I watched them from a distance. Two tiny hands clutching each of his, tugging him along like he'd always belonged. Zayne, in his perfectly tailored coat, was being dragged toward the hot chocolate stand by two sticky-faced three-and-a-half-year-olds.
A sight I never thought I'd see.
"Is everything okay?" William's voice pulled me back to the moment.
I blinked, disoriented, then looked over at him. "Emily's in surgery," I said quietly, the words falling out before I could stop them. "It happened overnight. Her organs… they started shutting down. Everything just spiraled. They wouldn't let me see her."
His eyes widened slightly. "Is she—"
"I don't know, Will. They rushed her into surgery just after we got here." I rubbed my hands together, the chill of the waiting area suddenly catching up to me. "I still can't believe she's finally getting the surgery."
William exhaled, a faint smile on his lips. "I'm glad she is. She can finally be free of the burden of poor health."
Then, his gaze shifted, eyes softening as they landed on me. "But I wasn't asking about her. I was asking about you. Are you okay?"
I exhaled slowly and lowered myself onto the bench beside him. I knew what he was asking, I just didn't know how to answer. "Where do I even begin?"
My gaze didn't leave the twins. "He's their father," I said finally.
William didn't respond right away. He simply sat still, watching the scene in front of us with a soft kind of attentiveness that made it easier to keep talking.
"You could tell, couldn't you?" I asked.
He nodded slowly, confirming my suspicions. "The resemblance is uncanny. And judging from the shock on his face when he saw them… I pieced together a thing or two."
A small, shaky laugh escaped me. "It was a one-night stand. No names, no strings attached. I found out I was pregnant eight weeks later… and then everything changed."
I wasn't sure why I was telling him all this. I'd known him for over a year but not once did he ask questions that pushed our boundaries. But now... I just found myself opening up.
William remained quiet, giving me space to share as much or as little as I needed.
"I kept hoping it would all sort itself out. That maybe it was a false positive, or maybe I'd wake up and none of it would be real. But I couldn't go through with terminating. And the moment I heard both their heartbeats…" I trailed off, blinking away the memory. "I was already theirs."
I let out a quiet breath, then glanced down at my hands.
"My dad kicked me out," I added after a pause. "The moment he found out… he didn't even think twice. Just said 'get out.' My mom didn't say a word. She just stood there, behind him. I don't even know if she agreed with him or was just too scared to speak up."
William didn't say anything, but I could feel his attention.
"Emily was the only one who stood by me. She stayed, even when she didn't have to. I owe her everything."
I smiled faintly, blinking fast to keep the tears from spilling. "That's why you don't see their grandparents."
There was a beat of silence before William said, "Really? I thought they were off at the North Pole-- bringing the twins gifts for Christmas."
A soft laugh escaped my lips, caught off guard by his gentle attempt to lighten the mood. "The north pole," I repeated, wiping my eyes. "Always a jokestar, huh?"
"One of my many abilities," he teased, nudging my shoulders lightly.
"I never thought I'd see him again," I continued. "But then I took this deal, and it turns out he's the one behind it. And now… now, we're here."
William tilted his head slightly. "That's a lot to carry inside."
"Tell me about it."
"At first, I was scared he wouldn't want to be in their life," I confessed, "or worse… that he'd try to take them from me."
"That might be true," William said, his eyes still on the trio across the room. Zayne had crouched beside Zeal, gently wiping chocolate from his cheek with a handkerchief. Zia stood nearby, chattering away with that ever-present spark in her eyes. "But look at them."
I followed William's gaze.
And my chest tightened.
I looked away, not being able to bear the sight of it or the fears that tugged at my heart. So many what-ifs were running through my mind. Times like these made me wish I were more optimistic about the future, instead of dwelling on several negative possibilities.
"The deal," William said softly, as if trying to pull me out of my spiral. "What deal was it?"
I drew in a sharp breath and sighed. "Someone told me about this offer a while back, but I turned it down. Didn't think it was real. But with Emily's health worsening… I tried it out to see what it was about."
He nodded slightly, urging me to go on.
"A contract marriage. With a hefty pay," I said, my tone flat as if I were speaking of the weather.
William turned his gaze toward me, his brows lifted in surprise. "That's how you met him again?"
"Yeah, that's how I met him again... At first I turned it down, but then... I signed it. I had to. For Emily. He's already paid for the surgery, and that's where we are now."
There was a pause. I could see the wheels turning in his mind. "Is this… do you want this?"
"It's not about what I want anymore," I whispered. "It's about the cards life threw at me. I had no choice, Will."
He looked at me for a long moment, then his expression shifted from concern to something warmer. A look I knew all too well... sympathy.
"You're a brave woman, Lia," he said gently. "Your kids are lucky to have you for a mother."
The words broke something in me.
Tears burst forward before I could stop them, blurring my vision, spilling freely down my cheeks.
That was all I needed to hear.
After days of doubting myself, questioning every step, feeling like I was failing them—that was all I needed to hear.