Aiden

"I have a question for you, Grandpa. I believe it is past time for you to tell me the truth about what happened twenty years ago." I inquired, my gaze fixed on Grandpa.

Fiona's revelations about dad had left me numb. I didn't know what to make of it; it felt as if my entire existence had been a lie. I needed to know the truth, despite the fact that I knew she wasn't lying. But it was important for me to hear it from Grandpa. I hoped he'd just tell me it was all a lie.
I found Grandpa in his room. It was still early for breakfast, he had just finished his physiotherapy with the help of the nurse. I asked her to leave us alone. Grandpa returned my gaze and stayed silent for a while.
"Aiden, what do you want to know?"

"Grandpa, could you please tell me what happened to the Munoz family?"

He blinked twice. "We've discussed this previously..."

I exhaled deeply.

"Grandpa, Fiona told me everything," I responded quietly.

"What else do you want to know?" he asked, giving me a long look.

"Is that correct? Right? They were slain by their father." There was no question. I'm looking for an explanation from him.

In a neutral tone, he replied.

"You know, I'd always suspected William's paternity, assuming he wasn't Thomas's son. However, when he grew older, he resembled Thomas more than you. He turned out just like Thomas." The old man expressed his sadness. "You followed in your mother's footsteps. She was one of the gentlest, loveliest, and most kind people I have ever met."

I don't recall much about my mother, but Grandpa's remarks brought tears to my eyes.

Grandpa stated flatly, "Your father was a drug addict, a sex addict, and he had a horrible lifestyle."

This piece of information astounded me. My father was a drug user?

"Your father was a smart man and a potential senatorial contender, but he was hooked on cocaine, prostitutes, and other forms of vice. I was aware of it, as was your long-suffering mother. I attempted but failed to send him to rehabilitation programmes. His career was really taking off. If these things had been revealed, it would have been disastrous for our family and business ",Grandpa lamented.

"So Paul Munoz was close to dad and discovered his actions and blackmailed him?" I stated. It was more of a statement than a question.

"He didn't just ' know' about it. It was Paul who arranged those things for Thomas, and he secretly taped his father's activities. He started blackmailing Thomas to make him his business partner. So one night, in a fit of anger, Thomas went to their house. Paul wasn't there, so Thomas assaulted his wife. Paul returned while he was in the act. They got into a fight and his wife was accidentally killed, then his dad shot Paul. The worst thing was Thomas even tried to kill their son," grandpa said through tears.
My hands were shivering and I was unsettled.

"Fiona was the only witness, she witnessed everything that night," grandpa whispered, his face buried in concentration. I didn't want to question him any longer, but I needed to know more.

"Fiona secretly took a tape from the house that night to blackmail me. But she hasn't used it on me since the last time. Frankly, I am not sure if she still has the tape or just bluffing about it," grandpa said, giving that extra piece of information.

"I know," I answered gently, "she tried to blackmail me as well."

"What? How dare she?" Grandpa said angrily.

"Those tapes are the least of my worries, grandpa. I will deal with Fiona later. But I need to know something more. Are you sure nobody else saw those things? Other than Fiona?"

"That night there were only three Munoz in the house. Two dead adults and one almost dead young boy!" Grandpa replied.

I thought for some more time.

"What was Paul's wife's name? I mean her maiden name? Do you remember grandpa?" I asked anxiously.

"Angela....she was English. I remember her surname...Angela Randall."

Eric's surname was Randall!

"Were you positive that the boy died in Ukraine?" I asked urgently.

"That was what Lucia said to me," Grandpa insisted.

"So you did not see that boy's body?" I pressed on.

"No! I was glad that he died. Not that I wanted him to die, but he was suffering so much! Even if he were to regain consciousness he would have suffered severe brain damage." Grandpa said sadly.

"Thank you, grandpa. I think that is all I needed to know. I am sorry I had to put you through this agony." I said softly.

"Please forgive me," grandpa said, his eyes were tearing up again.
I took his hand in mine. I couldn't imagine the torture he would have gone through managing his son's crimes. "It's not your fault grandpa. Please don't be upset. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to do some work." Grandpa nodded.

I was positive that the theatre owner, Eric Randall, was Javier Munoz. I had met him barely 2-3 times, usually with Marilyn. I met Sydney at his party. Thinking of Sydney filled me with remorse. She was either an innocent pawn or a brilliant actress. I doubted the latter, now I needed to find out how everything was connected. My train of thought was broken by a phone call.

"Mr Reiner, Hi I am calling from Dr Katherine's office. I have been trying to reach Mrs Reiner to confirm her appointment but her phone is unreachable..." A lady said from the other side.
"Appointment? What kind of appointment?" I asked while walking towards the bedroom, possibly Sydney was still sleeping.

"It's regarding her surgery for her scar tissue," the lady responded.

Was she in the bathroom since the room was empty? I knocked softly on the door. The bathroom door swung open, revealing an empty room. My heart was suddenly gripped by a chilly terror. What happened to Sydney?

"Could you please explain what kind of surgery that is?" I asked the lady to bid my time and search for Sydney.

"Oh! It's for her fertility issues. Once she gets this done she won't have any problem conceiving. She has been undergoing treatment under Dr Katherine for the past month to resolve her issues."

I stopped," Sydney.....she wants to get pregnant?"

"I suppose so, that is what the treatment is all about." The lady chuckled.

I felt a lump in my throat. What had I done?

"Mrs Reiner is busy right now, I will ask her to call you back and confirm the appointment. Is that fine?" I managed to speak.

"Sure no problem," the lady replied.

I turned off my phone and stood there, speechless. She wished to be the mother of our child! .... I dialled her number immediately, hoping she would pick up. She didn't, of course. I was starting to panic. On the dressing table, something sparkly caught my eye. Her engagement ring. Before the wedding, I gave her one. She never removed it. Despite her complaints about its excessive size, she never removed it.
I was so enraged by her that I accused her of cheating on one with baseless evidence. Damn! Why did I behave so foolishly? There was only one place she could go now - her old apartment. I quickly changed to chasing after her. I would deal with Eric, William, everything later. First I had to find Sydney.