Fiona remained silent for more than a half minute. "Aaron hates his father because Marcus separated him from the person he loved the most," answered Fiona.
"I... I didn't understand what you are talking about," Elizabeth wanted to confirm. 'The person he loved the most?' who can that person be?
"I never gave birth to Aaron. He was never my son," Elizabeth was shell-shocked after knowing the truth.
"What... What do you mean, mother. Aaron is not your son. How can that be?"
asked Elizabeth in shock.
"I was struggling with infertility...." Fiona took a deep breathe before she continued. "Aaron's grandfather wanted a son, an heir. At that time, Marcus's health was deteriorating because of asthama as he neglected his health. Aaron's grandfather was worried about the inheritance more than his son's health. He was a very selfish man, a man who could do anything to save his name and his property. He was very stubborn on having an heir. That was the time when... when we came to know about Marcus's affair with a woman, she was pregnant with Marcus child. I was shocked to know about my husband's affair, I was broken to learn the truth, it was hard for me to believe but I had to face it. Steve, my brother, was the one who suggested my husband to bring that woman's child. I was against to it at first but I realised that I shouldn't hate the child because of what my husband did to me, the child was innocent. I accepted him as the time passed..."
Elizabeth was speechless. What ever she heard from her mother-in-law was something she never imagined. Whenever Elizabeth asked about his family, Aaron always diverted the topic. She never knew what made him hate his own parents but she never thought that his father would do such a thing.
"Did you.. ever meet his.. real mother?" asked Elizabeth in broken words.
"I did. But at that time, I didn't know about my husband's affair. Marcus father wasn't angry that his son had an affair but he was happy that he finally had an heir. The old man made sure not to leak the information and introduced to the world that the child was Marcus's and mine."
"Aaron never mentioned anything to me," said Elizabeth. Fiona gave a weak smile but said nothing.
"Aaron somehow came to know about his real mother when he was nine years old; by that time, Aaron's mother died, he was only given a picture of his real mother. But for some reason, Aaron started to hate his father to the core; when he was seventeen years old. He left to states without any reason. Since then he stopped talking to me or his father, he cut all the ties with us and came back only to take over the company." Elizabeth listened to Fiona's narration in disbelief.
Silence filled between them. Elizabeth was out of words. She never knew that Aaron's past was heart wrenching. She wondered why Aaron hid it from her. Silence broke when Elizabeth's phone started to ring. It was Aaron.
"Aaron must have come," said Elizabeth and saw Fiona nod in silence.
"I didn't know you came to visit Liam," said Aaron's grandfather to Elizabeth.
"I am sorry. I was talking to mother," Elizabeth explained and looked at Aaron who had a small smile on his when he saw her.
"That's alright!!" Micheal chuckled.
"How is your health grandpa?" she asked him. Her question was normal but to Aaron, her voice sounded to be different. He wondered what made her upset.
"Healthy as always," he said enthusiastically.
Elizabeth faked a smile and thought how could a man be worried about his wealth rather than his son's health and his son, who is as selfish as his father, separated a child from a mother. Both men were greedy in their own ways which disgusted her.
"We will take a leave now," said Aaron and got up from his seat.
"I want to take you somewhere," he said to her while he was driving.
"Where?" she asked in a faint voice.
"To the place where you'd love," he said with a smile.
Elizabeth looked around when he stopped his car. It was the place where they often used to visit when they were in school, it was a restaurant.
"It's been ages," stated Elizabeth and looked back at him, she smiled.
She followed him to the restaurant where he reserved half of the place so that they could have their privacy. "where do you want to sit?" he asked her. There was an excitement on her face to see the old restaurant. She felt nostalgic.
"To the corner," she pointed out a table which was at the corner.
"As you wish," he said and followed her.
Elizabeth was the one to order the food while he kept staring at her as if he was mesmerized by her again. After the food was severed, Elizabeth started to eat in silence as she was hungry but she couldn't brush off her thoughts.
