When Julia and Michael attend an open night at her gallery, they are both taken by the experience, which forces them to uncover their darkest secrets.<\/p>\n
The couple knows that they have to be open and honest with each other, but will their engagement survive the secrets?<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t think I\u2019m one of those women who believe in fate. Because if I did, then fate would have a tough time explaining certain moments in my life, especially about the secret that I\u2019ve been holding onto\u2014a secret that\u2019s as much a part of me as my own skin.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m Julia, a successful art gallery owner, engaged to the most wonderful man, Michael, an architect with a heart of gold. Michael has two kids from his previous marriage, and I\u2019ve come to love them as my own\u2014basically trying to do the blended family thing.<\/p>\n
We are a few months away from our wedding, and the planning has taken over our lives. From the invitations to the food, the band to our outfits, it\u2019s been a lot. ut recently, I hosted an artist at my gallery, doing an exhibit based on hidden secrets seen through their art, This is beautiful,\u201d Michael said when I walked him around the gallery on opening night.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut there\u2019s so much darkness here.\u201d \u201cI know,\u201d I agreed, holding a glass of champagne. \u201cBut I guess that\u2019s why some secrets are better left hidden.\u201d Michael looked at me for a moment, and I wondered what he was thinking. His eyes glazed over, and I knew he was remembering something.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you okay?\u201d I asked him. \u201cYes,\u201d he said, taking my hand. At the end of the night, Michael dropped me off at my apartment, where I had enough time to overthink my secret. I needed to tell Michael about the baby. Eighteen years ago, my life was a struggle.<\/p>\n
I was just 20 years old, abandoned by the father of my child, and abandoned by my family for getting pregnant in the first place. I was studying art history at the community college by night and working at the local florist by day and weekends. I could barely cover my rent and groceries. There was absolutely no way I could afford the expenses of raising a baby.<\/p>\n
And the thought of having a child and not giving him the best I could gave me sleepless nights. iin the end\u2014and without having a support system\u2014I gave birth to my newborn son. It was a fairly quick labor, and my son came into the world in a fit of rage.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know it, little buddy,\u201d I told him as I held him in my arms. \u201cThe world is unfair.\u201d A week later, I left my son on the doorstep of an orphanage, convincing myself that it was for his best. For his benefit. \u201cHe\u2019ll find a family who will give him a big and bright life, Julia,\u201d I told myself when I got home. I felt hollow for years\u2014there was a part of me that was missing.<\/p>\n
Whenever I saw a little boy that looked to be his age, I wondered if it could be my son. But I would never know. Eventually, I had to force myself to push through the pain. \u201cYou have given up a piece of your heart and soul, Julia,\u201d my therapist said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou owe it to him to focus on your life. Do better. Use your degree, make your connections. Make the most difficult decision in your life count for something.\u201d And then everything changed. I went out, making connections, interning in galleries, shadowing artists to see their process. I threw my life into other people\u2019s art\u2014looking at their pain and pleasure splashed across the canvas.<\/p>\n
Nobody knew about my son. I met Michael when I bought the space for my gallery. He had been interested in the building, hoping to make it his head office. \u201cI could fight you for it,\u201d he said, smiling at me when we both went to view the place. \u201cBut I\u2019d settle for getting to know you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Years of getting to know each other had led us to this moment\u2014months away from our wedding but haunted by secrets brought to the surface by my opening night. The next morning, Michael came over. \u201cLast night got me thinking,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s something I need to tell you, before we get married. It\u2019s important.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael went about his routine of making coffee while I helped myself to the cinnamon buns he had brought. I didn\u2019t know what Michael was about to tell me. I just knew that when he was done, I had no choice but to tell him about my son. \u201cJulia,\u201d he said, \u201cYears ago, Kelly and I adopted a child before Sarah and David were born.<\/p>\n
It was something we wanted to do\u2014we wanted to give a child a home first. We wanted to give him the best life we could. We just wanted to love him and give him a family.\u201d \u201cWhere is he?\u201d I asked cautiously. The topic of adoption had gotten under my skin. I grew more anxious with every sip of coffee. \u201cHis name was Lucas, and he died in an accident. It was a school hiking trip, and Lucas fell while trying to help another student.\u201d \u201cI\u2019m so sorry,\u201d I said, gripping Michael\u2019s hands tightly. \u201cIt was tragic.<\/p>\n
