I pounded on the door. “Mom! It’s Alice!”
Nothing.
I knocked harder. “Mom, please answer!”
Still no response.
My hands shook as I dug the spare key from my purse. Mom had given it to me for emergencies, and this definitely qualified.
The moment I opened the door, I froze.
A man was sitting at our kitchen table.
His back was to me, gray hair curling at the collar of a light blue shirt I recognized instantly. It was the same one I’d given Dad for Father’s Day years ago.
I looked for Mom, spotting her at the counter, slicing carrots with a distant, mechanical rhythm. She didn’t even look up.
“Mom?!” I shouted. “What’s going on?!”
She didn’t turn around.
“I told you not to come today,” she said softly. “Why didn’t you listen?”
Brian came in behind me, saw the man at the table, and froze.
“Who is that?” he demanded.
The man slowly turned toward us.
And I screamed.
He had Dad’s face. The same brown eyes, the same familiar features. But older, more weathered, lined with age in ways Dad’s never had been.
Mom finally faced us, tears streaking her cheeks.
“This is…” She paused, voice trembling. “Your uncle.”
Brian and I stared at each other, stunned.
“Dad didn’t have a brother,” I protested. “You told us he was an only child.”
Mom nodded, crying harder. “Yes, he did have a brother. Your father didn’t want you to know.”
She took a deep breath. “His name is James. I knew him first, before your dad. We were in love, but he left me. No explanation, just vanished. I was devastated.
“Your father was always there, steady and kind. He helped me heal, and I fell for him. We built our life together. But later, during a rough time, I told your dad the truth—that I’d once loved James, and part of me had married him out of spite. But once you two were born, I realized your dad was truly my soulmate.”
