55-year-old Helen had visited her son, Matt’s home, where he was living in there with his wife Jennifer, and their son, and her grandson, Jake.
He was two weeks old when Helen visited, and as soon as she held Jake in her arms, she couldn’t felt a connection with her grandson, as if Jake was carrying some other person’s eyes, where Helen’s family always had blue and brown eyes, while Jake had his green eyes.
Jake also had a different kind of hair color, instead of their blond and dark brown shaded hair. “He has his grandfather’s eyes, doesn’t he? From my side of the family.” Jennifer said, while Helen was examining her grandson.
But Helen was suspicious, and Jennifer’s efforts to reassure Helen were in vain. Few weeks later, as Helen’s suspicions were grown, she decided to take a DNA test on her grandson to find the truth.
At the 30th birthday party of Jennifer, Helen decided to take the DNA test. When she arrived at their house, her son Matt welcomed Helen, “Mom, I’m glad you’re here. Jake’s been asking for his grandma,” he said.
“I hope you enjoy the party. We’ve planned a special dinner,” Jennifer hugged too. As time passed, Helen wanted to talk with Matt and Jennifer.
“Matt, Jennifer, there’s something that we need to address, something about Jake.”
“Mom, what’s this about? What are you doing?” Matt was concerned.
“What is it? You’re worrying me,” Jennifer said.
Then Helen talked about her suspicions, and revealed the DNA test kit she brought in her purse. “Jennifer, I will not tolerate such a vile betrayal of my son!” Helen said.
“How dare you accuse me of something like that,” Jennifer was offended, “How could you say something like that; there is no proof!”
“Well, Jennifer, today is your lucky day. I came prepared. A simple DNA test will clear all doubts,” Helen responded then, as she pulled out the test kit.
Few days later, the DNA test revealed the truth, as Helen was right with her suspicions. Jennifer also confessed her guilt over the phone that Jake was an affair child, before she had met with Matt.
“Why?” Helen asked, as she contained herself. Jennifer explained that she was afraid to tell to Matt, as she didn’t wanted him to leave her.
As Helen couldn’t hold it inside, she talked with her son about the issue, and witnessed the confrontation of her son, with his wife.
“Jennifer, how could you do this? How could you let me believe Jake was mine?” Matt asked.
“I was scared, Matt. I thought I would lose you if you knew the truth.” Jennifer said.
“But lying to me, to us, about something so fundamental… How could we possibly move past this?”
“I thought I was protecting us, but I see now I was only protecting myself from the truth. I’m so sorry, Matt.”
“Being sorry won’t change anything, Jennifer. This… This lie has broken everything.”
“Mom, how do I move past this? How do I make sense of everything?” Matt asked to his mother.
“Matt, my heart breaks for you. This pain, this sense of betrayal — it’s a steep mountain to climb. But remember, you’re not climbing it alone. We’re here, together, and we’ll take it one step at a time,” Helen tried to assure her son.
“I just… I loved her, Mom. I loved Jake as my own. How do I reconcile with the reality that it was all a facade?”
“Love, Matt, is a tapestry of many threads — some of joy, some of sorrow. Your bond with Jake remains untarnished by this deceit. And as for Jennifer, it’s natural to mourn the loss of what you believed you had. It’s alright to be angry, to feel adrift. This ordeal doesn’t define your essence. You possess the resilience to forge ahead, to rediscover joy amidst the ruins.”
