Family Line

Chapter three: The Affair

JJ and Sarah stared at each other. 

"What?" JJ whispered after at least an entire minute of silence. 

Sarah took a deep, shaky breath. "This is a picture of my Mum." She whispered, voice shaking slightly as she spoke. 

JJ swallowed hard. "No, no that's my Mum," He stuttered. 

"And mine," Sarah told him. 

"What do you mean? That - that can't be your Mum." JJ said quickly. 

Sarah was silent for a moment, "How many years ago did your Mum leave JJ?" She said slowly, still gripping the picture tightly in her shaking hand. 

JJ hesitated. "T - Twelve years ago," He whispered. "I was five." 

Sarah's heart skipped a beat again. "My Mum left twelve years ago," She whispered. "I was four." 

JJ swallowed hard. Sarah was younger than him, by about ten months, he was currently seventeen, his birthday in early August, and she was still sixteen, her's in the following early June... His Mum had left in the September after he'd turned five according to what Luke had told him about it... the September when Sarah was four.

"But-" JJ stopped for a moment, heart pounding. "But if that's my Mum, and it's your Mum, then - then that would mean-"

Sarah choked on a deep breath. "We're siblings." She finished for him. 

"Half," JJ whispered. "Half siblings." 

There was silence again for a while before JJ's face dropped. "my parents were never married." He said slowly.

Sarah hesitated "Mine were..." She said.

"And - And Luke used to say she was never around." JJ whispered, before his voice rose. "I never believed him - but he was right! She was married to Ward! That's why she was hardly ever around! My Mum had an affair with Luke! She cheated on Ward, her Husband, with Luke, and had me! And then better yet decided to keep it a secret from me!" 

Now it was Sarah's turn to feel like she'd been punched in the gut. "That's why my parents split up, just after Wheezie was born," She whispered. "Ward must've found out about the affair..." 

"Of course he did!" JJ cried. "but not until after they'd had you! and Wheezie! My Mum, who was married to Ward and already had one child, had an affair with Luke, had me and somehow managed to keep it a secret from everyone, then she went crawling back to Ward, nine months later had you, a couple years later had Wheezie, and that's when Ward had to of found out about the affair!"

"So he divorced her, and that's when she left," Sarah whispered. "She knew she had children with two different men - Ward knew she'd had a child with Luke - Luke knew she was married to Ward, everyone knew and no one thought to mention it!"

JJ walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed, burying his face in his hands. "Luke - Luke always told me I was a mistake," He whispered. "Never thought that'd end up being true, let alone me being the outcome of an affair." 

Sarah slowly sat beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder and sighing. "My Mum had a baby with another man before having me," She murmured. "It goes Rafe, two years later you, less than a year later me and then three years later Wheezie." 

"How did they manage to keep me a secret from Ward for three years?" JJ choked in disbelief. 

Sarah shook her head slowly, wandering the exact same thing. "However he found out, I'm guessing they dealt with the divorce and she left as soon as it was finalised, which was just after you turned five."