Tej couldn't bring himself to look at Mr. Ruth the same way again. Every time he saw his father, the memory of what he had done, the betrayal of trust, weighed heavily on his heart. The man who had raised him, who had loved him like his own flesh and blood, had committed an unforgivable act. And yet, Ms. Ruth remained blissfully unaware, her love for Tej pure and untainted by the dark truth that lay hidden in their past.
The days following Tej's discovery were a blur. He avoided his parents as much as he could, keeping to his room and avoiding eye contact whenever they were in the same room. He was haunted by the notebook, by the words that had shattered his world. But what tormented him the most was the thought of Ms. Ruth—the mother who had lost her child and had unknowingly raised another woman's son. How could he ever tell her the truth? How could he break her heart again?
Tej replayed the events in his mind over and over, trying to make sense of it all. How had Mr. Ruth justified his actions? How could he have thought that taking a child, no matter the circumstances, was the right thing to do? And what about Maria? Was she still out there, somewhere, searching for her lost son? Did she ever give up hope, or had she come to terms with the loss, believing that her child was gone forever?
The more Tej thought about it, the more he realized that he couldn't stay silent. The truth had to come out, no matter the cost. But he didn't know how to begin, how to confront his parents with what he had learned. The mere thought of it made his stomach turn.
One evening, as Tej sat alone in his room, the console screen flickered to life. The system had returned, its cold voice echoing in his mind once more: Truth or Dare?
Tej stared at the screen, the words blurring in front of his eyes. He had chosen Truth once before, and it had nearly destroyed him. But he knew he couldn't go back now. He had to keep going, had to see this through to the end.
With a heavy heart, Tej chose Truth.
The screen flashed, and a new message appeared: Find out what really happened. Confront your father.
Tej's breath caught in his throat. The system was pushing him to do what he had been avoiding, to face the man who had raised him and demand answers. But could he really do it? Could he confront Mr. Ruth and ask him why he had done what he did? The thought terrified him, but he knew he couldn't run from it any longer.
Later that night, after dinner, Tej finally gathered the courage to speak to his father. He waited until Ms. Ruth had gone to bed, and then he found Mr. Ruth in the living room, sitting in his favorite armchair, reading the newspaper.
"Dad," Tej said, his voice trembling. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"
Mr. Ruth looked up, surprised by the serious tone in his son's voice. "Of course, son. What's on your mind?"
Tej hesitated, the words catching in his throat. But then he remembered the system's command, the weight of the truth pressing down on him. He had to do this. He had to know.
"I… I found something," Tej began, his voice barely above a whisper. "Something that doesn't make sense. About me. About where I came from."
Mr. Ruth's expression shifted, a flicker of something—fear, guilt, Tej couldn't be sure—crossing his face. "What do you mean?"
Tej swallowed hard, his heart pounding in his chest. "I found your notebook, Dad. The one from after the miscarriage. I know what you did. I know that you took me from my real mother. That you kidnapped me."
The words hung in the air, heavy and damning. Mr. Ruth's face went pale, and he stared at Tej in shock, his hands trembling. For a moment, neither of them spoke, the silence between them deafening.
Finally, Mr. Ruth spoke, his voice strained and filled with regret. "Tej… I… I never wanted to hurt anyone. I just… I wanted to make your mother happy. She was so broken after the miscarriage, I didn't know what else to do. I thought… I thought I was saving you, giving you a better life."
Tears filled Tej's eyes as he listened to his father's words, the pain in his chest almost unbearable. "But you didn't save me, Dad. You stole me. You took me from my real mother. How could you do that?"
Mr. Ruth's eyes were filled with tears as he reached out to his son, but Tej pulled away, unable to bear his touch. "I'm so sorry, Tej. I'm so sorry. I was wrong. I know that now. But I love you. Your mother and I, we love you so much. Please, you have to believe me."
Tej shook his head, the tears streaming down his face. "I don't know if I can forgive you for this, Dad. I don't know if I can ever look at you the same way again."
Mr. Ruth's face crumpled in despair, and he buried his face in his hands, sobbing. Tej watched him, his heart breaking for the man who had raised him, who had loved him as his own. But the betrayal was too deep, the wound too fresh. He couldn't stay in the room any longer.
Without another word, Tej turned and walked out of the living room, leaving his father alone with his grief. As he climbed the stairs to his room, he felt a crushing weight on his chest, a sadness that seemed to consume him from the inside out. He had uncovered the truth, but it had only brought more pain, more heartache. And the worst part was that he knew it wasn't over. There were still more questions, more secrets to uncover. The system wasn't done with him yet.
As Tej lay in bed that night, the tears still wet on his cheeks, he thought of Ms. Ruth, the mother who had loved him so dearly. She had no idea what her husband had done, and Tej couldn't bear the thought of breaking her heart. She had already lost one child—how could he make her lose another?
But the truth was out now, and there was no going back. Tej knew he had to find a way to make peace with what he had learned, to find a way to move forward. But as he drifted off to sleep, one thought lingered in his mind: no matter what happened, his life would never be the same again.