Hey, can you come to the hospital to meet me?
I woke up to this text from Tessa and felt happy knowing that she had finally become conscious. The past two days have been pretty scary for all of us. From the crash to the hospital, everything seemed like a big nightmare. I can still hear the noise of the crash every time I close my eyes. The sight of seeing three cars slammed into each other and all of them being people I knew, had given me a panic attack at that right moment. I couldn't stop myself from sobbing after seeing all of them unconscious and covered in blood.
Thankfully a lot of people had gathered around who immediately called the ambulance and yanked all three of them out of their respective cars. I phoned my parents and Eric as soon as I got inside my car to follow the ambulance to the hospital.
By the time we reached the hospital, everyone was already present there. I don't remember much after that because as soon as I saw my mum, I ran to her crying and remained that way for a very long time. My tears didn't stop trickling for the next hour.
Samuel and my dad took the responsibility of filing up all the hospital forms while I just kept crying like a baby in my mother's arm.
A soft knock on the door pulled me out of my reverie. Rachael's head popped in and she asked, "Hey Tessa's woken up. Do you want to go meet up with her?"
I got out of my bed and replied, "Yeah, she just texted me. Let's go meet her."
"Okay then! Get ready fast, Eric and I are waiting for you downstairs."
"I'll be there in a ten."
***
We reached the hospital after a fifteen-minute drive and though I was excited to see Tessa, a part of me was nervous too. A lot of questions had arisen in my head after the night of the accident. I couldn't quite comprehend why the three of them were following me in their cars instead of attending the party. I wanted answers to all my questions but I had to wait for the right time. Tessa had just recouped and I wanted to give her some more time to rest instead of throwing so many questions at her.
We made our way to her hospital room and saw her peacefully reading a book. The moment she saw us, she kept the book aside and greeted us with a smile. "Hey, how are you feeling now?" Rachael asked while taking a seat next to her bed.
"I'm good. Thank you for dropping by."
"Sophie misses you like crazy," Eric added.
Tessa gave a soft smile and replied, "I miss her too but I don't want her to see me like this."
"Yeah, we guessed that hence we didn't tell her about the accident. She thinks her parents have gone out of town for a meeting."
"I'm guessing Natalie came up with that excuse. She's always good at convincing Sophie to believe her lies."
Eric laughed and said, "She certainly is."
Tessa now shifted her attention towards me and gave a small smile. "Thanks for staying with me the entire time I was unconscious." I was a little taken aback thinking about how she found out about this. Maybe Samuel told her. My instinct answered.
"No problem Tess. I'm glad you are okay now," I replied with a big smile. I truly felt relieved that she was alright now. A part of me feared about Adam's life but there's nothing I could do other than wait for the doctors to say something.
"Can I talk to you alone for some time?" She asked and I nodded my head. Rachael and Eric decided to leave at this point after saying their goodbye's to Tessa.
I quietly made my way to the empty seat where Racheal sat a few minutes ago. The silence felt a bit awkward but I decided to wait for her to speak something first.
"I never thought I would say this to you..." She said and paused for a second to take a deep breath. "Adam is not Sophie's real father." The moment she said that I felt like a deep weight being lifted off from my body. I didn't know why exactly Tessa decided to tell me the truth now but I kept calm because looking at her facial expressions, I knew there was more to come.
"You see, all this while I thought you were the one who left Adam but it turns out it was the other way round. I'm so sorry Adaline. All this happened because of me. It's my fault," she said and started crying. This felt like deja vu. I had been in the same situation with Tessa a few years back. She kept sobbing in the washroom like a baby and I had no idea what to do to make her stop.
After a few minutes, she stopped crying and said, "We have been in this situation before. Remember?" A small smile spread across her face which made me smile too. I wiped the tears off her face and replied, "Yes, that's exactly what I was thinking."
"I had found out I was pregnant that day. Sophie is Mike's daughter."
"Hmm, that explains why you cried so much that day. You mind if I ask what happened to Mike?"
