Unexpected Love

Chapter 34

Ellis Grey sat in the living room of the Grey family home, her posture stiff, her eyes sharp as she scanned her children. Margaret, the eldest, sat with her arms crossed, a mix of anger and unease on her face. Michael and Mellissa exchanged uneasy glances, clearly uncomfortable with the tension in the room. Maddison sat closest to Meredith, who was visibly holding herself together by a thread.

Thatcher paced near the fireplace, his face pale, hands clasped tightly in front of him.

"Enough pacing, Thatcher," Ellis snapped, her voice icy. "Sit down. Whatever this is, you're going to explain it now."

Thatcher hesitated, then sank into a chair. He glanced at his children, then at Ellis, his wife of nearly four decades. "I... I never wanted you to find out this way."

Margaret scoffed. "You didn't want us to find out at all. You were just hoping this would stay buried forever, weren't you?"

"Margaret," Ellis said sharply, though her voice wavered. She turned her piercing gaze to Thatcher. "What is she talking about? What is this about?"

Thatcher swallowed hard, his voice trembling. "Ellis... years ago, before we got married... I made a mistake."

Ellis's expression hardened, but her silence was deafening, giving him no choice but to continue.

"I—" he hesitated. "I had an affair."

The room erupted. Margaret stood, her voice shaking with fury. "You cheated on Mom.  And you just kept this from us"

Michael muttered a curse under his breath while Mellissa buried her face in her hands. Maddison put a comforting hand on Meredith's knee, her expression unreadable but tense.

Ellis held up a hand, silencing the chaos. "You had an affair," she said, her tone deceptively calm. "How long?"

Thatcher lowered his gaze. "A few months."

"And?" she pressed, her voice rising. "What came of this... mistake?"

He looked up, his eyes filled with guilt. "There was a child. A girl. Her name is Claire."

The silence that followed was deafening.

Ellis's face was a storm of emotion—shock, pain, anger—all struggling for dominance. "You... you had a child with another woman, and you never told me? Never told us?"

"I thought I was protecting you," Thatcher said desperately. "I thought if I kept it buried, we could move on. That it wouldn't matter because it was over, and I never saw her again."

Ellis let out a sharp, humorless laugh. "You thought it wouldn't matter? That hiding an entire human being—a sibling to our children—would just disappear?"

Margaret stood again, unable to stay silent. "What about her? Does Claire even know who you are? Or did you abandon her too?"

Thatcher flinched as if struck. "I—I supported her financially. Her mother didn't want me involved in her life, and I respected her wishes."

"Respected her wishes?" Meredith said, her voice finally breaking through. Her calm was gone, replaced by anger and disbelief. "You've been lying to us for years, Dad. Do you even realize what you've done to this family?"

Thatcher looked at her, his eyes pleading. "Meredith, I didn't want to hurt any of you."

"Well, congratulations," Maddison said bitterly. "You've done a great job of that anyway."

Ellis stood abruptly, her hands shaking. "Get out, Thatcher."

Thatcher's head shot up. "Ellis—"

"Get out!" she shouted, her voice breaking. Tears welled in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. "I can't even look at you right now."