Stolen Identity: Mute Heiress

Chapter 267: I Don’t Want Her Here

Seeing the remorseful look on Callan’s face, his mother shook her head and touched his cheek tenderly. ”There’s no reason to be sorry. You’ve been a good son all these years. Too good if you ask me. But good nonetheless. I just wish you didn’t have to spend all these years with that thought.”

”How did you both end up talking about that, anyway?” His father asked, looking at his wife and wondering if she’d told him yet about her connection with Ryan.

Sensing his silent question, she shook her head subtly. ”We just got talking about the past and it sort of came up,” she explained.

”So, is there anything else you want to talk to us about? Perhaps something you want us to clear up?” His father asked, watching him closely.

Although they still had to talk about his biological father, that could wait until they cleared up whatever else he had on his mind that was bothering him. Maybe that would help make it all easier for him.

Callan shook his head at first, then he hesitated before saying, ”I’ve been seeing a therapist in Husla.”

”We are aware of that,” his father said, surprising him.

”You knew?”

His mother smiled. ”Did you really think we wouldn’t keep our eyes on you and make sure you’re okay? We do not want to interfere with your life, but you’re our only child and your safety is paramount to us.”

Callan’s brows pulled together. ”How long have you been watching me?”

His parents exchanged a look, silently agreeing not to tell him the exact time. ”Long enough to know you were seeing a therapist. We were very glad about that.”

”Did you also know I was trying to find Karen Combs?” He asked, and they shook their head.

”You were?” His mother asked, surprised.

”You said you were watching me. How could you not have known that?” He asked, and his father smiled.

”We were keeping our eyes on you for your safety not spying on you to know all that you’re up to,” he said, and Callan was a little relieved to hear that.

For some reason he didn’t feel upset by the knowledge that they’d been watching him secretly all this while.

”I was still having nightmares and I couldn’t sleep much without sleeping pills. So, my therapist said I needed answers to be able to get closure. So, I was trying to find her. I thought maybe if she told me why she abandoned me, and then helped me meet her sister so she can also tell me why she did that to me,” Callan said, staring at his hand.

”Have you gotten your answers now, then?” His father asked, and he nodded slowly.

Although he had not gotten all the answers yet but he no longer wanted them. He didn’t want to look into the past any more.

”I’ll have them serve dinner in here. Let’s eat in your bedroom and talk,” his mother said with a sweet smile and she squeezed his hand softly before getting off the bed.

Immediately she left the room, his father looked at him, ”How are you feeling now? About everything?”

Callan could tell his father was asking about the information he’d received earlier about Ryan. He sighed deeply and shook his head. ”I’m not feeling anyhow or thinking about it.”

”I spoke with Emily earlier...”

His head snapped up, ”You told her?”

Hunter hesitated. He wasn’t sure how Callan would feel knowing that everyone else was aware of it but him. So, he decided to ignore the question.

”We didn’t tell you everything earlier. We asked you to come home because we got word that Ryan was on his way to Husla to see you and we wanted to talk to you first...”

Callan’s blood ran cold at the thought of Ryan meeting Emily. ”Did he see Emily? Did he talk to her?”

”The thing is, he had a heart attack on the plane and was rushed to the hospital where she works....”

”You still haven’t answered my question, Dad. Does Emily know? About my connection with him?” Callan asked, and his father nodded slowly.

”She does,” he said, and Callan’s shoulders dropped and he shut his eyes.

He could only imagine what Emily must think about him. The son of such a cold blooded murderer.

”Ryan is being transferred to Ludus. He wants to meet with you. And Emily is coming with him as part of his medical team to Ludus...”

Callan shook his head immediately. ”No. She shouldn’t. I don’t want her here.”

His father looked at him. Though he was slightly amused, he didn’t allow it show. He didn’t argue with him either. ”They’re already on their way. She wants to be here for you and I think she should,” Hunter said, and Callan’s shook his head.

”I don’t want to see him. I don’t want her involved in this either.”

”She is already involved whether you want her to or not.” His father stared at him for a while. ”Ryan has heart problems. And from what I hear it’s a miracle that he survived the heart attack. You should meet him. Hear him out. If no one else is willing to listen to him, you at least should do that.”

