A TWIST OF FATE

EMBATTLED

~Emma Ratanawadi~

P'Tharim touched my arm and I turned away angrily. I wanted to shout at him.....strangle him actually, but God had left me at his mercy. I was grateful that he had come, i would forever remain indebted to him for doing what he was about to do, but still my heart was in pain.

I felt hurt and angry for being lied to.I didn't even want to be the bigger person here and forgive my cousin. I felt extremely distraught at the thought that someone else had taken care of my precious baby all this while and he had hidden this fact.
I was jealous of the lady who had the privilege of being called Mae by my son for the last 25 years. It was all so unfair........I was also struggling with the fact that I had accused my son of being a gold digger, where everything was rightfully his.😓
The guilt inside of not being able to recognise my own blood was killing me but most of all I was scared that Hin might not accept me as his mother. He didn't even want me to tell anyone about his true identity.

"Em? Look at me?" P'Tharim pleaded.

"I don't want to look at your face. You were never a great cousin to have in the first place but this betrayal is beyond anything I could have imagined P."

"The situation was such Em. I couldn't tell you."

"Situation? What situation? My son was alive all this while and you call it a situation?" I couldn't help the sob which escaped my lips.

"Em?" He touched my arm and I shirked away.

"P'Tharim I will never forgive you for this. You....."

"He became a doctor, just like you always wanted. I made sure that he is able enough to be a Ratanawadi."

"I missed 25 years of his life P'Tharim!!! Do you think I care what he became? Even if he turned out to be smuggler, he would still be my son, my Hin. How could you have been so cold hearted?"

"Emma at that point too many things had happened all at once. And maybe....."

"Maybe what?"

"Maybe whatever happened, happened for the good."

"Good??? Are you kidding right now??? I missed out his entire childhood........what good came of it??"

"Emma please try to understand."

"I really am trying!!! But I still don't understand......You had 25 years to tell me the truth, why didn't you??? Probably, you got too attached to New and couldn't give up......or maybe he was the link between...." I hesitated. I knew I was hitting a vulnerable point but I was angry. It was his fault no matter how I saw it.

"Link between what? Why don't you finish the sentence?" His eyes had hardened. He looked away blinking hard.

"Link between you and P'Nimit." I whispered and heard him exhale a breath.

"Emma I know your opinion of me is pretty low but trust me when I say that I have never taken advantage of New in any way. Yes I love him like my own but it has nothing to do with Nimit. I never cling on to impossible relationships. Nimit Thitipoom was my best friend and will always remain the most cherished part of my life but New is yours. I loved
him as my nephew........ "

I stared at him not knowing what to say. All his life he stayed next to the man he loved without confessing. He even took care of his wife and child after he died. I didn't know whether to call him a fool or naive.

"Then how can you explain what you did?"

"After what happened to Ton....."

"Weren't you the one responsible for it too? P'Ton would have been here if not for you and your selfishness."