Love, Lies, & Deception

by silverbellbaby

Elizabeth and Lucky have been together since they were 15 and 16 years old. They always knew they'd be together forever. What she doesn't know is Lucky has kept a secret from the time he was gone for a month from Port Charles. A secret that Elizabeth doesn't know and that could destroy his relationship with her. R&R

71. Chapter 71

A/N: Thank you to ghfan51184 for the feedback. I appreciate it. Here's the next update.

Title: Love lies & deception

Chapter 70 'A Secret Revealed'

(At the prison, Joshua looks at Linda in shock. What the hell did she just say? Maybe he heard her wrong. He blinks a few times before speaking to her)

Joshua: "You-You were pregnant with my child when I went back to Abby?"

Linda: (nods & whispers) "Yes."

(Joshua leans back in his chair and looks away from her. He needed to process this)

Linda: (sighs softly) "Joshua, I'm so sorry I didn't tell you. I wanted to more than you'll ever know. But, you had just gone back to Abby. I didn't want to be the reason you left her."

Joshua: "Linda, why didn't you tell me when you found out? Yes, I may have went back to Abby. But, if I had known you were carrying my child…" (sighs) "I would have left my loveless marriage for good. I would have followed my heart and chose you."

(Linda looks at him weirdly. He never gave her any indication he would've done this! She wasn't a mind reader)

Linda: "Joshua, how was I supposed to know this? You never gave me any hint whatsoever that you would've done that. You made it clear that you were going back to Abby. As much as I loved you, I wasn't going to break up a marriage. I don't care if your marriage was on shaky ground, I wasn't going to be the reason why you left her."

Joshua: "Linda, whether I was with Abby or not, I had a right to know you were carrying my child."

Linda: "I understand that. I wanted to tell you so badly, so many times."

(Joshua raises his hands to his sides and faces her in expectancy)

Joshua: "Then why didn't you?"

Linda: (scoffs) "What would you have told Abby? You're not sure about your marriage because 'the other woman' was pregnant with your child? Yeah, that would've gone over well."

Joshua: (frustratedly) "Whether or not I chose to go back to Abby shouldn't have mattered, Linda. I had a right to know I was going to be a father."

Linda: (scoffs) "I know that! But I truly felt that I would've wrecked your already failing marriage if I told you."

Joshua: (shakes his head) "That wasn't your decision to make."

(Linda looks away as she tries to figure out how to tell him the main reason why she didn't tell her lover the truth. Joshua sensed her hesitancy and spoke)

Joshua: "Talk to me, Linda. What aren't you telling me?"

Linda: (perplexed) "What do you mean?"

Joshua: "I-I get the feeling there's more to the story than you're letting on."

(Shit!, she thought to herself. She didn't realize he picked up on that. Now, what the hell was she supposed to do? She didn't want to make matters worse with the real reason why she didn't tell him. Joshua took her hands in his and gave her a tender look)

Joshua: "Please, baby, talk to me."

Linda: (tearfully) "It has to do with Abby."

Joshua: (puzzled) "Abby? What does she have to do with this?"

Linda: (stutters) "I-I don't know how she found out, but she did. I was getting ready to tell you the truth. But, she approached me and told me she knew I was pregnant with your child. I was shocked! I asked her how she knew. She said it didn't matter. She told me that the two of you were trying to work on your marriage and it was already on shaky ground. I told her that you deserved to know the truth. She asked me if I wanted to be responsible for breaking up your marriage. I asked her how you would like it as you're in the dark on this. She warned me to keep my mouth shut or else she'd ruin me. When I asked her how she could live with herself because you're in the dark, she assured me you'd never have to know. I still felt you had a right to know. That's when she threatened me. If I told you, she'd ruin me and you. She also said she'd declare me an unfit mother because I slept with a married man. I didn't know what to do, Joshua. I didn't know if she had that kind of power, but I was too afraid to find out." (crying) "I'm sorry, Joshua! I wanted to tell you more than anything. But with Abby's threats looming over me, I honestly thought she held all the cards."

(Joshua's expression surprised the hell out of Linda. She honestly didn't know if he would believe her. Joshua scoffs incredulously before speaking)

Joshua: "That bitch! That lying, fucking bitch! She threatened over the years to leave me as she knew of my feelings for you. She finally gave me an ultimatum one time…you or her. I should have chosen you. I wanted to choose you."

Linda: (sighs in defeat) "Then why didn't you?"

Joshua: (shrugs) "Because I was an idiot. I wanted to honor my marriage vows, even though I fell out of love with her. I've always loved you. She must've known because that's when she threatened you." (sighs sadly) "I'm sorry I was an ass and stayed with Abby when I should have been with you all along."

Linda: "What's the status of your relationship now?"

Joshua: (nods) "I'm divorcing her, which is long overdue."

Linda: (laughs) "Yeah, it is."

