When 75-year-old Richard sees his ex-wife Vanessa with a man 20 years her junior, he believes they are dating and initiates a fight. To his amazement, Vanessa discloses that the guy accompanying her is their son, who he had no idea existed. But Vanessa has been harboring more than just one secret.

Richard was on his way home from the grocery shop when an unsettling sight caught his attention. Vanessa, his ex-wife, was seen walking hand in hand with a man who was approximately 20 years her junior.

“Is she seeing someone else…already?”

Richard was infuriated. He ran into a café after seeing them enter. When he saw Vanessa and the guy holding hands and smiling about something at a window table, he felt a rush of resentment.

He couldn’t handle seeing Vanessa move on so quickly after their divorce. So he stormed up to their table.

“What the hell, Vanessa?” Richard slammed on the table, frightening Vanessa and the person she was with. “Oh, well! My 72-year-old ex-wife has found a new man to date only a few weeks after divorcing her spouse! Bravo…! How long have you been together?

Vanessa felt ashamed and pleaded with Richard to stop. Simon, the man with Vanessa, stood from his seat.

“Mom, is this my dad?” he inquired.

Richard was astonished.

“What did you say?”

Vanessa realized she couldn’t hide the truth from her ex-husband or Simon.

Richard, please sit. I have something to tell you both…Do you recall when we first met 54 years ago in the bar? Vanessa’s voice cracked as she spoke about her history…

It was the autumn of September 1968. Vanessa, 17, and her companions were ecstatic with their achievement in getting away from their families to party at the bar.

“Van, are you sure your dad did not see you slipping out of the house? “I don’t want the party to turn into a church sermon!” As they entered the pub, one of the females made a joke.

Vanessa’s father, Alan, was a minister at the local church; therefore, she was raised under rigorous conditions. They forbade her from hanging out with her friends after sundown. Sunday school was the usual. They strictly prohibited hard alcohol and late-night gatherings. And absolutely no sex or drugs.

And Vanessa despised it. She adored her father, but not his constraints. She desired a life full of adventure, just like her buddies. Vanessa found the confidence that night to slip away after her parents fell asleep and accompany her pals to the pub.

Rock and roll music played in the background as the adolescents made their way to an empty table and lost themselves in the sparkle and splendor of nightlife. Vanessa and her buddy, Carla, went to the pub to have some drinks.

“By the way, I heard Dylan will be here tonight with his friends!” Carla stated.

“It’s over for Dylan and me! Period! I do not even want to talk about him!” Vanessa responded.

Vanessa was irritated because she and Dylan had recently split up, and she knew he was going to be in the pub. She sat at the bar, ordering a martini. As she chugged her drink, a gorgeous man approached her.

“Hey there, gorgeous!” The 21-year-old boy murmured, edging in closer to Vanessa. “My name is Richard. “May I buy you a drink?”

Vanessa was inexperienced with strong alcohol, and her mind seemed to be overflowing with ideas. When she glanced at Richard, she thought he was adorable and couldn’t resist his appeal.

“I’d be delighted!” Vanessa grinned and locked eyes with Richard seductively. She fell in love with him instantly.

Richard and Vanessa conversed as if they had known each other for years and danced to jazz music playing in the background.

“I’m new to this town,” Richard murmured, wrapping his arms around Vanessa and bringing her closer. “I came here for business. Hey, should we go for a drive? Perhaps you could show me around?

“I would love to…””But it’s getting late,” Vanessa said as she checked her watch.

She quickly changed her mind after seeing how disappointed Richard was. He was too charming for her to refuse, so she consented to go with him.

Vanessa had a very fantastic night. She and Richard drove through the busy streets, laughing and conversing. They kissed passionately, and Vanessa quickly found herself enveloped in Richard’s arms, having her first personal contact. It seemed like a fairytale.

They kissed again after dressing, and Richard drove Vanessa home. Vanessa slipped inside her bedroom, and every part of her heart wished she could stay with him. She stared from her window as Richard waved farewell and vanished into the darkness.

Vanessa opted to forget about that night and go on with her life until three weeks later, when she began to feel nauseated.

“Vanessa, what’s wrong?” Rebecca, Vanessa’s stepmother, hammered on the bathroom door. “I’ve heard everything, Vanessa. “You should come out and explain why you’re crying.”

Vanessa came from the toilet moments later, upset, clutching her stomach and wiping her face. “I’m sick… I’ve got a nasty headache.”

“Why are you holding your stomach if it’s a headache?”

Rebecca’s icy and suspicious tone paralyzed Vanessa. “Girl, who do you think you’re trying to fool?”

“I said I’m feeling sick,” Vanessa mumbled and dashed back to the restroom to vomit. Rebecca’s greatest fears were verified when she noticed her teenage stepdaughter emptying her stomach into the toilet.