She laughed and said, "He fucked off the moment he found I was pregnant with his kid. Sophie was a mistake, Adaline. But I'm glad I brought her into this world. I don't regret my decision."
"You shouldn't. She's a beautiful kid," I replied with a soft smile.
"I know you are curious to know why Adam lied to you and trust me I didn't know about all this until this morning. You are the first person that came to my mind the moment I found out the truth," she said in one breath. The look on her face showed how guilty she felt for keeping Adam away from me all this while. "It's okay Tess. I'm all ears now. Tell me why Adam lied to me."
"He was forced by my dad to make a choice," She said in a remorseful manner.
"What choice?"
"Samuel had borrowed some money from my dad but the woman he was having an affair with ran away with all the money."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing at the moment. "Samuel had an affair?" He and Natalie were always my favourite couple in the world. I couldn't imagine how hurt Natalie would be after knowing the truth.
"Yes. He deeply regrets it, but it's not like he can change the past," she replied.
"How did Adam get involved in all this then?"
"My dad wanted Adam to be the father of my child otherwise he would have told Natalie everything. Plus he took away football from him."
"What do you mean?"
"My dad was the school's trustee. He pulled some strings and Adam was removed from his club."
"Why didn't Adam tell me about all this? We could have found a solution together," I said in an agitated voice. I couldn't believe that Mr Peterson was the reason behind all my sufferings.
"My dad threatened to take away your chance of going to London for the music video too. Adam didn't have much choice left."
"Your dad is so cruel," I said and then realised maybe I should have just kept this thought to myself.
"You're right. He certainly is. The reason we are at the hospital is because of my dad. He wanted to kill you but Adam saved you at the right time by turning his car."
"I don't know what to say right now, Tess. All this is too much for me to process," I replied honestly.
"It's okay Adaline. I just wanted you to know the truth because certainly, Adam will never tell you all this."
"I can't believe I hated him all these years for nothing. All he did was protect me from the wrath of your dad."
"He's a great man. He never told me the truth either. Instead, he treated me and Sophie like his own. I hate myself for burdening on him this way. He didn't deserve all this."
"Why do you think will happen if Natalie finds out about all this?" I asked.
"She's going to kick Samuel out of the house," she answered back and then both of us kept quiet for some time. Even though I knew the entire truth now, there were still many questions I wanted to ask.
I took a sip from the glass of water kept next to my seat and then asked: "What happens to us then?"
"I'm planning to leave this town with Sophie. I don't think I can stay here after everything that has happened," she confessed.
"What about Sophie? What will you tell her if she asks about her father?"
"She has to know the truth someday. She's young now but I'm sure she'll understand everything when she gets a bit older."
"You sure you want to leave this town? I don't think you should do that. Adam would surely object to this plan."
"I filed a police complaint against my dad. They'll take him in custody once he recovers," she admitted and I was stunned. How could she do that to her father? This girl is far stronger than I thought.
"You are way too strong Tess. From telling me the truth to filing a complaint against your dad. All this needs a lot of guts," I said and hugged her. She hugged me back and started sobbing lightly. "I'm so ashamed to be called his daughter. This is the least I could do for you and Adam. I'm so sorry for everything." I patted her back lightly and said, "It's okay Tess. This wasn't your fault. I'm glad you told me the truth. Thank you for being so strong."
She sighed with relief after hearing those words but her arms were still around me, hugging me tightly. I don't remember how long we stayed like that, but I was glad that I finally found out the truth. If it wasn't for Tessa, I would still be in the dark. Now I realised why Adam had told me not to hate her during our school days. He used to say everyone has a good and a bad side. I finally got to see Tessa's good side. Even though she was mean to me and constantly tried to get on my nerves, I realised deep down she has a kind heart.
***
Merry Christmas to all❤
I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Let me know your thoughts on this.
Also, how are you guys celebrating Christmas this year? I baked an extremely delicious cake for my family.🙈
Thank you for all the love for the book. Just one more chapter to go :D