"Then Sara came along. Then Ashley. By then I was used to it.
It was the same procedure over and over again. At times I wanted to get up and leave all the pain, cheating and silent humiliation. But I will take one look at their faces and I resolved to stay. Besides my parents and his parents wouldn't let me. They blamed me for not giving Eric the children he wanted."
"But he was cheating on you" Collins said with disbelief.
"Yes. They told me to suck it up. But in his own way I knew he loved me. Or the very least cared deeply for me. Diane was not so lucky. Her mother came from nothing. Esther was a mistake. And she gave birth to a mistake in Eric's eyes. You wouldn't believe, the raving and ranting he did when it came out that the great Eric Timmons had gotten a maid pregnant.
Esther was a case that wouldn't go away. By that time everyone had seen me and knew very well that I was not pregnant. And Diane has Latina blood in her. I think that is why he resents Diane so much."
"Is that why you care for her? To appease what your husband had done?"
"No. I cared and still do care for Diane because Eric hated her.
Because she came from nothing. All his kids he adored but Diane did he detest. It was through his hatred did I grow love for her. She was untainted. If it was possible I would have had Esther sent away and adopted Diane myself but Esther was a lioness who would not give up her child." she chuckled recalling the memory of Estelle yelling that she would rather die than be separated from her daughter.
"Why are you telling me this?" he asked. She had kept this a secret for over three decades. Why was she now sharing her story?
"Because I want you to understand how stupid you were. How detestable and disappointing you became in my eyes the day you gave up your blood. Why you don't deserve the right to call those children yours.'
He remained silent.
"I envied her you know."
"Who?" he asked confused.
"Esther I envied the bond she had with her daughter.
Whenever I was with Diane I felt at peace and secured. For a brief time I was happy. I knew Diane chose to like me and daresay love me. With Morgan, Judy, Ashley and Sara I always had it at the back of my mind that one day if the situation called for it they would deny me as their mother. If their real mother showed up and they had to pick I would lose."
"That's not true" he argued.
"Really? They hate their half-sister yet love their father even though he is the one who is guilty. They are ruthless. They will do anything at all to make sure that they are success. And you really think if a situation arrived where claiming their real mothers would benefit them they won't go for it?" she scoffed.
He remained quiet. And that spoke volumes. Because he and her both knew that Morgan, Judy, Sara and Ashley were capable of doing just that.
"But can you blame them. They were raised to be ruthless.
When they were babies they were so happy and pure. They would laugh and giggle at the slightest thing. And as they grew they turned into spoiled brats. Ruthless, mean and cold.
I couldn't understand how they went from sweet and innocent to bullies. They acted like they owned the world. And your uncle, and father and mother and their grandparents did nothing to quell that. The older they got and the feeling of one day being rejected by them for their real mothers became stronger. And Eric will do nothing to stop them"
There was a pause. Each person with their own misery and sorrow and memories. Right now at this moment they were at a true. Tomorrow they will be at opposite ends. The months to follow they will fight with their blood, sweat and tears. But for this very night as the moon was rising, it was a time of cease fire.
Collins was taking the silence to process everything that he had just learnt. It was a lot to take in and his mind was shot.
He couldn't believe the amount of secrets that both families had. He was at a crossroad. "I don't know whether to hate Eric or continue to love him"
She looked at him long and hard. Then she replied in a cold voice.
"You don't have a choice. You are exactly like him"