TEN

“Mom, what is all that about?” Ten asked as he was dragging his mother inside the school building, leaving Taeyong and his father outside.

His mom stopped walking which made Ten look directly at her. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Ten ran his fingers through his tousled hair. “Oh really? Because Taeyong just told me that we are brothers. Still don’t know what I’m talking about?”

Her breath hitched as she looked at her son with wide eyes. “He said what?” She looked shocked, but it didn’t seem like she heard it for the first time. “Don’t tell me you believed him…” She stepped closer to her son and grabbed his shoulders, keeping a steady eye contact with him. “Your father was the only man I ever loved. And you, Ten… You are the result of our love.”

Ten took a deep breath after listening to all his mother had to say and finally asked a question that has been bugging him for a while now. “Then how come you know Taeyong’s father?” Ten wasn’t quite sure what kind of answer he was expecting.

“You are old enough to know… that your father wasn’t the only man in my life. But he was the only one I truly loved.” She clasped her hands together before Ten could notice that they started to tremble. “Ten, love, you’ve got to believe me.”

“Oh well. Then what relationship was between the two of you?” Ten pushed further.

His mom wasn’t able to look into his dark eyes any longer, so she looked elsewhere. “Ten, I was young and stupid. I met him right after I ran away from home… I had nowhere to go. We happened to meet at that time. He was a rich heir to a company that had some business going on in Thailand. At that time I thought that he was the best thing that could happen to a poor girl like me.” She palmed her face and glanced shortly at her son who had his eyes glued to her and listened intently. “We had something going on… Ten. I don’t know how to say this.” Her breathing became shallow and tears were already about to fall down her youthful face.

Ten was sorry towards his mom for making her talk about her past which she must have wanted to forget, but he needed to know the truth and needed the answers to the behaviour of Taeyong and his father. “As you said, I’m old enough to know…”

Taking a deep breath his mom nodded and continued. “Well, we… you know. Did some intimate stuff together, but he had to leave to Korea soon after. He asked me to come with him, but I was too scared to go… and then I met your father not too long after, and we-”

“Then it is possible that I am his son?” Ten asked with his eyes wide, and forehead covered in sweat.

His mother shook her head and tears finally fell. “There is possibility that you are… but Ten. I can feel it that you’re not his son. You don’t look like him at all. I would have notices Ten. But nothing gives out that you might be his…”

Ten covered his mouth with his palm and flumped his back against the wall to steady himself. This all meant that his mother slept with two men at almost same time and she has no real proof to prove that Ten is not Taeyong’s half brother. That they are not blood related.

His heart felt ten times heavier when he thought about the other boy again. About what they did together…

“But you can never be one hundred per cent sure, mom!” Ten shouted and he almost felt sorry for doing so after seeing his mom’s quilt stricken expression.

“Ten I didn’t mean to tell you about this at all. If fate wasn’t this wicked you wouldn’t have to go through all this…”

Ten tipped his head back and let out a humourless laughter. “Wicked fate you say? What if I fell in love with my half-brother and what if I can’t ever see him again just because someone lied to me… what if he doesn’t even want to talk to me now, what do I do now, mom?”

His mother was showing signs of confusion at his words. “What do you mean?”

Ten swallowed the lump that formed in his throat. “I love him mom, and he keeps on pushing me away. Telling me we are brothers. And can you guess what’s even worse? Fact that I have no proof in my hands that