Forced Marriage: My Wife, My Redemption

~The Palace Restaurant~

Jessica's car pulled into the restaurant's parking lot, her hand resting gently on her belly.

A tangle of emotions coursed through her; anticipation, apprehension and a hint of resentment but her face remained perfectly unreadable.

From the driver's seat, the man glanced at her through the rearview mirror, noticing her faraway stare. "Ma'am," he said carefully, "we are here."

Jessica nodded. Her gaze lifted towards the tall, large building of the restaurant. The restaurant's frontage was warm and inviting, with tall glass windows framed by dark wood panels and soft uplighting that gave it a golden glow.

At its entrance was a well-crafted nameplate in elegant lettering, proudly displaying its name like a proud king: "The Palace."

A glance towards the glass doors revealed a uniformed doorman standing ready to welcome guests, his bearing humble and his smile warm and welcoming.

Potted plants flanked the doorway, adding a touch of greenery to the refined setting. A water fountain stood at the centre, water flowing from its carved lion's head.

Jessica pulled open the door and stepped down, her phone in hand as she walked towards the glass door, the doorman welcoming her warmly.

Inside the restaurant, the space was warm and sophisticated. The tables, neatly set, were covered in white tablecloths.

A simple flower vase arranged in the middle gave a faint scent of fresh flowers, lending the air a calm and inviting vibe.

Soft lighting hung from the chandeliers, casting a gentle glow over the arrangement, making it cozy and elegant. Soft music played in the background.

With the rush hour past and morning diners reduced, the restaurant was basically empty.

Jessica chose a seat by the window, she walked over and settled down. Her gaze drifting through the window.

Placing her bag on her lap and her hands on the table, her chin rested on them.

A waiter approached her, placed a bottle of water on the table, and bowed slightly. "Any orders?"

Jessica shook her head lightly. "I'm waiting for someone; we'll order when he arrives."

"At your service," he said as he left.

She pulled out her phone to call but halted when she saw him walking in with long strides.

Her gaze rested on him for a while and in spite of herself she silently compared his features to the fading fragments she carried of her mother.

Tall, assured, a presence that drew the eye, his eyes just like hers bore the semblance of their mother

In her daze, she didn't notice when he arrived at her side. "Sister?" he called softly, his voice low and almost tentative.

Jessica retracted her gaze, her eyes settling anywhere but on Julian. "You are here?" she said evenly.

Julian pulled out a chair opposite her and sat down. "How are you doing?" he asked.

Jessica nodded. "I'm doing great," she muttered. Her words were polite and measured.

Looking at this man claiming to be her brother, Jessica was at a loss over how to communicate with him.

At the moment, she had only willed herself to accept this meeting. While she was lost in thought, Julian beckoned to the waiter.

The waiter arrived, and after they ordered, he returned inside to have it prepared. Jessica took a sip of her water.

"Julian Anderson, right?" she asked.

Julian nodded.

"What do you know about me?" she asked.

"Jessica, can you calm down? Let's have our meal first."

"Since the meal is yet to be served," she said, her tone firm "can we just talk this over? I have other things to attend to."

He relented "Alright, what do you want to know?"

"Very simple, how are we related?" she asked.

As much as she doubted the authenticity of this relationship, she still preferred giving him the benefit of the doubt, the opportunity to explain, and the time to prove the facts.

Julian nodded and leaned forward slightly. "Explaining everything would take hours. But…" He slid an envelope across the table. "The details here might be of help to the things you're looking for."

Jessica took the envelope from him and placed it on the table beside her water. "I still want to hear from you," she said.

The waiter arrived with their orders, placing them before them. Jessica picked up her cutlery.

For one, she wasn't hungry but she needed something to distract her attention.

Julian watched her for a while. "I was taken away from our mother immediately after birth without her knowledge."

Jessica's hand paused briefly, then resumed her action. "Though Dad was not aware, it was a plan orchestrated by the Anderson family matriarch."

Though it hurt him to say this, at this moment he preferred to tell her the truth and nothing but the truth.

"Taken away at birth? Who was the baby buried in the Brown family cemetery?" she asked.

"That, I can't say anything about since I have no idea." Lifting his hand, he plucked a few strands of his hair and pulled out a sachet. Carefully placing it inside, he handed it to her.

"You can conduct the test and prove the relationship," he said.

Staring at him, several emotions flickered in her eyes. "What about…?" She swallowed hard.

She couldn't bring herself to call him "Dad," not when he hadn't made any effort to seek her out.

Reading into her unsaid words, Julian replied, "Dad is fine; he had tried to find you, but every clue of connecting to you broke along the line."

Josh had been the one suffering the pain of his family's actions. He had lived in guilt; he had lived in torment.

Marrying ceremoniously with the Andrews family's daughter because he was forced, yet his life died the very day mom disappeared without trace.

"How did you know of my existence?" she asked.

"Dad found the location of Mom very late."

"How late?"

"As late as the day she died…the same day he found out about your existence," Julian explained.

Jessica took a deep breath as the memories of her mother's death filtered through.

A few minutes after her mother gave up, Jessica was crying over her unresponsive body, the nurses trying to take her away from the corpse.

But then, a flurry of footsteps sounded in the hallway, and a middle-aged man stepped into the ward.

With her tear-stricken eyes, she had stared at him, but his gaze was only trained on her mother.

There was no doubt that at that moment every other person was just an invisible background.

With slow, steady steps, he walked over to the body; the nurse paused her actions briefly.

Taking her hand in his, he talked to her, but Jessica was not hearing anything.

The nurse respectfully took the body away from him as his eyes reddened.

With the body leaving the ward, Jessica had followed suit, not talking to the man and the man not talking to her.