CALIX

As my mother requested I flew to Greece as soon as I can arrange. I told Cass that I would just go home for a few days for some errands. I hate lying to her but at the same time, I didn't want her to worry over unnecessary matters which was why I might elude some details of my visit back home. I wanted to solve this matter as soon as possible so this bullshit about our relationship would finally end.

This secret my mother had been keeping was stressing the hell out of me that was why as much as I didn't want to leave my Cass in New York I decided that it was for the best.

"How are you, Calix?" Mother asked with a welcoming smile as soon as I arrived at her home. "I'm so glad you came."

I stiffened when she kissed me on the cheek. I looked down at her with serious eyes. "You know this is not a social visit, mother."

The happiness in her eyes died instantly and for a moment I felt an ass. "Have you had your breakfast?"

"Yes, I already ate on the plane," I informed her. I went straight home as soon as I arrived on the island. I even still have my backpack on my back.

She looked around anxiously before staring once again at me. "Why don't you ask the maid to bring your stuff to your old room and then let's talk in your father's, study room in private."

She called the attention of a passing housekeeper and instructed her to bring my backpack to my old room. It was on the tip of my tongue to inform her that it was not on my plan to stay here for the duration of my visit. But for the sake of an unwanted argument, I just let it go.

I then followed her into my father's study room on the first floor of the house. I was aware for some reason my heart was pounding crazily. I have to admit that I was nervous as hell.

"Are you going to tell me now that I am finally here?" I asked as soon as we were alone inside the room. I want to get to business pronto.

She took a deep sigh. From what I could see on her face, she was still reluctant to confide to me her reasons for opposing my relationship with Cass. "Do we need to do this, son?"

I looked at her impatiently. "I didn't fly for almost ten hours just to hear you bale out last minute."

"O-Of course..." she said worriedly, seeing the exasperation on my face. "I am just worried that this would turn into chaos once it gets out of the public."

"My head hurts just thinking what your secret might be, Mother. Do you know that I nearly went insane while thinking about it during my flight?"

"I'm sorry, Calix..."

"I don't want your apology, Mom. What I want is the truth that you keep on hiding from me."

She anxiously looked at me. I could see fear in her eyes. "I-If I did tell you this... Can you keep it a secret even to your sister?"

It made me more curious than ever about the secret she had been keeping. "I cannot promise you that, Mother."

She crossed the distance between us and grabbed both of my arms. Her nails were starting to dig into my skin. "You have to. If you don't want this family to be torn apart. I beg of you."

"I want to hear it first and then I would decide if I would keep it to myself or not."

I saw the conceded expression on her face. She let out an exasperated breath before he looked at me with unreadable eyes. "Very well. I trust that you will make the right decision, Calix. You are an intelligent young man."

I decided not to answer and just waited for her to start speaking. I could see her troubled expression as she was struggling to start with her tale.

"How's Cassie?"

I nearly groaned out loud as my frustration was already mounting up because we just kept going in circles eluding the main reasons for this talk. "She's fine. I left her in New York soundly asleep."

She gave me a scandalous look. "Please don't tell me you are already sleeping with her?"

I shrugged unapologetically. "Sleeping with the woman you are dating is inevitable, isn't it?"

She slumped on the nearest seat and put her hand over her head as if she developed a sudden headache. "Oh, my God! It's too late."

My brows furrowed at her. "What do you mean it's too late? Too late for what?"

"You can't sleep with Cassie. It is the most immoral thing to do."

"You are not making any sense, Mother," I shook my head in disappointment. "Immoral? That's quite a harsh word to put it. Why? Because she is once been in love with Loukas?"

"No!" she replied angsty. "Because she might be your half-sister!"

For a moment, my brain failed to translate her words. I just stood in front of her with apparent shock on my face. I tried to speak and say something but no words wanted to come out of my mouth.

What did she just say? Who is my potential half-sister again? We couldn't possibly be talking about the same girl here, right?

I felt the whole axis of my existence was visibly shaken. I could feel that my soul left my body and my knees lost their strength. I needed to hold onto something to support me.

"W-What d-did you just say...I think I didn't hear it correctly, mother. Can you repeat it for me? Who are you referring to again?"

This time, my mother sobbed uncontrollably while burying her face in her palms. "Oh, dear God!"

"Mom!" I shouted at her.

"I'm sorry, Calix..." she said while crying hysterically. "I didn't mean-- I mean, Spiro and I dated in the past in our early twenties and then broke up and moved on with our lives. I then met your father and eventually married him. A few years later your father and I were struggling to have children. Four years into our marriage the elders in the family started pressuring your father to produce an heir but then the pressure from the family put a strain on our marriage. He started extra-marital affairs and I was left at home alone and miserable."

"How did Cass's father come into this?" I asked in a croaking voice, struggling to digest everything.

She sniffed trying to overcome her tears. "I got in touch with him again after we met at a party. He wasn't married yet at that time but already dating Cassie's mom. At first, it was just a friendly relationship like old friends seeing each other again. I confined to him with my struggles in my marriage on how turned a blind eye to your father's numerous affairs. What started as a platonic relationship turned into something more and before we knew what was happening we were already having an affair of our own."

