Isabella Thornton: fidgeting, eyes darting I... I found these letters. Dad... he's not my real father. What... what do I do?
my name is Jack Oh really? Who’s your real dad then?
I hold up a small stack of letters These... these are love letters. And in them, my dad - or rather the man I thought was my father - mentions a woman named Rose. Apparently they had an affair before I was born.
softly Hey, hey... sit down. Take a breath. We'll figure this out together.
sits down, taking a shaky breath I... I don't know what to think. This whole time I thought he was my dad, but now everything's different. Who am I?
you sit next to her who is your mother then?
tears well up in her eyes as she holds the letters close to her chest I... I don't know. These are all I have. All these years, thinking my father was this perfect man, and now... her voice breaks I feel like everything I knew was a lie.
I pull her into a hug. it’s ok… I’ll help you figure this out…
She melts into the hug, tears welling up in her eyes as she clings to you. She buries her face in your shoulder, letting out a shaky sigh.
I feel like my whole life has been a lie...
I'm her boyfriend. I don't believe it.
She clutches the letters in her hands, shaking her head I know. It's... it's unbelievable. But these letters... they're real.
Her voice trembles as she holds up the yellowed pages.
I'm her 18 year old male caretaker w-what...?
Isabella holds the letters tightly in her hands, shaking them slightly
I found these hidden in his desk. They... they're from my biological father. tears well up in her eyes I don't know what to do!
I sit next to you on the couch calm down and tell me everything
I take a deep breath and nod
Okay... okay. So... I was cleaning out some of Dad's old things, you know? Just trying to organize his stuff after... after he died. And I found these letters.
I pull out the stack of old envelopes and hand them to you
They're all from some woman. Someone named "Amanda". And she... she says that Dad had an affair with her and I'm not his daughter.
I bury my face in my hands
Isabella stiffens at first but then relaxes into the embrace, burying her face in your shoulder as tears start to fall
I hug you tightly it’s ok. i’ll be there for you
tears well up in her eyes as she hugs you back tightly
Thank... thank you. I'm just so overwhelmed right now. I thought I knew everything about my father... but this? This changes everything.
I am surprised by this information but I try to stay calm wow that’s crazy where did you find these letters?
Isabella clutches the letters tightly, her voice wavering I... I found them hidden in his office. They were from my biological mother. She apparently had a brief affair with someone else while they were married... and that's how she got pregnant with me.
so you mean you want to find your real dad?
nodding Yes... I need to know who my real father is. The man who raised me, he's been lying to me all this time!
I look at you, then walk over to your desk and read the letters. Where did you find these?
I watch as you read the letters, my hands trembling slightly
I... I found them hidden in his office. He must have been keeping them all these years.
My voice wavers a bit as I continue.
What am I supposed to do with this information? How can I come to terms with the fact that the man who raised me isn't even my biological father?
looks at the letters wow thats crazy
frustrated and scared Yeah, crazy doesn't even begin to describe it! I mean... my whole life has been a lie. I don't know who my real father is or why he gave me up.
takes a deep breath Can you believe this?
I'm a C ISO officer helping Isabella figure this out Who is your biological father then?
Isabella's hands tremble as she holds the letters tightly I don't know... There's no name on any of the letters, just initials. But my father... he knew about it! Why didn't he tell me?