I have two children. My kids have different fathers. My first child is a daughter. Charlotte is now sixteen years old. Her father pays child support and stays in regular contact with her. Even though my first husband is now remarried and has two more children from his second marriage, he never forgets about our daughter.
My son, however, isn’t as fortunate. Two years ago, my second husband fell seriously ill, and three days later, he passed away in hospital. It’s been some time now, but I still cant believe hes gone. I keep imagining the door opening and him walking in, smiling at me and wishing me a good day. And when I realise its only hope, I end up crying all day.
Throughout this period, Ive been very supportive of my late husbands mother, Margaret. Its been just as hard for her as it has been for me after all, her son was her only child. Weve remained close and supported each other, helping each other through such a terrible time. We called and visited regularly, and constantly talked about my husband.
At one point, we even considered moving in together, but later Margaret changed her mind. And so, the years went by seven, to be exact. Margaret and I always got along brilliantly. You could say we were friends.
I remember when I was pregnant, Margaret brought up the topic of a paternity test, though for reasons I wasnt sure of at the time. It turned out that she’d watched a programme on television about a man who raised another mans child for years, only to discover the truth much later. I told her right away that it was nonsense.
If a man doubts whether the child is his, he wont ever truly care and will just be a weekend dad!
Margaret insisted she believed I was pregnant with her sons child, and I was certain that once the baby was born, she might want a paternity test, but she never said another word about it.
This summer, Margaret became very unwell and her health suddenly declined. I decided she should move nearer to me. I contacted an estate agent, and we were planning to buy a flat for her.
Then Margaret ended up in hospital, and I needed her late son’s death certificate for the estate agent. She couldnt manage, so I went to her flat to look for the document myself. I started searching through her files for the certificate.
While looking, I came across another very surprising document. It was a paternity test. Evidently, when my son was only two months old, Margaret arranged the test, which confirmed his fatherhood.
I was shocked. All this time, Margaret hadnt trusted me! I confronted her and told her everything I felt. Now, shes apologising and says she deeply regrets her foolishness. Still, I cant calm myself. I feel betrayed, knowing she kept such a secret all these years.
Now, I find myself not wanting to help Margaret anymore. But at the same time, I know she has no one else to rely on.
I dont want to deprive my son of his grandmother, so I’ll continue to help Margaret. But the warmth and trust between us will never be the same again.
