Julie sat on the edge of her bed, staring at the wall, her mind racing, she felt as if she had opened Pandora's box of family secrets. Who was Jeremy? Why had their father kept him a secret for so long? Did he even know he was part of this inheritance? Each question felt like a stone added to the weight on her chest.

Determined to find answers, Julie called her brother Mark, who had always been a teammate, tackling life’s challenges together and when he arrived, she wasted no time in asking Mark

“Mark, we need to figure this out who Jeremy is, he could be of importance to us, and I can’t shake the feeling that our father had kept him hidden for a reason.”

Mark nodded and his brow furrowed in thought “I agree. Let’s start with what we know. Well, our father was a private man, but this feels different, what if Jeremy isn’t just some random guy? What if he’s connected to something bigger?”

They decided to dig deeper, so decided to go through their father’s old belongings hoping for clues within the dusty boxes in the attic. As they searched through the clutter of boxes they found old letters, photographs, and trinkets that holds memories of a different life.

Image source; Pexels

In all, a letter addressed to someone named Elena caught Julie’s eye, it was a letter written in her father’s handwriting. A letter filled with heartfelt words about love and longing, and it mentioned a son, instantly, Julie’s heart raced. Could this son be Jeremy? She turned to Mark, her voice barely above a whisper. “What if Elena is Jeremy’s mother?”

Mark took the letter and read it, his expression shifting from curiosity to concern, “this changes everything, because if Elena is connected to Jeremy, then our father had a life we didn’t know about so we needed to find out more about her.”

The siblings spent the next few days researching Elena and they discovered that she had once lived in their town but had moved some years ago. As they continued digging, they found an old address and decided to pay her a visit. On getting to the address, they felt a bit excited and anxious at the same time.

Elena answered the door, her expression a mix of surprise and recognition. “Julie? Mark? I heard about your father’s passing. I’m so sorry for your loss.”

Julie took a deep breath, her heart pounding. “Thank you. We are here because we found something, a letter addressed to you and we have questions about Jeremy”.

Elena’s face fell, and she stepped aside to let them in. “I suspected this day would come. Your father and I had a complicated relationship. Jeremy is my son, and your father was his father too. But he never wanted anyone to know.”

Julie’s mind raced. “Why? Why keep him a secret?”

Elena sat down, her eyes filled with tears. “Your father loved me, but he was scared. He didn’t want to ruin his reputation or cause trouble for his family. So, when I had Jeremy, we agreed it was best for him to stay hidden. I raised him alone, and he never knew about you or your father’s past.”

Mark’s voice was steady but filled with emotion. “Does Jeremy know he’s part of this inheritance? Does he know about our father?”

Elena shook her head. “No, he doesn’t. I thought it was best to protect him from the truth, but now, with your father gone, I can’t keep this from him any longer, he deserves to know who he is.”

Julie felt a surge of determination and said “we need to tell him, he has the right to know about his father and everything.”

After discussing with them, Elena agreed to arrange a meeting with Jeremy the next day, and Julie’s heart was racing excitement and fear as they prepared for the meeting.

Image source; Pexels

When they finally met Jeremy, Julie could see the confusion in his eyes when they introduced themselves. “What’s this about?” he asked, looking between them and Elena.

Julie took a deep breath and explained everything from the letters, the secrets, and the inheritance while Jeremy listened in disbelief, his expression shifting from confusion to shock.

Elena reached out with tears streaming down her face, “I’m so sorry, Jeremy, but you deserve to know the truth.” Jeremy looked at them processing everything. He asked, “so I’m part of this family, and you're my brother and sister?”

Julie nodded, her heart swelling with emotion, she said “yes, and we want you to be part of our lives as you're family.”

In that moment, the weight of secrets began to lift. Jeremy smiled, a genuine smile that lit up his face. “I’d like that. I’ve always felt like something was missing", as they embraced, Julie realized.

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I want to take this opportunity to invite @kidi40, @lhorgic and @casv.

Thank You for your Time

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NOTE: Always have a smile on your face, as you are never fully dressed without one.