Shattered Truths II

The city skyline came into view like a cold steel crown as the car cruised down the freeway. Heinrey sat in the backseat in complete silence, his fists clenched in his lap. Nora sat beside him, unmoving, her face drained of emotion. She hadn’t said a word since they left Neerim South.

The mansion loomed ahead, its tall gates opening slowly, automatically — like the world didn’t yet know everything inside was about to collapse.

The car rolled into the driveway. Heinrey stepped out first, letting the door slam shut behind him.

The house was too quiet.

When they stepped into the foyer, the scent of fresh flowers hit him — lilies. His mother’s favorite. The irony stung.

Heinrey heard faint voices from the sitting room.

Then laughter.

His mother moved like a ghost — slow and stiff — as they crossed the marble floor. The sound of their footsteps echoed like drumbeats in an empty cathedral.

And then they saw them.

Alan Smith, the patriarch. Sitting with his legs casually crossed on the family’s custom-made couch.

Beside him, Sherry Cooper — her red lipstick a shade too bright, her hand resting possessively on Alan’s knee.

And beside her… a boy.

He looked about fifteen.

His hair was slightly wavier than Heinrey’s, but the eyes — the sharpness of the jawline — they were eerily familiar.

Heinrey froze.

Nora stopped dead in her tracks, her breath catching like she’d been struck in the chest.

The silence that followed wasn’t still — it vibrated.

Alan stood up slowly, as if trying to soften the confrontation.

“Nora—”

“Don’t,” she said sharply, her voice splintering. “Don’t say my name like you still have the right.”

Heinrey’s eyes hadn’t moved from the boy. “Who is he?”

Sherry rose to her feet, unbothered. Confident. “This is Dylan. My son.”

Nora looked between them, confused. “Your…?”

Alan cleared his throat, guilt barely hidden behind the calm facade. “He’s my son. I— We—”

“No,” Nora whispered. She backed away a step, as if moving would take the truth away with her.

“It happened sixteen years ago,” Sherry continued, her tone sharp but controlled. “On your wedding anniversary trip. That weekend when you and I were still friends.” She glanced sideways at Nora, eyes gleaming with something bitter and triumphant. “We conceived Dylan that night. I confessed everything to Alan. That it was me who wrote him letters in college. Not you.”

Nora blinked rapidly. “What are you talking about?”

Sherry took a slow step forward. “Those love letters? The ones you thought were for you? They were for him — from me. But you intercepted them. He never knew. He chased you because you tricked him.”

“That’s not true.” Nora’s voice cracked. “I didn’t—”

“You stole everything from me,” Sherry snapped. “My scholarship. My friends. The man I loved. Even the spotlight. I was supposed to get that scholarship, but your parents pulled strings. And now—”

Alan tried to interrupt. “That’s enough—”

“No. She deserves to hear this,” Sherry snapped. “Everything you have was supposed to be mine. I waited. I stayed close. I watched you live the life that should’ve been mine. And now I’m taking it back.”

Nora’s knees gave out.

“Mom!” Heinrey caught her just before she collapsed completely.

But she was gasping now — one hand clutching her chest, eyes wild with disbelief. “You— lied— for fifteen years—?”

Alan rushed toward her. “Nora!”

“Don’t you touch me!” she screamed.

Heinrey guided her to the floor, panic rising in his throat. Her breathing became shallow, erratic.

“Call an ambulance!” he shouted.

Sherry hesitated — her confidence cracking as Nora’s lips turned blue.

Alan grabbed the phone, finally realizing this wasn’t just a dramatic scene — it was real.

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