face.

Frank nodded.

“What phone call?” Jake wanted to know.

“I got an emergency call for premature babies about to be born. I had leave your parents to rush to the hospital.”

Jake felt nauseated. “You’re telling me I was there the day they were born?” he demanded, to which Frank nodded, burying his face in his hands.

Jake closed his eyes. He’d been that close.

“Why didn’t you go to say goodbye to Uncle Frankie at the hospital, Dad?”

“I wanted to, son, but…”

“Let me guess, Mom didn’t want you to.”

“I didn’t know, Jake,” she said.

“Yes, Mom, you did. You were just scared that I would find her lying in some hospital as you weren’t sure if she was going to keep the babies.”

A tear rolled down Mara’s cheek. She wiped it off.

“How did you do it? Live with this lie for five years? Watch me go through hell? How could you do that to me? Make me believe that she’d killed my baby, and now knowing that it was all you? How, Mom?” he screamed.

“I wanted to tell you, but I was afraid.”

“Of what?”

“If she’d kept the baby she could’ve died, and I was afraid she would die, okay? You would’ve never forgiven me for that. I would’ve lost you all. So, yeah, I had to endure your pain, knowing that it was me causing it. You wouldn’t have what you have if you’d kept the baby. You wouldn’t have been one of the best neurologists in the world if she’d stayed, and you wouldn’t have met that wonderful girl over there, and that beautiful child.”

Beautiful child. Michael. She still didn’t want Jamie. Jake’s gaze broke away from his mother. He looked down at his watch. Five hours had passed, five fucking hours of trying to get the truth out of her.

Huffing, he said, “I’m ready to answer your question now.” He looked at Mara, not wanting to look in Kate’s direction at all. “Holly has been a doctor at Downsend for the past year. You were wrong about her. She is good at saving people, whether on a physical or an emotional level. She is going to Zürich to learn how to operate in 3D. You are not the only surgeon who knows Somers’s special techniques anymore. He took her under his wing as he owns that free clinic in Seattle. I would’ve become the best neurologist, maybe even better if she’d stayed as I wouldn’t have had to deal with the trauma of her leaving me to have an abortion. I would’ve still had what I now have, and I would’ve had two daughters running around instead of only one. And I would’ve never met this beautiful girl and her boy, who are going to end up hurt.” This time, he did look at Kate, who had tears welling up in her eyes. “That first day I went to that consultation at Downsend, the sixteen-year-old kid?”

Kate nodded to confirm she was with him and for him to go on.

“I saw a natural strawberry blonde, and I had to admit, I thought it was a sign to not go through with this marriage as it was approximately about the thirtieth strawberry blonde woman I’d seen in a matter of six months. But, I didn’t go out of my way to introduce myself to this one as I’d done before with the others.” 

Kate closed her eyes, and a tear escaped to roll down her face. 

“Then, later that day, I bumped into her. I saw Holly’s face, which was natural. I’d always seen her face for the first couple of seconds, and then it would change into who it really was, but not this time. It didn’t change; it stayed Holly. Yes, I was angry and yes, I was bowled over, so badly that I thought my heart was going to stop. But this is not the time to pretend anymore.

“For the past five years, I’ve struggled to breathe, and when I discovered that it was her, I fucking finally drew breath for the first time again.” He looked at his mother. “I tried to stay away from Downsend, but I couldn’t. The first month I wanted to kill her; she did awful things, placed a baby in my arms to sit with. That hurt, but she was the one who was hurting, because I’d never sat with my own babies like that. You took that away from me. I hated her guts after that. Reminded myself every day what she’d done to me, and never once did I ask her what happened because of you. You brainwashed me, because you knew I would’ve discovered the truth if I did ask her what happened. So, after a couple of weeks, the anger subsided. I didn’t give a shit anymore.” He shook his head.

“Jake, what did you do?” Kate asked.

“Two months ago, Holly asked me to choose, Kate. I couldn’t put my family through that, so I couldn’t choose her.”

“Choose, what do you mean choose?”

“For a doctor, you are really daft sometimes. I had an affair with her, Kate, and I didn’t even feel an inch of guilt. I was the happiest guy ever, and I can tell you that it wasn’t going to stop once we were married. You see, I’d signed a contract with Zürich too, which would have allowed me go there at least once a month, giving us all the free time in the world away from you.” He shook his head. “I’m so sorry, but I can’t marry you.”

“You can’t mean that! What about your son?”

“What about my daughter? Who is my flesh and blood? Michael isn’t.” He hated having to say those words, but he had no choice. He loved that kid, but he loved his family more.

“Jake, you can’t take this out on Kate, please,” Mara said.

“Again, you are not listening. Not one of you is listening. I can’t live without Holly, so I won’t. I’m not going to marry you, Kate, so you’d better cancel this wedding, tell them whatever you want to… I don’t care.”

“You can’t do this. What am I going to tell Michael?” She started to cry.

“He is two years old. He isn’t even going to remember me.”

“You are his father, Jake. You are the only one he knows.”

“And whose fault is that, Kate? Duncan has tried repeatedly to be in his life, but you’ve made it impossible for him. You can still change that.”

“I don’t want that asshole in my son’s life, I want you.”

“I can’t. I’m sorry.” !” He turned around and walked past the photos of them, a lie, frames that should’ve been filled with the twins, Holly and him, his real family. He knocked them all off the wall and they cluttered to the floor.

“Jake, don’t do this. We can work this out, please!” Kate begged, running after him.

He chuckled as they reached the front door. “Do you hear what you’re saying? I cheated on you.”

“I don’t care!”

“Well, I do. I’m not going to marry you, Kate. Not only because I can’t, but because I love Holly, and I want to be with my own family. We can work something out with Michael, but that is it.”

Mara led a sobbing Kate away, giving her son a murderous look. But by that point, Jake didn’t give a flying fuck anymore. He stormed out of the house and got into his vehicle, then waited for his father and Frank to follow.

It was past six already. He couldn’t believe that he’d spent an entire day sorting out all this shit. His head hit the back of his seat as a huge weight lifted off his shoulders. He could finally breathe again on his own. He took out his phone and dialed Holly’s number. He closed his eyes as it went over to voicemail. Amelia wouldn’t let her go home. She wouldn’t. She will still be there. She just has to be.