Caleb
Small footsteps descended the stairs as I waited in the living room.
Turning, I saw Lucas, followed closely by Oreo.
I immediately walked toward him and dropped to my knees.
“I’m sorry about before,” I said, meeting his gaze directly. “I didn’t mean to yell at your Mom. I was stressed, and I took it out on her.”
Lucas squinted at me, studying my face carefully before letting out a small sigh.
“Okay,” he replied. “But before you yell next time, remember to ask. Mama always says, don’t assume before you ask,” he said in a firm voice.
A smile tugged at my lips despite the seriousness of the moment.
“That’s some good advice she gave you there,” I admitted.
Lucas nodded seriously.
“Are we okay now?” I asked.
He looked at me for another second before tilting his head slightly. “Did you bring ice cream?”
A laugh escaped me before I could stop it.
“I’ll fix that right now,” I said, pulling my phone from my pocket.
I ordered delivery for ice cream and paid for the food when it arrived. Lucas stayed beside me the whole time, his small hands placing plates and spoons on the table. There was something comforting about the routine, about working together in a quiet kitchen that felt more like a… home.
A few minutes later, Geeta, Emma, and Jiya joined us at the table.
With Lucas’s help, I filled Milo and Oreo’s bowls with food and water before crouching to scratch behind their ears.
“I’m sorry to you two,” I said. “Can you forgive me?”
Milo nudged his nose into my palm while Oreo pressed his head into my hand, both of them accepting the apology far more easily than I deserved.
Then Lucas and I walked back to the table and sat down.
“Shall we eat?” I asked, looking around at everyone gathered at the table.
After everyone was served, I helped Lucas cut up his food while Jiya fed Emma beside him.
“How are you feeling now, Emma?” I asked softly.
“It hwurts,” she said, touching her head with her tiny fingers. “Big boo-boo.”
An ache spread through my chest at the sight of her vulnerability.
“Yes, I know. Your Mama told me,” I said gently. “She also said how brave you were when the doctor was fixing you up.”
A wide smile spread across her face.
“I was bwave,” she declared. “Mama gave Lucas and me chocolate after.”
“She did?” I asked, raising my brows playfully.
“Yes. KitKat and Smwarties.”
“Oh! That’s a lot,” I said, shaking my head with mock seriousness. “You don’t have any space left for ice cream after supper, do you?”
“Ice cream!” she shrieked. “Yes! Yes!”
A roar of laughter erupted around the table.
Emma chattered excitedly about ice cream, but my mind kept drifting back to earlier that day.
I had spent the entire morning trying to reach Jiya after she failed to show up for the meeting we had prepared for together. At first, frustration had been the only thing driving me. Jiya never ignored my calls, and with every unanswered ring, irritation had coiled tighter inside my chest.
Liam insisted something must have happened, telling me she was probably caught up with something unexpected, and his words had slowly shifted my frustration into worry. Because beneath my annoyance, something about the silence didn’t feel right.
Jiya would have at least sent a message.
But as the hours passed and every call continued going unanswered, the concern slowly twisted back into frustration and anger.
No texts.
No explanation.
Nothing.
The meeting had gone well, yet the moment it ended, I drove straight to her house, ready to confront her, never imagining what had actually happened inside.
Once again, I had let my assumptions get ahead of the truth.
But holding Jiya in my arms again had unravelled something inside me. Looking into her eyes, touching her face, feeling her against me had dragged years of memories painfully back to the surface all at once.
Now, sitting at her dining table hours later, watching her feed Emma, I realized how cruel and misplaced my anger had been.
As we continued eating supper together, I looked around the table.
I did not want this evening to end. I did not want to leave this house or this feeling of belonging that had slipped back into my life. I did not want to return to Vancouver, my empty penthouse, or the fiancée waiting there for me.
I wanted to stay right here… with her children, with the laughter, with the warmth that filled this home.
And with her.
My gaze drifted toward Jiya as she wiped Emma’s mouth gently across the table.
The woman I had once loved.
Or maybe…
The woman I never truly stopped loving.
“It’s not your fault,” I said quietly. “You didn’t do anything wrong. You couldn’t have known Emma was going to fall. You can’t blame yourself for this.”
Jiya lowered her eyes, but I could see the tension remain in her curled shoulders. Even with Emma safely asleep upstairs, the fear still clung to her.
“I wish I could convince my head of that,” she admitted softly.
