From Vengeance To Forgiveness (Revenge)

Doubts

Grayson Manor, Hamptons

"Robert Bellows." David reached out to Daniel before Victoria could introduce them.

"My son Daniel," Victoria said, letting her eyes wander nervously from one to the other. "Robert is... a friend of your father and me from... former times. He's visiting us and will stay a few days," she said hesitantly.

David noticed Daniel observing him critically, and suddenly he felt uncomfortable. Could it be that he recognized him, although he was still a little boy when he was arrested?

"Where's Emily?" Victoria asked, frowning.

"She didn't feel well and wanted to lay down. She asked me to pick up Julian."

Victoria pointed upstairs. "I don't know if this is a good idea. He just fell asleep. Let him stay for the night," she suggested. "I'll bring him to you tomorrow morning."

"Fine with me." Daniel gave the stranger a scrutinizing look before he left the house and went over to the beach house.

Victoria breathed a sigh of relief. "Do you think he has noticed anything?" She asked, looking at David worriedly.

"At least he was suspicious." He scratched his beard thoughtfully. "Maybe he saw me in the bar. I just can't remember him though. But that doesn't mean anything. The bar was crowded with people."

"Come with me!" She held out her hand. "I'll show you the room where you can sleep."

When he took her hand, he wondered if it would be so easy to keep his true identity a secret. Too many people had known him here and some already knew who he really was, like Jack Porter and Charlotte. People whom he trusted. And although he could mask his appearance with the beard and the longer hair, it couldn't be completely ruled out that his camouflage would leak some day. Deep in thoughts, he followed Victoria up the stairs.

Beach House

When Daniel returned to the beach house, he had expected to find Emily asleep, but she was sitting in the living room, with the TV running, staring with a blank expression at the monitor. "Are you feeling better?" He sat down beside her and took the remote control out of her hands.

"What?" She looked up startled.

He gently stroked a strand of hair from her face. "What's going on? You've been so distant the whole evening."

"I'm just tired." She closed her eyes and leaned back.

"Then I don't know what you're doing here." He frowned at her. "You should be in bed."

She nodded and then rose hesitantly. "Where is Julian?"

"My mother said it would be better if he stayed overnight at the Manor. He's just fallen asleep and she didn't want to wake him up." He cleared his throat. "Speaking of the Manor," he began. "She was not alone when I entered the house. She has a visitor..."

"Visitor?" She raised her head questioningly. "Who is it?"

"No idea." He shrugged. "But I find it funny that she has a male visitor, while my dad is on a business trip."

"Male... visitor?" Emily just stared at him. "What did he look like?"

Daniel thought for a moment. "Tall, dark-blond hair, unkempt, beard..." He stopped in the middle of the sentence as he saw Emily running out onto the terrace and standing there bending over the balustrade. "Hey, what is it?" Worried, he rushed to her and put his arm around her to steady her.

"I just needed... fresh air..."

He immediately recognized that she was just about to have a panic attack. Even during her amnesia, she often had problems with it, and the doctor had told him at that time that she would probably suffer from it when she had stress. He reacted spontaneously, when he picked her up and carried her back into the house. "Em, you're trembling!" He carried her upstairs to the bedroom and laid her carefully on the bed.

"Julian..." she said weakly. "Please bring him over..."

Frowning, he looked down at her and then nodded hesitantly. "Okay. I'll get him."

When he had left the house, Emily sat up and buried her face in her hands. Victoria Grayson's visitor was her father. There was no doubt about that. But how was she supposed to keep her true identity hidden in front of him when he practically lived with her door to door? The idea that Julian was being presented to him was almost intolerable. Grandfather and grandson. Would he be able to recognize in Julian features of himself? Would his instinct tell him that this was the son of his daughter? And again she wondered why he had returned. Was it because of Charlotte, because of Victoria, or Conrad? A terrible thought suddenly crossed her mind: Could it be that he was here to take revenge on those who had brought him to jail? Did he want to continue where she had left? No! She shook her head. It couldn't be. Her kind, loving father was not capable of taking revenge. In his diaries he had begged her to put the whole thing to rest. He wanted peace, not war. And he wanted her to leave the path of retribution, find love and settle down. All things she had achieved and for what she would fight for. She went downstairs and entered the terrace. And as she looked over to the Manor, she saw him standing on the small balcony to Victoria's bedroom, looking over to the beach house. Even if they were a distance away from each other, his eyes held hers captive.

"Emily?"

Frightened, she looked up as Daniel ascended the stairs, the sleeping baby in his arms. She glanced to the balcony one last time and then took her son out of his arms and carried him back into the house.