Love beyond the mask201-300

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Chapter_251

Tiana’s expression froze as she stiffened, her fingers pausing in mid-air while she adjusted her daughter’s diaper. Valerie, who had been observing the exchange, quickly diverted her gaze to the floor, a heavy silence filling the room.

Whitney’s heart raced as she studied the baby closely. There was something eerily familiar about Cherry’s face. The round cheeks, the soft curl of her lips—those were unmistakably features that resembled Parker Doonan, the man who had been a part of her life before everything had gone awry.

“Tiana…” Whitney’s voice faltered as the words caught in her throat. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”

Tiana’s eyes darted away, avoiding Whitney’s piercing gaze. The air around them felt suffocating. She bit her lip, trying to hold back the emotions that had been festering for years.

Valerie’s expression shifted into one of guilt, but she said nothing, her eyes pleading for silence.

Tiana slowly exhaled, her shoulders sagging as if carrying the weight of the truth she had been hiding for so long. “Whitney, I… I didn’t want to tell you. It’s… complicated.”

Tiana took a step back, her voice trembling. “Cherry is… she’s Parker’s child.”

The confession hung heavily in the air, the truth settling between them like an anchor pulling them down.

Whitney stood frozen, a mix of disbelief and shock flooding her system. Her hand instinctively gripped the baby tighter as her heart pounded in her chest.

“Parker’s child?” Whitney repeated, her voice thick with emotion. The memories of their shared time together, of Parker’s warmth and the plans they had made, surged back like a tide. How could this have happened? Why didn’t she know?

Tiana’s voice broke through her thoughts, soft and fragile. “It was a mistake, Whitney. A mistake I didn’t know how to undo. When I found out I was pregnant, I… I didn’t know how to tell you. I didn’t want to hurt you any more than I already had. I tried to protect you from all of this, but…” She trailed off, her eyes full of regret.

“How could you keep something like this from me?” Whitney whispered, her throat tight as she fought to hold back the tears threatening to spill. “You should’ve told me. I would’ve understood.”

Tiana looked at her, tears brimming in her eyes. “I didn’t want to add to your pain. You were already suffering, and I… I was just trying to protect us. But I see now that I should’ve been honest. I should have told you.”

Valerie stepped forward, her voice gentle but firm. “We all made choices back then, Whitney. And now, we have to face them. Tiana’s been carrying this burden alone for so long. We can’t keep hiding the truth.”

Whitney took a deep breath, her gaze lingering on Cherry, who looked up at her with innocent eyes. This child—this little girl—was a piece of the past she had long buried, but she could no longer ignore it. The weight of the revelation felt like a heavy stone lodged in her chest.

“How could Parker…” Whitney trailed off, unable to finish the thought. She couldn’t fathom the truth of it all. Her mind reeled with the implications. Was Parker even aware of his daughter’s existence?

Tiana shook her head, her voice barely above a whisper. “Parker never knew. He… he was gone before I could tell him. The last time I saw him, he was leaving. I didn’t want to burden him with this. I thought… I thought it would be better if he never knew.”

A surge of anger mixed with sorrow welled up inside Whitney, but she swallowed it down, pushing away the emotions she couldn’t afford to feel in this moment. She had too much to consider now.

With a shaky breath, she spoke, “This changes everything, Tiana. But it doesn’t change the fact that I’m here for you. I won’t leave you to suffer alone. You’re not alone in this.”

The words were meant to comfort, but deep down, Whitney knew the road ahead would be filled with difficult choices. This new revelation about Cherry only added another layer of complexity to an already complicated life.

Tiana nodded, her eyes filled with gratitude and relief, but her face was still clouded with uncertainty. “Thank you, Whitney. I don’t know what to do with all this. But I’m glad you’re here. I just… I just need to figure out how to move forward.”

Whitney stood silently for a moment, her gaze shifting from Tiana to Cherry. The child’s innocent eyes, still unknowing of the storm brewing around her, seemed to tug at her heart. A new resolve settled within Whitney, but the path forward was unclear.

She had already lost so much, but the fight was far from over. And now, with the truth out in the open, there was no turning back.

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