I gave her a small smile. “Then be thankful instead. Emma’s okay, and that’s what matters. Thank the Good Man upstairs for that.”
My gaze drifted toward the clock on the wall.
“It’s late,” I said reluctantly. “I should get going.”
She looked at me as I stood up from the couch.
The living room had grown quiet after we put the children to bed an hour earlier. Two glasses of wine sat empty on the coffee table between us, and the dim light from the lamp cast a soft glow across the living room.
“Oh, one sec,” she said. “I have something for you.”
She turned and walked toward the table, reaching for something I had not noticed before.
A moment later, she returned carrying a small gift bag along with a couple of handmade cards.
As she handed them to me, my eyes instinctively dropped to her hand.
Bare.
Her wedding and engagement rings were gone.
My heartbeat stumbled.
I stared at the empty space on her finger, trying to process it.
She had worn those rings every single time I had seen her. Even when she spoke about Cole, her fingers would unconsciously brush against them.
But tonight, they were gone.
Had she removed them because today had shaken her emotionally? Because of grief? Because of the accident with Emma?
Or had something changed between us…?
“This is for you,” she said softly, pulling me back to the moment. “From the children and me for your birthday.”
I looked down at the cards, noticing the uneven letters and colourful drawings that could only have come from small hands.
“You didn’t have to,” I said, warmth spreading through my chest.
“It’s just a little something from us.” She shrugged before lowering her gaze.
“Thanks.”
“In case I don’t get a chance to say it, the children and I wish you a very happy birthday for tomorrow,” she said softly, lifting her eyes to meet mine.
I held her gaze, aware that staying any longer would only make leaving harder.
“Thanks,” I replied. “I’ll see you next week. Good night.”
I headed toward the door, every step filled with resistance to leaving the house behind.
As I stepped outside, I turned around just in time to see Jiya close the door behind me.
I stood there, holding the gift bag in my hand and staring at the front door.
Was it my imagination, or had something shifted between us at the door?
Her lips had parted slightly, and she twisted the chain around her neck in that familiar, nervous habit I remembered so well.
My gaze had dropped to her lips for a fleeting moment—lips I remembered too well.
Glossy, full, and undeniably seductive.
God, I want to kiss her again.
Then another thought surfaced.
The rings.
Why had she taken them off?
The question followed me all the way to the car.
Without another glance, I got in and drove off into the quiet night.
The entire day played over in my mind.
An accident had caused a rollercoaster of emotions I had not been prepared for.
After the helicopter dropped me off on the helipad of my building, I stepped into my penthouse and immediately felt relieved that Tatiana was not there.
The second the door opened, Cooper came racing toward me, barking excitedly before jumping up and licking my face. His tail wagged wildly as he circled me playfully, clearly thrilled that I was finally home.
I laughed softly and scratched behind his ears before tossing my keys onto the counter.
I welcomed the silence after the emotional turmoil of the day.
I headed straight for the shower and afterward changed into comfortable clothes before walking into my office.
Unlocking the drawer of my desk, I reached inside and pulled out a hidden picture frame.
The photograph of Lucas and me in the park stared back at me first, his wide smile frozen in time, his small hand wrapped trustingly around mine. Beside it was another picture—Jiya and me from New Year’s four years ago.
I had removed that frame from my office long ago and locked it away in this drawer.
I set the frame down gently and reached for the cards Lucas and Emma had made for me. I re-read their cards.
Then I opened the small box that held Jiya’s gift.
Inside was a Cartier wallet.
I ran my fingers slowly across the smooth leather, emotion stirring in my chest when I noticed my initials embossed discreetly inside.
It was such a thoughtful gift—far more meaningful than anything expensive or extravagant—because it came from them.
From her.
I leaned back in my chair, staring at the wallet in my hand.
I wished I could transport myself back to Jiya’s house.
I found myself wondering what she was doing at that exact moment. Was she still awake? Was she sitting on the couch with a glass of wine? Was she thinking about the day the way I was?
And why had she removed her rings?
I pushed the thoughts aside and stood up, walking slowly back to my bedroom. I lay down on my bed and closed my eyes, exhaustion finally catching up with me.
Within minutes, sleep pulled me under, and despite everything, my mind drifted back to the place it seemed determined to return to.
I dreamed of her.
And of the children.
“Are you excited about your party?” Tatiana asked.
I drove to my parents’ mansion with her sitting beside me.