Stand By Me Darling
Chapter 298: He Truly Forgot

Chapter 298: He Truly Forgot

Seeing his father’s tears Roderick couldn’t help but get emotional too. He held his father’s hand.

He says he forgot...

"Dad..."

"You were just two days old when we first held you..." Gregory reminisced that day. " Your mother... We were already in the hospital... Our child... She was a beautiful baby--like an angel, but she didn’t cry for a long time after birth... More than me, your mum was the most devastated, her health deteriorated a lot in just a day."

Roderick’s eyes widened with surprise.

Mother had a stillbirth? Why didn’t we know about it?

As Gregory understood it, he continued. " The angel statue in the garden... That’s where we buried her - Angela Rose-Marie Sinclair. You two share a birthday... It’s like you’re twins." Gregory smiled a little. Roderick felt a prick in his heart.

Evrrytime he forced his father to leave this cursed mansion, he never agreed. For him and Artie, this mansion is filled with many bad memories, but for his father, this is the place where he has all his memories with his wife and where his firstborn daughter is buried. No wonder he refuses to leave this place.

Gregory continued. "The next day a family brought you to us. They said you’re my brother’s son and that your grandfather..." Gregory gulped as he remembered the harsh word his father used that day.

"My father refused to acknowledge you. The brother of the-" ’woman’ Gregory was about to say, but then he phrased it different.

"The brother of your biological mother left you with me... You were hungry and crying and your mother fed you. She grew very fond of you. It was like our angel left us to be in the heaven and sent you to us for our comfort. We brought you home sleeping and buried our daughter. My father couldn’t convince us. Those times... Your mother... She was so paranoid and she didn’t even hire a nanny. We took care of you ourselves. She fed you, I changed your nappies... You’d make us so worried with your screaming in the middle of the night. And your poop stank... " Gregory chucked as he remembered those days.

Both of them ran like headless chickens trying to raise their first son. Those days, that were supposed to be their grieving period, turned differently with the arrival of Roderick. They felt like they gave birth to twins and only one survived. Maybe their brain registered it that way to survive over their grief, but for them they never felt like they are raising someone else’s son.

True... They really forgot Roderick wasn’t theirs.

And for him to learn it now... It broke his heart.

Roderick wept hugging his father. The way his father spoke, showed him how he is considering him as his own son. He felt ashamed of himself.

He is his father who taught him everything he knows. His mother poured a lot of love on him.

What got into me?

True... I never doubted my parentage, because there never was anything skeptical around me. Some servants treated Raymond better, and I didn’t think much of it since they didn’t like Arthur either.

And the one I called Uncle... He never once gave me a single minute of his life. He should have known who I was all the time, right? Hmpf! He was just a sperm donor.

And my biological mother... At least she didn’t throw me away or put me in the system, right? I had a very good life as Gregory Sinclair’s son.

Why did I even bother with some unnecessary fact?

"I would have preferred if you didn’t know this truth at least until I died, Rod. Seeing you struggling to call me dad... It breaks my heart." Gregory said hugging Roderick.

"No! Dad! I would never struggle to call you dad! You’re my dad. You’ll be my only dad. I don’t want anyone else!" Roderick hugged his father closer. "I’m sorry... I’m sorry I was stupid."

Emily who settled down her kids, ran back to the dining room to find out what happened. No matter what, spitting in a guest’s plate is way overboard for a staff. On the way she heard the staff murmuring how Wilma was thrown away and Emily actually didn’t feel bad for that woman. She’s a.. not a kind person and she shouldn’t have left to work here for this long.

When she got to the dining room, she saw the father and son pair hugging and crying and she slowly retreated.

So they’ve resolved their issues?

Emily thought that Roderick, although a redhead was different. He rarely gets emotional and not very hotheaded as her brother-in-law. But these past few days taught her different. Ever since that woman met with him and told the truth, he’s been acting weird.

She understood that it is a shattering news for her husband as the truth about his parentage is not what he believed, but still... He overreacted. He said some weird sh*t like his children cannot be heirs and whatnot.

By law, her husband is a legitimate Sinclair. And father-in-law thinks that way too. She couldn’t understand his emotional reaction.

She knew for him, what hurt more than the knowing the truth was that it was a stranger who broke that news to him.

Sigh! At least they talked it out!

Emily looked at her husband in his father’s embrace, sobbing like a child.

Ah, dear... No one can love like you... That’s why I love you.

Emily slowly retreated to her children who were in the room, getting ready for bed. She decided to stay here for the night since she knew those two will talk the entire night.

"Talk to that boy... You know he loves you more than me, right?" Gregory said passing a glass of whiskey to Roderick.

"Ah... Artie... I still can’t believe he became the Marquess of Ashwood... And Talia... I really hope it won’t affect their relationship after my screw-up." Roderick accepted the glass and sighed deeply. "Ah! That girl always had a bright smile for me... She’s not going to smile at me like that again, right? Ugh! What was I thinking! She’s so nice to my kids and I ruined our relationship. Now Artie would never bring her here... And Artire.. He was a really good babysitter and the kids love him. What have I done!" he emptied the glass.

" I wouldn’t worry about Talia. She fell in love with Artie, You’re no different and she’s a smart girl. Did you see how she pulled the leash on Fredrick, stopping him? I should applaud my two sons. You two are smart enough to choose smarter and better women than yourselves as your life-partners. My one wish is that you two brothers stay together as always, no mater what." Gregory leaned at the backrest as he swirled the golden liquid in his glass.

" She is smart and kind. I didn’t know that Wilma abused her too and the way she conducted herself... It’s.. She was not acting, dad. It came from her heart when she asked you not to worry before she left. I don’t know if I’d be able to do that. Ah! Still there is Artie... He’s going to be so mad at me... " Roderick sighed once again.

" You were stupid to reveal it to Talia." Gregory wanted to admit it, although he believed Talia wouldn’t mind much about the fact." Your mother... She loved to have at least a girl. She expected Artie to be a girl and was very disappointed when he was born. Ah... I wished Catherine would resemble her. But it’s okay, she’s grow up to be a heart breaker. She resembles her mother. If only she inherits her mother’s IQ, no one would beat her. " he took a sip from his glass.

Roderick who was pouring himself another glass of liquor, paused.

Dad, Catherine wouldn’t have resembled mum! She has no blood-relation with mum. Ah... You really forgot that once again, didn’t you?

" And don’t worry about that snotty whiner. He’ll come around. Don’t think his decision to not let his kids carry on Sinclair name is a surprise to me. I always predicted he’d leave this family for good. He never was comfortable with the Sinclair name. Remember when he was a small cub... That day he pointed his finger at your grandfather and said ’No one talks bad about my blue! I forbid it!’? " Gregory chuckled.

" Yeah, even after granddad whipped him with his belt, he refused to take what he said back. He even added that he’s going to marry his blue one day. Ah, he got granddad enraged that day. " Roderick reminisced.

" And then you got in and covered Artie from getting hit... You were more father-like to him than I ever was."

" I remember you getting back and you covered us both and granddad was cussing and whipping you by the end... Dad, you did protect us. You are the best dad." Roderick spoke his heart. He rarely says this.

" Only you’d say this to me, Rod. And that’s why you’re my favourite. Don’t tell Artie," Gregory whispered making Roderick chuckle.

"Dad! You’re not supposed to have favourites!"

"Yeah, yeah..." Gregory shrugged. "I really didn’t expect much from Artie. He carved his own path and I am proud of what he achieved. Most importantly... The end of the feud.. It was all him. By Arthur marrying into the Brunton family, our two families have become brothers. Isn’t that wonderful? "

Gregory was truly delighted.