Dear Mr Blind Date, Are You Mr Right? (Completed)

Shocking Truth

Two days have passed. Nothing much has changed.

I'm still stuck in bed with a cast.

I'm still in a hospital.

I'm still surrounded by weird relatives.

"Chloe, I brought some chicken soup. You need to drink them," Mum chimes as she saunters in for her early visit.

I stare at her. It's hard not to when you aren't used to your mother taking care of you. All my life, I've always been the one to cook for her and do the household chores. Now, Mum, the most spoiled woman ever, is taking care of me. It's as if the world has stopped revolving.

"I. Don't. Want. Bloody. Chicken. Soup," I reply angrily.

Ok, fine. I'm slightly angsty this morning. But honestly, can you blame it? I hate it when people fuss over me. It makes feel...insignificant. I suppose I should count myself fortunate that Mum didn't have a heart attack after learning about my accident but that's about it.

"Come on," she coos, as if she's talking to an incompetent child. She takes the spoon, lades up some murky-looking soup and forces it into my mouth.

Blech. It's disgusting. It tastes like....cow dung.

I choke and Mum gazes at me adoringly. "Good girl," she says.

"Where did you learn how to cook this chicken soup?" No offence but her culinary skills only extended to toasting bread.

"I figured it out myself!" Mum says proudly. "I merely put in a raw chicken into hot water."

I stay silent. No point arguing with her at this point.

Suddenly, a low throaty voice goes, "Mrs Manson, such an honor to see you again."

I look up and Ed stands there, looking all amused at my spectacle. He takes out a bag and says, "I know you like your baguette fresh so I went down to the bakery to buy you some."

I can't help but smile. Only Ed knows me best.

"I simply must begin to plan your wedding." Mum claps her hands and I roll my eyes.

"Am I disturbing your little reunion?" A crisp, cool voice echoed.

All three of our heads whip towards the source of noise.

"Mrs Hardy," I say politely. Ed doesn't respond. Instead, he stares resolutely ahead while clasping my hand. I swivel my head to find Mum staring at Ed's mum in shock.

"Erm, Mum, this is Ed's mother," I say awkwardly. Fancy the future-in-laws meeting each other.

"Kendra?" Mum's face pales. "As in Kendra Hardy?"

Ed's mum looks confused. She steps forward and peers at Mum's face. Suddenly, her face contorts in shock. "Oh my, are you..." she says, utterly flabbergasted. "Are you Eleanor?" Instead of her usual, professional demeanor, she looks slightly frazzled.

I stare at both of them in confusion. Do they know each other?

Mum's face darkens. "Are you still together with him?" she asks accusingly.

Kendra Hardy smooths her coat nervously. "Yes, I am. We're very much happy together," she replies defensively, guaging Mum's reaction warily.

"Is....is Ed his child? Oh gosh, does Chloe know? That she's dating her...her...." Mum doesn't finish her sentence. She casts Ed an angry look.

I start to sweat. Mum has always been pleased with Ed. What happened? What's going on here? Is there something I should know? As if sensing my disturbance, Ed squeezes my hand reassuringly. How does he keep himself so calm?

"No," Kendra Hardy says, enunciating each word carefully. "He's the child of my previous husband. Adrian is only Ed's step-father."

At this, Ed perks up. He stands up and frowns. "Mum, what's going on with you, Dad and Chloe's Mum?"

I froze.

Wait.

Adrian Manson is the name of my long-lost father.

Ed just called him "Dad".

Oh. Gosh.

"Mum...?" I croak out. "Tell me the truth, please."

Mum looks so wilted and torn. She leans in towards me and says sadly, "I never meant to keep this from you, Chloe. I wanted to protect you."

"Shut up...just tell me the truth," I choke out. Since when did my innocent, crazy mother have so many secrets?"

"If you must know, Kendra was my university mate," Mum says, shooting Ed's mum an annoyed look. "I married Adrian the moment I graduated and I had you."

"How does Ed's mum come in?"

"When you were a toddler, Adrian cheated on me with Kendra and he left me for her," Mum says, teary-eyed. "I never told you this because he broke my heart. I trusted him and he betrayed me. Men are jerks."

"That's not true," Kendra Hardy cuts in arrogantly. "Adrian loved me. When my husband died, he was the only person that cared about me and my two sons. It's wrong of you to snatch him away."

"You bitch," Mum growls. "You've caused my daughter to lose a father's love all these years and here you are, shamelessly berating me? You owe us things you can never repay back in this life time."

"Ed has always treated Adrian as a father. You can steal that away from us again."

"Shut your mouth, you arrogant prick."

Both women stop to breathe.

"What the-?" Ed cuts in loudly. "Is that true, Mum?" He stares at Kendra Hardy with disbelief. "Dad is actually....Chloe's dad? So that makes Chloe and me...step-siblings?" He glances at me in horror.

Oh no. Shit. You see how this happens to me all the time? One moment, I'm making out with someone. The next moment, I find him to be my long-lost step-brother.

"I never approved your relationship with Chloe Manson to start with. Now that I realise she's the daughter of Adrian and Eleanor, I'm all the more against this relationship," Kendra Hardy shouts loudly. "My life was ruined once and Adrian picked up the pieces. I will not allow it to be ruined again."

Mum opens her mouth to say something but Ed instantly retorts harshly. "You are just selfish," Ed grits through his teeth. "You stole Chloe's Dad because you craved for companionship and love. You forced Jack and I to obey you to satisfy your irrational wishes. You never once thought of other people. You're just a cold-blooded snake."

"Ed, how can you say this of me?" Kendra Hardy looks taken aback. "I raised you ever since you were a child...."

"No," Ed growls. "Dad, as in Adrian, has always been the one to care for me. But now, I realise that even that little bit of love I received from him was stolen from someone whom I loved dearly and I will not tolerate that."

"Stop being so childish," Kendra Hardy laughs. "Everything's just fine. We can ignore these pair of mother-and-daughter and get on with our lives."

"No," Ed says. "I'm marrying Chloe. You have no final say in that."

"You-"

"And I don't want you to be present at the wedding. You don't deserve it."

"How dare you?" Kendra Hardy retorts. "I will cut you out from your inheritance. I will forbid you from stepping into our house again."

"Do it then," Ed says. "I've never once felt that I belong in your house anyway."

With that, he stomps out and his mum quickly follows, her steps echoing in the hallway.

Only Mum and I are left in the room.

"Was that just a dream?" I say dazily.

"Unfortunately, it's the reality, Chloe." Mum shakes her head.