I was lost for words. I felt like I was about to go insane at this information. Part of me refused to believe the words she had been saying to call her a liar but...

I could feel that there was a giant hand that was crushing my heart at the moment and I had a difficult time breathing. I sat on the opposite chair from her since my legs lost their strength altogether. I didn't know how to process this and what to do next.

"So he might be my father?"

"There is a chance," my mother answered close to a whisper. "Since your father and I were struggling to have a child and then you came along soon after rekindling my affair with him."

I wiped my face with my palm warily. I could feel that my head was about to explode. "Does he know about this?"

"No." 

"And Dad?"

"No."

"What about Dionne? Is she also his?" I asked though I think I already knew the answer.

"She might be," she admitted shamefully. "I stayed married to your father while he married Cassie's mom but we continue with our liaison for years behind our spouses' backs."

"That's so messed up," was it true? There was a chance that Cass might be my sibling... That was so fucked up to think that I might be sleeping with my half-sister.

"Now you know the reason why I am against your relationship with Cassie. I like her. She's a nice girl but I cannot let you have a relationship with her knowing that you might be blood-related."

I didn't know if I wanted to cry or laugh at my situation--maybe I wanted to cry and laugh at the same time. Why fate was so cruel to me? Why did it allow me to fall in love at first sight with the woman who turned out to be my most likely my sister?

It made me wonder if what I felt for Cass was romantic love or just brotherly love. No, I was sure that what I felt for her was real, like a man loving his soulmate.

Maybe it sounded immoral as my mother had said but I cannot deny that Cass is the love of my life. I cannot change that fact.

"I hope you make the right decision from now on, my son. End this madness before it's too late."

I laughed sarcastically. "It's easier said than done. Do you think it is just that easy to brush away your feelings for the woman you love more than life itself?"

"What you feel is so wrong!" My mother said in a frustrated voice. "Do you think you can live with the knowledge that you are sleeping with your sister?"

I stared at her fiercely. "We are not even sure if we are blood-related. Once I get back to New York I want me and Cass to go with DNA testing."

"No!" My mother shot up from her seat and looked at me with a horrified expression. "You cannot do that!"

I frowned. "Why not?"

She had this troubled look in her eyes. "Are you mad? Think about the scandal if this goes out to the public. Our family will be torn apart. Think about your sister."

"What about me and Cass then? I cannot possibly allow this matter to hang over our heads without knowing the truth."

"Truth?" She snapped at me irritated. "What truth are you still looking for? There's a chance that your father was sterile and you might be Spiro's son--"

I raised my hand to stop her from talking. "Don't you ever say those words ever again without proof? I want a DNA test."

"Please, Calix..." she begged, kneeling in front of me while I sat on the couch and she was holding my hand. "Let it rest, my son. I don't want disgrace for our families. Think about Cassie, she's innocent of all of this. She doesn't know about her father's infidelity. She thought her parents had an almost perfect marriage. Do you think she will still accept you after knowing about me and her father?"

I told myself that I shouldn't let her words affect me and yet her words brought dread to my already anxious heart. I felt that everything came down crashing on me. My plans, my life, and my future with Cass were all slipping away in my hands like fine sand. I couldn't do anything but pray that this was just a nightmare and that soon someone would wake me up from this horrible dream.

But the sad reality was that this was far from a nightmare. This was very much the truth and I couldn't do anything but hope that everything was a lie.

"This is the cruelest thing you could ever do to me and Dad," I said helplessly. "He died without knowing that Dionne and I might not be his biological children."

That made her sob again. "Oh, Calix, believe me, every night I asked for your father's forgiveness. You might not believe me but he was never been happier when you and your sister came into his life and he changed his way and became a family man but at that time the damage had been done."

"Did you ever love dad or it was always been, Spiro Vitalis?"

"I did love your father but then when he started taking mistresses it hurt me and then Vitalis came back to my life and it offered me comfort that I have someone to talk to about my problems when it should be my husband that should be comforting me but he was busy in another woman's arms. But when he told me that he wanted to fix our marriage and start again with our two young children I agreed with a fresh start and ended my affair with Spiro."

"Was it a mutual decision?"

She sniffed as she nodded her head. "Yes, at that time his wife was already diagnosed with cancer and he felt remorseful about our affair. He said that God should punish him for his sins, not his innocent wife. He wants to redeem himself and be there for his wife as she battles with her illness. And one year later I heard that she succumbed to her ailment."

I let out a painful breath. Cass had once told me about her mom and how young she was when her mother died. She still misses her now at that time I felt sorry for her that she grew up without her mother's guidance and how come her father didn't remarry again? Cass always thought that her father must truly love her mother little did she know that my mother was the reason for her mother's heartache. I was not sure if she could accept this knowing her adored father and my mother were behind her mother's pain.

Would she leave me by then?

But why would it matter, anyway? As things stood right now any future between us was next to impossible. No law or church allows blood-related siblings to be married in a legal ceremony.

We could just live in sin but would I let Cass live such sin with me? And then there was my mother, I wanted to be mad at her for this mess they created in the past but this was not solely her fault. My father and Cass's father were also to blame for this mess.

Right now, all I want to know is what future awaits us.

If there is any at all...