Chapter 36
TESSA’S POV
Twenty minutes, that was all I was going to give him. It wasn’t such a long period of time but my mind was stretching with the possibilities, each more agonizing than the last. What could he have to say? It didn’t matter, I had to rebuff him and put him away. I had to!
“Be fast about it” I said.
Relief flooded his features momentarily before it was replaced by determination. We found a secluded bench beneath the shade of an oak tree. He sat so close to me and my body screamed for me to move away but my legs remained rooted to the
spot.
“Tessa..” he began with a low and strained face. “This is difficult for me to say and I understand if you’re mad and hate me for it but….I went to see the Triplets today”
I turned to look at him sharply.
“You what?!” I choked out.
“I know, I know” He said holding up a hand to keep me from lashing out on him. “I know. want me near them”
you
don’t
I scoffed silently. I was glad he knew, it was a fact that I didn’t like him around my kids.
“Tessa, the thing is…” he paused for a moment, his eyes distant. “hear me out, when I played with them, I realized that they need a father figure in their lives. I know you don’t see me as their father but..”
I didn’t let him finish. His words were like a physical blow to me. Father figure? The role he had willingly abandoned and walked away from? Now he’s back to do his role when it felt too late. The audacity!
“So you think you can just waltz back in after all this time and be their dad?” I asked, venom lacing my words.
- I know It’s not that simple,” he countered, his shoulders slumping. “I know I messed up, Tessa. I know I hurt you, them… His voice trailed off, filled with remorse and for a split second, I wanted to
comfort him.
“But this doesn’t change my feelings for them. They’re my children, and I can’t just…” He continued, his gaze was faraway and I knew his mind had gone AWOL.
“Ignore them?” I finished his sentence, a bitter laugh escaping my lips. “Funny, isn’t it? That was exactly what you did when you threw me out. You ignored the fact I was pregnant with them and that’s what still hurts me till this day…the fact that you didn’t care” I said, nodding my myself.
head to
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A flicker of pain crossed his features, but he quickly composed himself. “Things are different now he argued. “I’m a different man. And I did promise, I’ll prove that to you. I just want you to trust
me
His words rang hollow in the emptiness of my heart. Promises were cheap, especially from someone who had shattered them so readily before. We promised to stay by each other sides but he broke that. What’s stopping him from doing it again?
“I don’t need you to prove anything, Adrian,” I stated firmly, my voice cold. “You made your choice, and now you have to live with it. Please don’t try to go meet the children, don’t give them false hopes that they have someone else that cares for them”
He reached out to my folded hands on my legs, his hand hovering hesitantly in the air before slowly falling back to his side. The defeated slump of his shoulders mirrored the ache that I felt in my heart. We sat in silence for a while, It was like we had nothing more to say to one another.
“I understand if you don’t believe me,” he finally said, his voice strained. “But just know that I won’t stop trying to change your mind. You can hate me all you want, but I will never stop trying. I’m not gonna give up on you or them”
His words sparked a fresh wave of several emotions.
“If you care then you’ll stop” I said calmly trying to contain the rising irritation I felt.
“They’re my children, and I won’t let you use them for your redemption.”
With that, I turned and stormed off, leaving him rooted to the spot.
How could he even think this was okay? the need to see my children overwhelmed me. The walk to the nanny’s quarters felt longer than usual, fueled by a growing sense of dread. What should I even say to them? How would they react on seeing me.
Pushing open the door, I was nervous hoping they wouldn’t ignore me. Kai, the ever–energetic one, was the first to spot me from where he was playing with a wooden block.
“Mommy!” he shrieked, launching himself into my arms with a joyous em
Sky, on the other hand, wore a pouty expression. “You left for days, I’m angry at you!” he complained, crossing his arms over his chest.
Ty simply watched the scene unfold with a neutral expression. Relief washed over me at the sight. of all of them doing fine.
“Where’s Ria!” I asked softly.
Sky pointed to a corner where Ria had dozed off on a chair.
“Oh and where’s your nanny?” I asked.
They all shrugged, muttering that they didn’t know.
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He divorced his infertile wife. Five months later his ex–wife was pregnant!
Chapter 36
Why would she leave them unattended to? I wasn’t paying her for this.
“Hey, my little kings.” I greeted them, showering them all with hugs and kisses, savoring the warmth and comfort they brought, they deserved it all.
We spent the next hour doing several activities, building a magnificent tower out of wooden blocks they were using to play, and giggling over silly stories. They were everything to me; my world, my ancho, my reason for fighting.
However, the conversation I had with Adrian hung heavy in the air, casting a shadow over my happiness. I couldn’t ignore it any longer. Once the kids were occupied building their block kingdom, I knelt before them, my heart pounding a nervous rhythm against my ribs. I needed to
do this
“There’s something important I need to talk to you about,” I said, my voice gentle yet firm as they gathered round me.
