My jaw hangs open at the reading of the diary. I slam it shut and set it down on my bed, while processing everything that I just read. My mom cheated on my dad with my adoptive dad, and I'm probably the product of the affair.

I take deep breaths to cope with the news that I just received. It all feels like a slap to the face. I can't process anything right now. Mason lied to me. Sarah lied to me. Everyone lied to me. My whole life is built on a foundation of lies.

All these lies that have been fed to me like a mother would feed her child milk from a bottle. It all stems from the desire that my mother couldn't control. And, out of all the people, it had to be Mason. It had to be my biological dad, whom I thought had just taken care of here, merely.

I thought he was just an emotional support mechanism, which is also necessary in a friendship. I thought their relationship had just stopped at this. I've been proven so wrong. They took care of each other in a whole other way.

The one thing that overcomes me at that moment is a longing for an answer. I need to know the truth. Am I the product of an extramarital affair? Is that another lie that was ingrained into my daily thinking? Was it the reason that Arjun decided to strip me of the rights of my biological mother? These are all questions that are longing for an answer. And one that is not filled with lies.

I don't think I'll be able to face Mason without bursting into tears, screaming at him, or both. I can't look at him at this moment knowing that he's the reason behind all of this. He was one of the people that caused my parents' marriage to fizzle into the bare bones that it is today.

Not only did my mom refuse to control her lust, but she dragged Mason into this. The worst part? He didn't resist. He gave in, knowing the consequences that it would ultimately result in. Arjun's anger, lost of trust, and their possible friendship never being the same. Knowing that much and looking at him is like trying to make a dog and a cat get along without attacking each other.

I place the diary back in my dresser so that Mason doesn't have to find me reading it when he comes upstairs. I take deep breaths so that I can prepare myself for the confrontation. It's going to take a lot before I start screaming at him and accusing him of ruining everything.

Although the second part isn't completely false. I look over at the clock, which displays the time of "3:21." Mason's not going to be home for another two hours. Two hours of dreading the confrontation.

*******

Eventually, I hear the opening of the garage, and Mason's car pulling in, most likely with Nathan in the front seat because of the fact that he has soccer practice. I get out of bed, fixing my hair up a little bit, and go downstairs so that I can grab a snack before going back upstairs to wallow in my room.

When I get downstairs, Mason is setting his keys down on the table. "Hey, baby!" he cheerfully says, with his big fat smile on his face. I give him a simple smile, and then look back at Nathan, who's got his soccer jersey on, and with sweat glistening on his forehead. Nathan comes over to me, and then holds out his hand in a bro hug offering.

"Yo, Ashmita," he says, to which I can't help but smile and take it. I'm never against a bro hug, and growing up with a brother for 14 years has helped me master it.

Mason notices my hostility towards him, and raises an eyebrow at it. "Ashmita, everything okay? You seem off."

I resist the urge to start screaming at him and accusing him of ruining my parents' marriage. I need to control that for tonight, but in a civilized manner, because I don't want to break the windows and cause the neighbors to call the police thinking that there was a murder that occurred. I just give a slight nod, and say, "Yeah, I'm fine."

Mason sets his backpack down and asks, "You sure? Anything that you want to talk about?" That's the perfect opportunity to confront him. Right after dinner, as he's cleaning up, so that just in case something goes wrong, then it won't be before I get some food in my system.

"Yeah. Let's do it after dinner. I have some things to ask you."

He nods, smiles, and says, "Dinner will be ready in about two hours. I've just got a few things to finish up, and then we can talk."

I smile, and then go up to my room to do other work. "Nathan, shower! You stink!" I squeal.

He giggles, and says, "You stink even more, Ashmita."

********

I'm sitting on the couch, as Mason is wiping down the countertop after cooking today's dinner. I'm dreading the outcome of this situation. I know that out of all these things, this has probably got to be one of the most anxious things that I've ever had to encounter.

I'm still in a slight state of shock. I want to believe that everything's just a dream, and that Mason never helped my mom ruin her marriage and that everything would go back to what it used to be. Yet, even after pinching myself lightly, that's far from reality. And right now, facing it is the most complicated thing on my mind.

"Alright, what's on your mind, Ashmita?" Mason asks, as he sits down.

I gulp a little bit, and try to think of a good way to introduce the question without shooting it at Mason. After contemplating for about 7 seconds, I ask, "Mason, did my mom keep her promises?"

Mason raises an eyebrow at me. "Well, like everyone, she broke a few here and there."

"So why don't you tell me about the one you helped her break? You know, when you slept with her while she was still with Arjun?"

Mason's eyes widen, and his jaw falls open. Incomprehensible noises start to come out of his mouth, like a frog croaking. I sit there, with a smug look on my face, waiting for an answer to my question. Mason, after about 30 seconds of frog croaking, closes his mouth.

I continue the discussion by asking, "Is Arjun even my real dad? Are you my actual dad, Mason?"

Mason's eyes widen again, this time in pure disbelief. "What? No! We did a paternity test when you were born. I had no chance of being the father." A wave of relief washes through me. That would've been an even bigger plot twist if I was actually Mason's true daughter.

But, I can't excuse the fact that he ruined my parents' marriage. And the fact that he hasn't technically admitted his guilt makes this worse. "Mason, answer me. Did you sleep with my mom while she was still with Arjun?"

The look of shame washes over Mason, and he just gives me a slight nod. Anger starts to fuel inside of me. He doesn't have the decency to say "Yes," to me at this moment, and he's standing there with the look of shame.

"Mason, I can't believe you! You ruined my parents' marriage! How could you do this to Arjun?"

Mason gets up, and starts to move closer to me. "Ashmita, baby, I'm so sorry. I'm so fucking sorry," he apologizes, but I move his hands away from me.

"No. Don't touch me." I run upstairs to my room, while he yells, "Ashmita!" I run upstairs, slam the door, and lean against it. Then, two seconds later, the sobbing starts, with me collapsing to the ground afterwards. Everything is just so confusing at this moment.

Anger, betrayal, sadness, and so many more emotions are overwhelming me at this moment. And none of them are close to happiness. But, one of them is very prevalent, and nags at me like a dog pulling on a leash. It's desire.

The desire to do something that I thought I'd never do.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Aw man, this was rough. Imagine finding out that your role model, and one of your best friends, has lied to you throughout your life and completely screwed someone over in the worst way possible. I'm surprised Ashmita didn't have a complete breakdown. What do you think she's going to do? Let me know in the comments.

Hey everyone! How's it going? So, I think you're going to like the next chapter's ending. And the chapter after that. It's... going to be good.

Also, science fiction or fantasy?

That's all I got. Hope you guys liked this chapter!

Please vote/comment/share/follow/message if you like my work! See you all next Sunday with a new chapter of TSOC! Have a great week!

Love you guys, and stay safe,

Shree