I came home one night and laid next to my husband on our bed. But when he woke up, I saw the face of a stranger who revealed a huge secret that I didn’t want to believe. “You’re my grandfather?” I said to the phone after receiving a strange phone call one day. I didn’t have any family left. My mom died of cancer several years ago, and my maternal grandparents passed when she was little. I didn’t know my father either because my mom told me he ghosted her after discovering she was pregnant with me. Unfortunately, I never developed great relationships with men afterward.
But now, a stranger told me that he was my grandfather and wanted to meet me. He found me after getting one of those DNA testing kits done. I only got it because I wanted to know my medical history, and now, I had apparently found family. He lived in another town and paid for my plane ticket to come to meet him. “Hello, Lucy. I’m Zachary Gaines. It’s nice to meet you,” he said. Yes, it’s nice to meet you too. I’m not good at chitchat, so can I ask why my father abandoned my mom when she was pregnant?” I asked immediately.
My grandfather sighed and started his story. “My son, Peter, didn’t abandon you. One day, he went on a business trip that lasted for months. He came back and told us he had fallen in love and was getting married,” Zachary started.
“We were thrilled that he was finally settling down. But the next day, he got into a serious car accident and died. He didn’t tell us anything about your mother, and his phone was destroyed in the crash. We had no way to reach you,” he finished with a tear running down his face. He continued telling me stories about my father and asked me to move to his town. He had a publishing company and wanted me to work there with him. I accepted, eager to have a family after many years alone. Eventually, my grandfather had to retire due to his health, and we hired Mary to be his live-in caretaker. She introduced me to her friend, Alex, and we hit it off right away.
Our relationship was a whirlwind. I didn’t know much about men, but he was gorgeous and loved me. We got married a month after meeting, and my grandfather walked me down the aisle. I worried about my grandfather’s ailing health, but Alex was so supportive. I thought my family was perfect. Alex came from money, and we had a beautiful house. But he loved spending time at my grandfather’s house to help out, even with Mary there. We all grew really close during those months. “Honey, I’m at your granddad’s house. Where are you?” Alex asked on the phone.