Aahana Swrup
The Josh Boone directorial film ‘Regretting You’ is a romcom where love is found despite the most tragic of circumstances. The story revolves around a mother-daughter duo who lose two of the most important people in their lives after a car accident. However, it is only in the aftermath of the deaths that Morgan realizes that her husband, Chris, and her sister, Penny, were actually having an affair behind their families’ backs for years. In an effort to shield her daughter, Clara, and her high regard for her dad and aunt, the mother decides to keep their secret, causing further rifts between the two. In the difficult time that follows, the kid finds some comfort in a budding new romance with Miller. Yet, Morgan feels she has to deny herself a similar happiness when she finds herself drifting closer toward Jonah, her high school best friend who also happens to be Penny’s widowed husband and the father of her son, Elijah. However, in light of Chris and Jenny’s affair, the newborn’s father can’t help but question what other things his wife lied to him about during their relationship. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Chris is Heavily Implied to be Elijah’s Biological Father
Initially, when Morgan and Jonah receive word of the deaths of their respective partners, the news leaves them devastated. Even so, it doesn’t take long for the question to come up regarding the reason why Chris and Jenny were in the same car together to begin with. As far as their partners were concerned, both of them had professional engagements on the fated afternoon. Thus, the truth eventually begins to piece together. The reason the two were together in the latter’s car at the time of the accident was that they had been having an affair for a long time. The revelation is a torturous betrayal for both Jonah and Morgan. The latter had gotten married in her late teenage years after getting pregnant with her boyfriend’s child. As such, she and Chris had been committed to each other for 17 years, building a life together with their daughter, Clara.
Nonetheless, as it turns out, Mogan was the only one who had actually stayed true to the commitment. Worse yet, her husband had been cheating on her with her sister. Likewise, Jonah had also been gravely slighted by his partner and his best friend. Although his relationship with Jenny was fairly new, discounting their fling in high school, they had plans of getting married in the future. Notably, Elijah’s birth was a significant factor in this life-changing decision. For the same reason, Jonah is even more heartbroken when, shortly after the accident, he notices that his son, Elijah, has the same smile as Chris. Although no other medical evidence is presented to support the theory, the proof they do find is enough to convince both Jonah and Morgan that Chris is the actual father of Jenny’s son. As old hidden letters prove the two had been going behind the latter’s back for a long time. As such, there’s almost no doubt that Elijah was a result of their adulterous affair.
Jonah Embraces His Role as Elijah’s Father Regardless of His Real Paternity
When Jonah first suspects Elijah to be biologically unrelated to him, it brings out some very complicated emotions in him. He’s already dealing with the loss of his however unfaithful girlfriend and his best friend. On top of his own grief, he also has to face the reality of a future for his son where he has to grow up without a mother. For the same reason, when he realizes Chris might be his son’s actual biological father, he reacts rashly and drops the baby off at Morgan’s house, compelling her to look after her sister’s baby. Fortunately, despite not knowing the entire truth, Clara is able to talk some sense into Jonah, encouraging him to go back to his son. Once reunited, the father realizes the error of his ways and vows never to leave Elijah again.
Regardless of Peny’s infidelity and lies, Jonah has been raising Elijah as his own son ever since the latter was born. He and the baby might not share DNA, but they have formed a bond that far supersedes any biological connection. For all intents and purposes, he is and will forever be Elijah’s real father. It might take the high school teacher a while to understand this, but once he comes to the same realization, he steps back into his fatherly role, more than happy to raise the kid as his own. Furthermore, Jonah seems to harbor relatively uncomplicated feelings about potentially sharing this complex truth with his son once the kids grow up. He seems to know better than most that secrets come with a cost that is mostly better left unpaid. As such, he is already prepared to tell Elijah the truth about his biological parents, Jenny and Chris, when the right time comes. Nonetheless, despite it all, he remains Elijah’s real dad, even if the two aren’t related by blood.
Read More: Is Regretting You Based on a True Story?
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