The Xavier's Secret

Chapter Eight: Who Are You Really?

Sunday Afternoon

The ceiling fan clicked as it spun, blowing around warm air in the sauna-like room. Mia perched at the edge of the bed and gazed into the full-length mirror propped against the dresser. Her mother sat behind her while she slipped bobby pins into her hair to keep the silky strands from falling from her coiffure. 

"You look beautiful, Mia," her mother cooed. 

Mia looked forward to finally meeting Revon at five o'clock. Mia no longer appeared as the frightened girl she believed herself to be. Her situation may be surreal, but she felt grateful that Revon gave her a second chance at life. 

Kayleigh zipped the back of Mia's simple wedding dress as her breasts strained against the silky material. Mia bore the uncomfortable sensation since the dress had been the last gown at her neighborhood's local wedding boutique. Though the dress had been a size too small, the seamstress convinced her mother that Mia could fit into the garment. Since they did all their shopping at the last minute, Mia was lucky to have found anything at all. 

Her mother handed her a tube of red lipstick, mascara, and a compact of blush. "Do your make-up. Once you finish, come downstairs to your father's study. Are you sure you want anything to eat?" 

"I am too nervous to eat, mom. I feel like I'm going to throw up if I try to force anything down." 

"If you change your mind, just tell me. I'll cook something for you." Once Mia nodded, Kayleigh continued, "Don't forget that Revon will be here in less than forty-five minutes." 

"Mom, can I ask you something?" 

"Sure, honey." 

Mia chewed on her lip as she wondered how she should ask this. "Mom." 

"Yes?" 

"I... overheard you and dad talking." 

"About what?" 

"Me." 

Her mother sighed and then said, "You need to be a little more specific, Mia." 

"I... I heard dad say that I am not his actual daughter." 

"Oh, honey," Kayleigh whispered. She hugged Mia from behind. "I'm sorry that you had to find out that way. I have always wanted to tell you, but you seemed happy. I did not want to ruin anything." 

Mia sat stiffly in her mother's arms. "Who is my father?" 

Kayleigh released her and then stood up from the bed. She walked to stand in front of her daughter. "You must promise me this before I tell you. You must tell no one about your birth father." 

"I promise," Mia vowed. 

She sat down next to Mia and folded her hands in her lap. "When I was twenty-three years old, I had an affair. I knew him from my childhood. We were neighbors. When I found out I was pregnant, his mother confronted me with having an abortion because he was to marry an heiress." 

"Why did he hide it from you?" 

"He did not love her. He always claimed to have loved me. But he could not break off the engagement with her family. When I told him, I was pregnant with a girl, he told me we could never be together. He broke up with me. But he gave me a locket with our photos inside. He said that if his daughter wanted to know him, she should return to him with the locket." 

"But what about his fiancée?" 

"What about her?" 

"Wouldn't his wife be against her husband bringing home another woman's child?"