LUCIAN
What the fuck am I doing here again.
I’d asked myself that question at least six times already, maybe more, sitting in the back of the car with the engine idling and the windows half tinted.
Just enough to see what was happening around.
I hated that I was here.
Hated that her words had followed me out of that office and straight into my head like they belonged there.
About presence.
About showing up.
I’d barely gotten any real work done all day.
Numbers blurred.
Calls went unanswered.
I’d stood up from my desk the second the clock hit 3:15 p.m.
on the dot, coat already in my hand like my body had decided for me.
Now here I was.
Staring at the damn school.
Kids started spilling out of the building in noisy waves.
Backpacks too big for their frames, untucked shirts and laughter echoing across the parking lot.
It was chaotic until I saw her.
She was right in the middle of an array of tiny soldiers with one hand holding Eli’s and her head tilted down as she smiled at him.
Lucas was a few steps ahead, animated as ever, talking loudly to two other boys, his hands moving like he was telling the most important story in the world.
My jaw ticked.
That image didn’t sit right with me.
Not because it was wrong, but because it almost looked too right.
“Should I go get them, sir?” my driver asked quietly from the front.
“No,” I said.
“Not yet.”
Parents swarmed in, cars pulling up, doors opening, names being called.
I watched her work the chaos like she was born to it.
High fives.
Gentle reminders.
Kneeling to tie a shoelace.
A quick word here, a laugh there.
She handed each child off like she actually cared who they were going home to.
I stayed seated, watching and waiting.
Eventually the crowd thinned until it was just her and the twins standing near the edge of the lot.
Lucas had stopped talking now, swinging his backpack, impatient.
Eli leaned into her side like it was second nature.
She glanced around and scanned the lot, probably looking out for George.
Then her brows pulled together slightly when her eyes landed on my car.
She frowned, head tilting just a little, confusion written all over her face.
And for half a second—just one—she looked… cute.
The thought irritated me as much as it infuriated me.
That was my cue.
I pushed the door open and stepped down, letting my coat fall neatly over my shoulders.
“Daddy!” he squealed, breaking into a run.
I bent down with my arms ready.
“Hey buddy,” I said, picking him up with ease.
“How was school today?”
”T’was fun,” he replied, face pressed against my shoulder, voice muffled but excited.
I straightened, balancing him carefully and started toward Eli, who still stood beside her.
He was holding her hand, small fingers gripping hers with quiet trust.
“Hey there, little man,” I murmured, kneeling to his level.
Elias watched me with wide eyes for a moment probably trying to figure out why I was here instead of George.
I patiently waited till he released her hand and leaned into me.
His arms wrapped around my neck.
“Daddy… you came,” he whispered.
“Yup, sweetie,” I said softly, holding him a beat longer than necessary.
When I finally stood upright, her assessing eyes were already on me.
“Mr.
Delacroix… I wasn’t expecting you,” she said.
“Well, someone said that not picking up your kids meant you were a bad parent.”
She frowned, the corners of her mouth tightening.
“I never said that,” she replied.
“Of course not,” I said drily.
“I couldn’t have guessed.
Wouldn’t be the first time someone’s words got twisted in their favor.”
”If you’ll excuse us now,” I added, turning with the boys.
We’d barely taken a few steps toward the car when Elias stopped and tugged gently against my hold.
I loosened my grip and he slipped free, I just watched as he walked straight back to her.
Before he even reached her, she was already squatting down, meeting him at eye level with a soft smile on her face.
Eli stepped closer then leaned in and started to whisper something into her ear.
I saw her nod occasionally as she listened then the faintest curve of a smile touched her lips.
When he pulled back, he lifted his little finger between them.
“Promise?”
”Promise,” she said, hooking their fingers together and stamping it gently, ruffling his hair affectionately.
“See you tomorrow, guys.”
Elias nodded and walked back to us while Lucas waved at her enthusiastically with both hands in the air, already halfway bouncing on his toes.
She laughed softly and waved back.
I turned us toward the car without a word.
But the entire drive home, Elias stayed quiet and when I asked what he told her, he shook his head once and looked out the window.
Whatever he shared with her…
He chose to give it to her.
And not to me.
A petty sting pricked at my chest, refusing to subside.
Why should I care?
It wasn’t like she had any claim on my own child.
Yet the resentment stayed with me far longer than it should have.
George was already pacing back and forth across the front yard when we pulled into the estate.
One look at him and I knew he’d been waiting awhile.
I slowly followed and George fell into step behind me, close enough that I could feel his questions pressing at my back.
To his credit, he kept quiet as we crossed the space together.
It wasn’t until we reached the living room that I turned and looked at him.
“Say it.”
He didn’t waste a second.
“Why do you suddenly want to handle the twins’ pickup when you have dozens of staff to do that?” His voice was pitched somewhere between confusion and frustration.
“Dropping them off I get it, but picking them up?
Especially when your office is swamped?
You’re busy, Lucian.
Meetings, calls, your board…”
I shrugged out of my suit jacket, letting it hang over one arm.
“Anything after three can be handled virtually.
Video calls, emails, whatever.
It’s not a problem.”
George’s eyebrows shot up.
“And that’s… okay?
Just like that?”
”Yes, George.
It’s very much okay.” My voice was low.
“That’s what happens when you run a company.
When your priorities shift and you try to adapt, everyone else can catch up.”
”But—”
”Call Dr.
Rajesh.
Schedule Elias’ next appointment.
I want it on my calendar.” I interrupted, cutting him off mid-word.
“Anything else?”
His brows pulled together, questions lining his face but he didn’t ask them.
He just shook his head and reached for his phone.
I turned and headed for my home office, already rolling my sleeves up and bracing myself for the pile of work waiting for me.
But the moment I dropped into the chair behind my desk, the fight went out of me.
I leaned back and closed my eyes, just for a second.
Long enough to breathe.
Long enough to get my head straight.
Or at least try to.
When I opened them, she was right there.
The frame sat where it always did, angled just enough that I couldn’t pretend not to see it.
Elena.
Calm.
Beautiful.
Smiling like the world had never hurt her and never would.
I reached for the picture and pulled it closer, my thumb moving over the glass without thinking.
Over her face and over that familiar curve of her smile.
There were a thousand things I could say to her if she were here.
Regrets, explanations I’d never get to give, apologies that had nowhere to go.
Right now, none of them came.
Just one rough word pushed out my throat.
“I’m sorry.”
And for the first time in forever, I didn’t know who I was apologizing to anymore.