Their eyes so similar to Adrian’s, met mine with innocent curiosity. Sky, ever the impatient one, bounced on the balls of his feet. “What is it, Mommy?”
Taking a deep breath, I began. “You remember how we talked about not speaking to certain people,
right?”
A flicker of recognition crossed Kai’s face. “Oh, the man who came by today, should we stop talking to him?” he asked, his brows furrowing in confusion.
Sky, however, seemed lost in thought, nibbling on his bottom lip. Ty, as always, remained a silent observer. He hadn’t said much and for once, I was grateful for having a child that seems to understand the mood I was in. I wasn’t in the mood to smile around.
“Yes, that man,” I confirmed, the words leaving a bitter taste in my mouth at what I was about to say. “I don’t want you to have anything to do with him anymore.” I told them, my voice low and firm.
The silence that followed my statement was deafening. Kai’s brow furrowed even deeper, and Sky’s eyes widened in surprise. It made the nervous about what next. Even Ty raised an eyebrow
“But Mommy,” Sky piped up, his voice laced with confusion, he sounded sad and our dad.”
My heart skipped a beat. Dad?
“Dad?” I stammered, searching for the right words, “why are you calling him daddy?”
bad “he’s like
“He played with us today, he’s a really nice guy” Kai chimed in, his excitement bubbling over. “He showed us how to throw a ball really high!” He demonstrated with his hand high up.
“Sky? Tell me right now why you call him Dad, did he tell you to do it?” A weird part of me wanted. to believe that Adrian had forced them to do it.
“Because he said I could and I wanted to. I see him as my dad” he said, his large eyes looking into
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Chapter 36
mine.
“Me too!! I want to call him Pad, also” Kai chirped in, his comment doing nothing to quench the fire inside me.
“Why can’t you guys just listen to me and be like your brother over there?” I said pointing to Ty.
TV frowned as he listened to us.
“Why are you pointing to me, mama? I also like him and call him Dad” He said.
My heart dropped at his words. Not him too!
Then, from my quiet observer, came another unexpected statement. Ty, his voice barely above a whisper, said. “I like him, Mommy. He’s nice. I don’t think he’s a bad person”
My world came crashing down and I didn’t know what to feel. All three of them, in their own way, expressing some form of love and warmth with the man who had hurt me so deeply.
Tears welled up in my eyes, blurring my vision. How could I explain to them, the complexities of the situation, the pain and betrayal I still carried, to these innocent minds? They didn’t know that I felt that Adrian would just ruin our lives again. I hadn’t brought them here for a reunion with Adrian, I was here for a completely different reason and I was sidetracking.
“Look,” I said, trying to regain my composure, “There are things that happened a long time ago, things that make it…” I faltered, searching for the right word.
“Difficult?” Sky offered, his voice small and I smiled at him
I nodded, my throat tightening. “Yes, difficult. It’ll be difficult for you to understand but I need you to trust my mummy And because of that, it’s best if you don’t see him anymore.”
“But why?” Kai whined, his lower lip trembling.
“He may be nice to you” I said, my voice thick with emotion, “but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have bad intentions. You have everything you need right here, with me and each other.” I said to him trying to keep the smile on my face.
My heart ached at their reaction. It was clear that Adrian’s visit had left an impression on them. This was getting too much for me.
Anger flared hot within me, but seeing their innocent faces, filled with a mix of confusion and defiance, I quelled it. They deserved the truth, even if it wasn’t the whole truth.
“He wasn’t always a part of our family, sweetheart,” I explained, gently cupping Sky’s face. “There was a time before..before we came here, when he wasn’t around. Remember all the stories I told you about us being strong and independent?”
Sky nodded hesitantly, his eyes filled with a flicker of understanding.
4/5
Ox
He divorced his infertile wife. Five months later, 44 FREE
Installed Open
his ex–wife was pregnant!
Dreame
5/5
Chapter 36
“That’s what makes us strong,” I continued, my voice soft. “We have each other, and that’s all we
need.”
Looking at Ty, I reached out and ruffled his hair. “And you, my little one,” I said, a hint of amusement creeping into my voice, “don’t let anyone tell you who you that you need them to survive. Nice people aren’t always good”
Ty, always a child of few words, simply nodded, his deep–set eyes conveying an unexpected
Awareness.
The rest of the afternoon was tinged with a strange tension. The children returned to their block building with less enthusiasm, and Sky kept stealing furtive glances towards the window, as if expecting Adrian to reappear. My heart ached for their innocence, caught in the crossfire of my unresolved feelings.
The nanny came but I stayed longer because I wanted to make sure they were calm before I went back to the med bay. When they finally slept off that afternoon, I stole away back to the med bay and met Gia speaking to Heather in her ward
“What’s wrong?” I asked, my voice in my throat.
Gia looked at me and shook her head
“She’s restless and insists on leaving”
God no, not another child to calm down! What is my life turning into? I was going from being a medic to being a full on nanny.