But he was such an adventurous spirit,\u201d he said. \u201cLucas loved being outdoors. Even at the orphanage, they said that Lucas could always be found sitting outside playing with his toys.\u201d Michael\u2019s recount of the accident and Lucas\u2019s loss reopened my wounds, bringing back the guilt and sorrow I\u2019d buried deep down. \u201cMichael, there\u2019s something I have to tell you, too,\u201d I confessed. Once I began speaking, there was no stopping the flow of words.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow could you keep it from me?\u201d he asked. \u201cSomething of that nature?\u201d \u201cI could ask you the same thing,\u201d I said, not unkindly. \u201cDo you believe in fate?\u201d Michael asked. \u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d I replied. \u201cShow me a photo of Lucas, please.\u201d There was Lucas. A teenager who had my father\u2019s eyes and chin. It was clear\u2014Michael\u2019s son was my own. Before I knew what was happening, I was bolting to the bathroom, my stomach churning. \u201cJulia?\u201d Michael asked from behind the door. \u201cWhat happened there? What did you see?\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Michael, seeing my future flash before me, filled with doubt that this man would want to marry me after this. \u201cI saw my father in Lucas,\u201d I said. \u201cI think he was my son, too.\u201d Michael\u2019s face paled in front of me, his jaw slack. \u201cAre you sure?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re not just seeing something you want to see?\u201d \u201cNo, I\u2019m sure.\u201d I washed my face, and we went back to the living room. \u201cWould it help if we knew for certain?\u201d Michael asked me. I nodded. The rest of the day went by in a blur, and I mourned the loss of my son all over again.<\/p>\n
I knew I saw my father\u2019s eyes in Lucas\u2014the boy was definitely family. It couldn\u2019t just be a coincidence. The next day we went to the orphanage, eager to find out the truth. The social worker looked horrified when I recounted the details of how I had abandoned my son on their front step. But when she checked Lucas\u2019s records, it matched perfectly. \u201cOnly a DNA test would confirm it properly,\u201d she said. \u201cBut given the circumstances and our records, it\u2019s a match. I think your son was our Lucas.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael gripped my hand tightly. Later, we sat at the beach and spoke about Lucas some more. \u201cYou have to believe in fate, Julia,\u201d he said. \u201cMy son was connected to you. He still is. He\u2019s our son.\u201d The weeks that followed were tough. I knew that Michael looked at me differently.<\/p>\n
But what difference would it have made? Lucas would never have met me anyway. I came into Michael\u2019s life too late. We went to counseling because I believed that everything needed to be on the table before we continued with our wedding planning. We seem to be on the right path\u2014a journey of healing, but it\u2019s been difficult. Months later, we did have our wedding. And Michael and I were pushed closer by the secrets we had uncovered. During the reception, Michael pulled me aside and showed me the depth of his love and forgiveness.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going to start a charity, darling,\u201d he said. \u201cIt will be called Lucas\u2019s Light, and it will be for young single mothers, just like you were. We will be their safe haven, and we will help them. They wouldn\u2019t be forced to give up their babies just because of life\u2019s circumstances.\u201d I\u2019m still not sure if I believe in fate\u2014but I believe that my son was looking out for me all along, guiding me to Michael. Now, I\u2019m going to spend all my free time honoring Lucas\u2019s memory through the charity. Life is crazy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When Julia and Michael attend an open night at her gallery, they are both taken by the experience, which forces them to uncover their darkest secrets. The couple knows that they have to be open and honest with each other, but will their engagement survive the secrets? I don\u2019t think I\u2019m one of those women …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2840","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildwondertube.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2840","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildwondertube.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildwondertube.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildwondertube.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildwondertube.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2840"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wildwondertube.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2840\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2842,"href":"https:\/\/wildwondertube.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2840\/revisions\/2842"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildwondertube.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2840"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildwondertube.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2840"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildwondertube.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2840"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}