”How am I supposed to face Jamal or everyone else knowing that such a person is my biological father and his blood runs through my veins?” Callan asked, his eyes filling with tears.

”Why can’t you face them? You didn’t choose for him to be your biological father. And you didn’t commit a crime simply because he is your biological father. You know, shortly before we met you, your mom was abducted by someone who was obsessed with her. I thought I’d lose my mind while we searched for her. It took us a couple of days. Those were some of the longest and worst days of my life till date. I swear I would have murdered him if the police wasn’t there to hold me back,” his father said, and from his tone and the way his eyes hardened Callan could tell he was still mad just thinking about it.

Callan was silent for a while, then he looked at his father. ”If you were in my shoes how would you handle it?”

His father smiled. ”Exactly as I’ve told you. I will hear him out. Listen, it’s the natural instinct of a man to protect the woman he loves. And when realizes that he has failed to do so, he feels worthless. I’m not trying to make any excuses for the despicable things Ryan did, I’m just trying to make you see things a bit from his point of view as I see it. Hear him out because in as much as he did some unforgivable things, everyone deals with grief differently. Let’s hope we never have to face the kind of grief that brings out the monster in us. Because trust me, we all are capable of such wickedness. I can’t imagine what I’d do if anyone dared to lay a finger on your mom,” Hunter said, and then patted Callan’s back.

”And you should know that it was Jamal’s idea to have him brought down to Ludus. He is on his way to Ludus now with his girlfriend. And from what I heard, she wants Ryan in Ludus too. You’re not the mistake of your father. No one will blame you for what he did. And blood isn’t as big a deal as we think about it. There are lots of women out there purchasing sperm from sperm banks these days. They know little or nothing about the men who seed they carry. That you aren’t a product of my sperm or your mother’s egg doesn’t make you less of our son. We’ve been with you and loved you for the past nineteen years. Nothing and no one but you can change who you are, Callan Quinn.”

Just then the door opened and his mother walked in with the three uniformed maids carrying trays of food and drinks.

They set them down on the table in Callan’s room and left. Delilah proceeded to dish the meal into the plates and served each of them on a tray.

”So, what did I miss?” She asked as they settled down to eat.

”Nothing much. I was just telling him about Emily and Ryan coming down to Ludus,” Hunter explained.

”Oh, that. Let’s dig in,” Delilah said, and they ate in silence for a while, though Callan didn’t eat much.

After a while Delilah looked at him with a smile. ”You know, I wonder if Ryan already knows I’m your Mom. I’m curious to see how he is going to react when he realizes his son ended up with me. Talk about fate.”

”What do you mean? Does he know you personally?” Callan asked, knowing she had said that to get his attention.

”This might come as a shock to you, but you remember when you asked about my family some years ago and I told you about a cousin I had but had never met?” She asked, and Callan narrowed his eyes as he recalled the conversation.

He remembered her saying her mother had been estranged from her family because her parents had disapproved of her relationship, and so she eloped and got married. And as a result she’d never met her mother’s side of the family.

”Yes, I remember.”

”Ryan Harris is the son of my Mom’s only brother. My mother’s name maiden name was Harris,” Delilah said, and Callan’s eyes widened with surprise as he looked from his Mom to his Dad and then back again.

”If only he had accepted my invitation years ago for us to meet, maybe he’d have met you sooner. Still, I believe you were made for me. I’ll tell you why I think so. Your biological Mom and I have something in common. Like her, I was rejected by the family of the idiot I wanted to get married. They beat me up and in the process I lost my pregnancy and my womb got irreparably damaged. Your mom was also rejected with her pregnancy and she died having you. And somehow, her son ended up with me. The universe sent you to me,” Delilah said softly.

He smiled at her, but he didn’t respond. He didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t even wrap his head around the fact that she was related to Ryan.

He had a lot in his head now, and now that he’d gotten over the initial shock of discovery, he needed to clear his mind and figure out how to handle everything.

He wanted to be in control of his thought and emotions before Emily and the others arrived in Ludus.