Joshua: (tilts his head, curiously) "So, do I have a son or a daughter?"

Linda: (smiles) "You have a son…Noah. He's full of life."

Joshua: (hopeful look) "Do you have a picture of him?"

Linda: (smiles & nods) "I do. He's the light of my life."

(Linda digs into her purse for her wallet and finds a photo. She takes it out and gives it to Joshua, which he takes. A proud smile appears across his face)

Joshua: "He's beautiful. Very handsome. Brown hair like me, hazel eyes like you. Some freckles over his cheeks. His smile would make anyone melt. What's his age? 12? 13?"

Linda: (nods) "He's 13." (chuckles softly) "I was worried he'd start his teenage years testing my patience as kids can be like that. But he hasn't….yet. He's been wonderful."

Joshua: "He looks wonderful."

Linda: (sighs sadly) "He's sick."

Joshua: (concerned) "What do you mean?"

Linda: "For years, his health has been declining. After this visit, I report to prison regarding my role in Michelle Thomas' incident. Noah is staying with my sister in North Carolina, being I can't care for him while I'm in jail."

Joshua: (smiles a little) "That's nice of her."

Linda: "I'm sorry I kept our son from you all these years."

Joshua: (sighs) "While I'm not happy about it, I do understand why you did it after you just explained it to me." (hopeful look) "Does he ever ask about where his father is?"

Linda: (smiles) "Yes. I tell him his father loves him and would love to meet him if given the chance. I told him his father is away but not far from his heart."

Joshua: (smiles) "Thank you for telling me, baby. What I said before still holds true. You hold my heart." (angrily) "I will deal with Abby."

Linda: (shakes her head) "I'm not worried about her, Joshua. As far as I'm concerned, she's out of my life."

Joshua: (nods) "Okay."

***The Park***

(Elizabeth, Lucky, Nikolas, and Michelle decided to get out for a little while. Even though Ashlynn was less than a year old and Andrew a baby, both couples brought the kids along, Elizabeth put Ashlynn in the baby swing and Andrew stayed safely in his stroller. While Elizabeth gently pushed Ashlynn in the swing, the four of them engaged in conversation)

Lucky: "Where's Max and Emily?"

Michelle: "At Emily's doing their homework. Like Emily said, 'never-ending'."

(They all share a chuckle)

Liz: (chuckles dryly) "I definitely don't miss those days."

Nikolas: (laughs) "What's the matter? I thought you were a straight A student in high school?"

Liz: (raises her eyebrows) "Doesn't mean I had fun, Mr. smarty pants."

Lucky: "Any ideas on how the custody case will go tomorrow?"

Michelle: "If there's a God, I'll get full custody of my son."

Nikolas: (nods) "We just need to pray it happens. Sparrow and that nurse kept you from your child. Finally, they're going to be held responsible for it."

Liz: (nods) "Amen." (tilts her head) "Michelle, are you nervous?"

(Michelle fidgeted nervously as she knew the answer)

Michelle: "Yes, I am. As much as I get along with the Brady's, I'm afraid the judge will side with them as they had Andrew since birth. I was told Andrew was dead, otherwise I would've fought for him when Sparrow and Linda lied to me about him."

Nikolas: "The good doctor is already in jail. The nurse will have her turn around the custody case."

(Nikolas takes his girl in his arms with a serious expression)

Nikolas: "I'll fight to get our son back with us…where he belongs."

Michelle: (chuckles a bit) "'Our son'…I like that."

Nikolas: "He may not be mine by blood, but he's mine in every way that matters."

(Nikolas was ready to ask Michelle to marry him right here, right now. However, he knew it wasn't the right time. He held his tongue, even though it was killing him)

Nikolas: (smiles) "I love you, baby."

Michelle: (chuckles) "I love you, too, my sweet."

(Meanwhile, at Caroline Benson's office, she is going over some files that pertain to Michelle's case. After hearing a knock at her office door, she tells the person to 'come in'. She is relieved to see it's her private investigator on the Thomas case)

Caroline: "Please tell me that you have something that will help Michelle."

Jason: (nods) "I just might."

(Caroline waits for him to continue. When he doesn't, she waves her hand and nods)

Caroline: "Details would be nice."

Jason: "Let's just say, if the lead is what I think it is, it will shock the Brady's."

Caroline: "When will you have more info?"

Jason: "Tomorrow morning hopefully."

Caroline: (gross face) "Ugh! And the custody case starts tomorrow early afternoon."

Jason: "I have someone on the inside that is working with me and we'll find out the truth tomorrow. I don't want to get your hopes up."

Caroline: (sighs) "Can you at least tell me what it's about?"

Jason: "If it's what I think it is…the Brady's were lied to years ago."

(Caroline turns her head a bit in confusion at Jason's comment. She didn't know what the hell was going on)

Chapter 70 done

Chapter 71 Preview: "The Custody Case Starts'