Page 132 of This Beautiful Lie
My son.
“Em,” Dean said quietly as they both came closer to me. “This is Griffin Aldridge.” His voice faltered, emotion threading through every syllable.
The boy’s eyes darted between us, uncertain, but curious. I could barely breathe. My throat felt raw.
Dean’s voice came again—rough but steady, like he was carrying something fragile in his hands. “And this,” he said to Griffin, his gaze flicking to me with a tenderness that nearly buckled my knees before settling his hand on the boy’s shoulder, “is my wife, Em Weston.”
He drew in a quiet breath—shoulders tightening, jaw flexing—as though bracing himself.
“Your biological mother.”
The world seemed to still.
Silence rippled outward, soft and stunned. For a heartbeat, no one moved—not even me. Griffin shifted his weight, the rubber soles of his sneakers squeaking against the polished wood floor as he lifted his face toward mine.
And those blue eyes—my blue eyes—found me again.
He blinked quickly, like he was fighting something he didn’t quite understand. “We kinda look alike,” he said softly.
A breath caught in my throat. My hands trembled before I could stop them.
“Yeah?” I whispered, forcing words past the tightness in my chest. “You think so?”
He nodded once—then his gaze flicked down to my stomach. “My mom told me you’re having a baby.” The statement was simple, but full of so much hope and innocence, it nearly undid me.
I nodded, a tear slipping free before I could stop it. “I am,” I said softly, forcing a shaky smile. “A boy.”
He looked up at me again, something tender and tentative shining in his eyes—like hope he wasn’t sure he was allowed to feel.
“That’s… cool,” he said quietly, a small, almost embarrassed smile tugging at his mouth. Then he glanced past my shoulder, and I turned around to see a couple I hadn’t noticed when I came in. They were watching us with their hands folded, worry and love woven together in their expressions. I knew instantly they were Griffin's parents. The ones I’d picked out by hand, twelve years earlier. They were a little older, a little grayer, but I would’ve recognized them anywhere.
“I’ve always wanted a brother,” he said to them, flicking a thumb across his cheek, as though to erase the evidence of tears before anyone noticed.
Dean beckoned them forward. “And these are?—”
But I cut him off before he could finish, the names rising to my lips like I’d known them my whole life. “Beth and Frederick Aldridge,” I said softly. My voice trembled as I smiled softly. “It’s… so nice to finally meet you.”
Beth smiled, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. “Oh, sweetheart,” she whispered, shaking her head as though she couldn’t quite believe I was real. Then she crossed the space between us and pulled me into her arms, holding on tight.
For a moment, I didn’t move—too overwhelmed to trust that I could—but then I sank into her embrace. She smelled faintly of lavender and laundry detergent, warm and familiar in a way that made my throat ache.
When she finally pulled back, she kept her hands on my shoulders, studying my face with such tenderness that it nearly undid me all over again. “Thank you,” she said, her voice breaking. “For everything.”
Frederick stepped forward next, clearing his throat, his eyes shining even as he tried to smile. “You have no idea,” he murmured, shaking his head. “No idea what you’ve given us.”
And for the first time in twelve years, I finally felt what I’d always hoped I would—peace.
Not the kind that comes from forgetting, but the kind that settles deep in your bones when you realize everything has come full circle. The ache I’d carried for so long—the what-ifs, the sleepless nights, the wondering if I’d done the right thing—all of it quieted in that single breath. Because here he was. Happy. Loved. Whole. And the people I’d trusted with his heart had kept every unspoken promise I’d prayed they would.
It wasn’t about losing my child anymore. It was about seeing him exactly where he was meant to be. And knowing, somehow, I was too.
Griffin grinned up at me, blue eyes bright and shining with excitement before he turned back to Dean.
“Dad said there are toads here. Big ones,” he said, practically vibrating. “Can you show me where to catch one?”
Dean let out a soft boast of a laugh. “Can I show you?” he said, puffing his chest just enough to make Griffin beam…
But then he glanced my way.
