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After my son disappears, I take a deep breath before glancing at Mari.
“Sweetheart, I can explain—” I begin. But she shakes her head furiously.
“Explainwhat? That that boy is your son?”
“Yes,” I say in a low tone. “Harmon is mine.”
“Well, who’s the mother?” Mari demands in a belligerent tone. “And why didn’t you tell me?”
I take another deep breath before sitting at the kitchen table. This isn’t going to be easy to digest, especially since Mari’s been living at my house for the past five years or so with no clue that Harmon exists. The story’s long, but I know she deserves to hear it.
“Harmon’s mother is Ines,” I begin in a low voice. “Do you remember her? Ines Rodriguez.”
Mari shakes her head, her nose scrunching with confusion.
“No, I don’t know an Ines Rodriguez.” But then realization dawns on her face. “Do you mean the housekeeper who used to work for you? Like years ago?”
I nod, keeping my tone neutral.
“Yes, that Ines. The one from Sparkle Maids. Basically, we hooked up once or twice and the result is …well, Harmon.”
Mari stares at me like she’s seeing an alien.
“You were cheating on my mom?” she asks in a whisper.
I shake my head immediately.
“No, this was after Jeanette had already moved out so I was single. But I have no excuse. I was feeling lonely, I was depressed, and Ines was around a lot those days. I gave in to my baser instincts, and it was only once or twice, I swear. But the result is that she got pregnant, and Harmon was born.”
Mari looks fighting mad now, her cheeks red.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” she demands. “You fucked the housekeeper because you were depressed after your divorce? Who does that?”
“Arnold Schwarzenegger,” I say in a matter-of-fact tone. “His son, Joseph Baena, is the child of his former housekeeper.”
“Yeah, but you’re not Arnold Schwarzenegger!” Mari hisses with her fists clenched. “You’re not a celebrity, or a movie star, or a billionaire politician. You can’t just go around fucking random women to get you out a slump!”
I hold up my hands with my head bowed in defeat.
“Trust me, I know that. But back then, I was genuinely broken and one thing led to another—”
“Do you know how many men say that?” Mari whisper-yells, trying to keep her voice down for the sake of the child upstairs. “You fucking asshole! What a douchebag,” she says with disgust.
This is my worst nightmare come true because I never wanted my secret to get out like this. I didn’t want Mari’s judgment, nor for her to see me in a negative light. But now, it’s too late.
“Besides, why didn’t you say anything?” Mari hisses again, sparks flying from her eyes. “Obviously, you knew about your son from the very beginning, and you’ve kept him hidden all this time. Foryears!”
I nod miserably.
“I did. But there’s a reason, and that reason is my divorce.”
Mari squints her eyes at me.
“You and Jeanette have been divorced for ages, Harris. Who cares what my mom thinks? Trust me, Jeanette’s already moved on.”
I nod.
“Yes, but you see, the divorce actuallyhasn’tbeen finalized yet, and I didn’t want the revelation that I had a son to affect anything. Not the division of assets, the negotiations concerning marital property, nor your ability to stay here. Although Harmon was conceived after Jeanette and I had already gone our separate ways, you know your mom. She can fly off the handle at any moment, and the realization that I’d fathered a child within months of her moving out was sure to be like tossing a grenade into the middle of a firefight.”
