"I'm just going to see my dad and talk to him. Maybe that will help me come to terms with everything and better process it." Grace detached from Mike and said.
"I agree with you, and please do not be too hard on him. I understand your father, it's pure torture to live with someone you do not love. I have no idea how he managed to do this for years." Mike said, and Grace nodded her head.
"I truly hope I will be able to do that. You can stay here while I speak with him. I want to come into your arms as soon as I stop talking to him." Grace said, and Mike smiled at her.
Grace proceeded to her father's room, she opened the door, but was shocked to see just Whitney in the room. She didn't know how to react to her being there, especially after the way she behaved just now. She ran out of the room.
"Grace, please don't leave me alone. Don't go," Grace heard Whitney's distressed voice, and she felt a chord in her being stuck.
She retracted her footsteps and turned back to look at Whitney. She walked into the room slowly and sat on the bed. Whitney's eyes stung with tears. She never believed that she would ever lay her eyes on her daughter.
After she had her first boy, Maria took him away, and then she had the second baby. She begged Maria to let her see the baby.
Maria denied her the request, but told her the baby was a girl. That was how she knew she had a daughter.
"I cannot believe that I'm seeing you," Whitney said as tears fell from her eyes. She never thought she would ever get the chance to see her children again.
She thought the universe would punish her for not being a strong mother and fighting for her kids as she should have.
Grace couldn't bring herself to say anything. She felt a strange feeling overwhelming her. It was as though she knew Whitney from long ago.
"I'm sure you must hate and don't even want to have anything to do with me. But I'm telling you there's nothing I could have done to prevent that. I didn't mean for any of this to happen." Whitney said.
"Why would you think that I hate you? I don't, you have done nothing wrong. You didn't even know my dad lived here, even though Jane worked here for a while." Grace explained and helped Whitney wipe the tears from her eyes.
"Really? You don't hate me?" Whitney asked, and Grace shook her head.
"Can I hug you? I just want to hold you in my arms, I never had the opportunity to do that." Whitney said and shut her eyes, trying her best not to spill out secrets.
"Of course, if that would make you feel better," Grace said and moved closer to Whitney. She hugged Whitney, and they stayed like that, both of them shedding tears.
Grace can't tell why she's crying, but she feels so emotional right now.
"Is it okay if I can ask you something? I want to tell you the truth." Grace said, and Mrs hesitated for a bit.
She remembered Jack's words to her before he walked out of the room angrily. He asked her not to be weak and to fight for what she deserves.
"What do you want to know? I will answer you to the best of my knowledge." Whitney agreed.
"Can you tell me what transpired between you and my dad, and my mom as well. Everything that happened before we were born." Grace said, and Whitney drew in sharp breaths. She has never shared this part of her life with anyone.
"Maria and I were friends. We met about thirty five years ago. We were both waitresses at a popular restaurant back then. But I got lucky and got a job at a big mansion. It happened to be Mr and Mrs Smith's house. That was when I met your father." Whitney explained.
"So you met dad first?" Grace asked.
"Yes, I met him first. And we were instantly attracted to each other. But we weren't bold enough to take the step of confirming our feelings. It took a while, but we eventually acknowledged our feelings for each other." Whitney continued.
"We got into a secret relationship, and I tell you your father and I loved each other so passionately and fiercely. I guess that's why neither of us have been able to move on from each other all these while." She added.
"So how did my mom come into the picture?" Grace asked eager to know what happened next.
"About a year after I began working there. The mansion needed another maid so I told Maria about it. She applied for the job and even spoke to Willaims on her behalf. She got the job and was really happy." Whitney answered.
"Some months later. I caught Williams and Maria in bed together. Williams claimed he was drunk and didn't know how it happened. It caused a strain in our relationship as I didn't know what to believe." Whitney explained tearfully.
"Months after that, she claimed she was pregnant and that was how I lost your father. Madam Rebecca didn't have a choice but to let your father and Maria be together. she was engaged to be married to your father, and I just had to leave." Whitney concluded.
"And you haven't seen dad ever since then?" Grace asked and Whitney shook her head.
"It's obvious what happened, even though I don't want to believe my mother is capable of doing something like that." Grace said and stood up.
"You said dad was drunk, but my mom wasn't. She knew you two were in a relationship yet went ahead to sleep with dad. It was as though she did this deliberately." Grace said and sat back on the bed.
"Oh Mrs Whitney, I'm so sorry that you went through something that terrible." Grace said and pulled her into a hug.