“Vanessa, tell me the truth,” Rebecca peered hard into the girl’s eyes. “Have you ever been intimate with someone? “Are you pregnant?”

Vanessa came out in tears. She realized there was no way out and revealed her truth to her stepmother. Rebecca’s disbelief immediately changed to wrath when she learned that Vanessa’s pregnancy was the consequence of a one-night stand, not a risky moment with her boyfriend.

“God…” You slept with a stranger?” Rebecca jolted Vanessa’s shoulder. “Your father will be ashamed…”And how long can you conceal this? “This child will not grow up without a father. Do you hear me?”

“I’ll take your father to a restaurant tomorrow night.” Meanwhile, you’ll tell Dylan that you want to be back together. Bring Dylan home, and… Rebecca hesitated since this was not how she would ordinarily counsel her daughter. “…spend the night with him. This is the only way to prevent a controversy. Abortion is out of the question.

Vanessa nodded. She regretted sneaking out that night to see Richard at the pub. Every moment that was lovely before was now disturbing.

Tricking Dylan felt horrible, but she couldn’t tell Dad what she’d done. Vanessa had a long, restless night wondering about what to do. She eventually made a difficult decision and approached Dylan the next day in the park. He agreed to join her for supper.

When Dylan came, Vanessa sat with him on the sofa and put her plan into action.

“Please forgive me, darling,” Vanessa said, leaning closer and placing her hand on Dylan’s lap. “I made a major mistake…”When I was alone, I realized I had made a mistake by ending our relationship. I apologize. “I love you like forever!”

Dylan cradled Vanessa’s face in his hands and gazed into her eyes. He was ecstatic when she stated that.

They hugged, and the evening concluded as planned, with Dylan carrying Vanessa upstairs to her bedroom, where they made love.

Two weeks later, Dylan went to supper with Vanessa’s family. Afterward, he and Vanessa revealed to her father that she was pregnant.

Alan was upset with his daughter, but the prospect of being a grandpa soothed him. Dylan appeared to be a decent guy from an affluent family who would treat her well. So, at the end of the serious chat, Alan smiled broadly.

Months later, when Vanessa, then 18 years old, went into labor, the maternity hospital brought her in. Hours later, Dylan shed joyous tears as he held his infant son in his arms and introduced him to his parents and closest relatives assembled in the maternity unit.

Two days later, as the couple prepared to leave with their kid, a doctor came into the ward and demanded to meet with Dylan in his office.

Dylan was confused, but he followed the doctor to his office. Shortly after, he stormed back into Vanessa’s ward, where all of his family and Vanessa’s parents had assembled to take her and the baby home.

“YOU LIAR!” Dylan stormed into the room, confronting Vanessa. “THIS IS NOT MY BABY!”

Everyone startled as Dylan revealed what the doctor had just said. Vanessa felt a strange sensation rise in her stomach as she realized she had a lot of explaining to do.

“Shame on you for doing this to me,” Dylan raged. “How could you possibly imagine I’d father someone else’s child? Did you plan the strategy, or were your parents also involved? How sick! Mom, Dad, let’s depart. I don’t want anything to do with her or the child anymore.

Vanessa pleaded and wept. But Dylan rushed out of the room and from her life that day. She came home and begged her father to forgive her, but Alan was outraged and ashamed.

“You’re a shame to my family,” Alan shouted.

“You disgust me. I do not even want to see you. How can I face everyone in town and at church?” What will I say if they ask me who the father of this child is?”

Those words penetrated Vanessa deeply. She understood she’d never restore her father’s trust or live a regular life in that town because people were already speaking about her.

“So I made a heartbreaking decision.” Vanessa ended her narrative in tears, saying, “I kissed my beautiful baby one last time before placing him for adoption and leaving town.”

“Six months later, Richard, I inadvertently encountered you again at an art event in the new city I relocated to. “You know what happened after that!”

“Why didn’t you tell me the truth?” Richard inquired, horror coursing through him. “We could have brought Simon back and reared him. Our youngster was outside…And you’ve kept it a secret all these years? How could you, Vanessa? Is this why you’ve never desired children?

“I wanted to tell you everything when we renewed our relationship.” I went to the shelter. Vanessa responded disappointedly. “However, it was too late. A family had already adopted him and brought him abroad. “I could not bring myself to have another child.”

The way things played out overwhelmed Richard. “And how did you find us, Simon?”

“My father told me I was adopted before he died,” Simon said. “He provided me information about my biological mother. I later reviewed the orphanage’s documents. I sought Mom for more than six months. Two days ago, I met her for the first time.”

“Well…I never imagined that at 75, I’d be teaching my 53-year-old son his first lesson!” Richard said. “I hope you realize it’s better to be truthful…Offer individuals a second opportunity! This applies to both your mother and me!”

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