"I hope you don't blame Aaron for he had hidden his greatest secret from you. The reason I told you was because, I want you to take care of Aaron and never leave him no matter what. I may not be his birth mother but I was the one who raised him and took care of him. He shuts himself and doesn't believe people but you... you are different to him and I've observed it. You are the only one who can make him forget his hatred towards his family and to lead a normal and happy life." Fiona's words echoed on her mind as she kept staring at Aaron whose eyes were on his plate.
"Are you gonna continue to stare at me or gonna tell me what you are thinking?!" Aaron said before he took a bite. Elizabeth hesitated before speaking her thoughts out to him but the more she tried to be normal the more she felt uncomfortable.
"Is that the reason why you never liked mentioning your family?" she spoke out.
"What do you mean?" he asked shifting his eyes on her and then to his plate.
"I came to know something about you which you never mentioned in the past...your mother..."
Her words trailed away when she saw put his fork aside to take a glass of water to drink.
"I'm glad. She made things easy for me," he said her in a calm tone and continued to eat. Elizabeth looked at him, she hoped at least for an explanation from him but he didn't. He was not even bothered to talk about it. She thought, she ruined the atmosphere between them.
"Back then, I thought it was unnecessary to mention about the person who left me with a person like my father," he said. There was no hint of anguish or pain in his eyes or was it her eyes which were unable to see them, Elizabeth didn't understand what was on his mind.
"Have... Have you ever met her?" she asked as her voice shivered.
"Never," he shook his head.
"I was nine when I came to know about my birth mother but I was told that she died while giving birth to me. My father was good enough to give me her picture to know who that person was. I started to hate my life and shut myself, I felt I didn't belong with in the place I grew up. Everything seemed different to me. I hated everything I liked before I was nine and changed myself, I was angry that they hid the truth but I was also thankful that someone took care of me like my own mother. I never wanted someone to come close to me but.. There was this one girl who grabbed my total attention to shift to her, it was you... you came into my life. I started to love your presence and never wanted to lose you, never; you were precious to me someone whom I wanted to protect and take care of...."
Elizabeth's eyes were filled with tears and a small smile appeared that she was someone who cherished in his life.
"But...you too lied like everyone else for their own selfishness..."
His words broke her heart. Was he talking about taking sides of her mother? Is that the reason why he left her? Elizabeth barely breathed when his words pierced her heart and her thoughts were being clenched in pain.
He let out a weak laugh," that is what I thought. I know was stupid to believe and judge you from what I came to know and then I started to hate you for trying to save your mother who was actually innocent. I was moved to anguish when I saw the woman in the picture who died. She was the woman whom I thought to be dead when I was nine years old, she was... she was my mother whom I never got a chance to meet because of my selfish father and uncle who separated a child from his mother. I lived in lies in my entire life..."
"Margaret Winds... is your mother???"
She saw him give a nod to her question.
Elizabeth covered her mouth as she leaned back to the chair when she came to know his truth. She continued to look at him who now had a pain in both of his eyes. They showed a pain of betrayal from the person he believed. She clearly understood what he has gone through since he was a child. His life was filled with lies. His birth was itself a lie to the world. May be that is why when he came to know about Elizabeth's testimony being taken back, he couldn't take it. One side was his long lost mother and his father who hid her from him and then there was the person whom he loved the most who claimed that her mother was innocent when. He thought she too lied like his father.
"I hated everyone for lying and I wanted to run away. I knew I was being a coward by not facing the truth but at that time, all I wanted to do was escape from a world full of liars. I hated everyone for lying to me, especially you, whom I loved the most. And then my father's wife who took care of me like her own son. But deep down, I knew she didn't deserve the hatred but I feel awkward to even look at her. My father betrayed her with another woman who conceived me, I don't know how could she even able to give that love to me when she clearly knew who I was..."
When Aaron completed pouring out his past, his pain and the the betrayal from his family to her, the place was left with pure silence.