Chapter one
A few days later...
I made her get on all fours in front of me and grabbed her hair as I thrust into her with the sight of her round ass colliding with my pelvis amid the increasingly intense movements of my body.
She moaned softly as my skin sweated against hers.
I gave in to the desperate need to cum and ejaculated inside the condom, inhaling deeply until my heartbeat normalized.
I rolled out of bed and picked up my wallet, which I had left on the bedside table. I counted out a few notes and put them on the mattress.
“You don't have to wait for me to come out of the bathroom.”
“Why don't you spend more time with me here in bed?” The prostitute sprawled out on the sheet, showing off her full breasts to attract my attention.
“I have an appointment now.”
“Leave the appointment for later.”
“I can't,” I said in a firm, unquestioning tone. It was late afternoon, and soon, my daughters would be leaving school.
Since my driver had asked for that week off for a family trip, I didn't trust anyone else to pick up my girls.
“Are you sure?” He ran his hand down his body, insinuating himself to me, showing that he wanted us to start again.
“Yes. Take your things, get dressed, and leave.”
“Okay.” He swallowed dryly and sat down on the bed completely ungracefully. “Are we going to see each other again?”
“No, I didn't.” I indicated the money so that she would stop asking inconvenient questions and leave.
In recent years, my physical needs were satisfied by paid women. I didn't have a steady affair with any of them. A stranger and a quick fuck were all I needed. After losing Daphne, I didn't want anyone else in my life. All that pain, anguish, and emptiness that had taken over my heart were feelings I wouldn't deal with again.
I went to the bathroom and took a quick shower, getting rid of the smell of sex and sweat. After putting on my suit, I returned to the bedroom, and the prostitute was no longer there—better that way.
I fixed my cufflinks and tie in front of the mirror before going down to the hotel lobby, where I had booked a room for that quick meeting.
The valet was already waiting for me and handed me my car key.
I left, driving to the nursery school where my daughters were studying.
I had to stop a little way off because there were many other parents' cars in the driveway. It wasn't often that I went there. Usually, Mylon did it for me, and all I had to do was attend the parents' meetings.
I went to the entrance and realized that other people were watching me. I didn't care; I would just take the twins and go home.
As soon as I arrived at the entrance, I saw several children passing by and meeting parents and guardians who were waiting for them.
I counted several, but none of them were mine.
I moved closer to the entrance and caught the eye of the woman responsible for delivering the children.
“Where are Mary and Anne Lennox?”
“The twins?”
“That's right.”
“With Professor Helena.”
“Can you get them for me?”
“You are...” He squinted, taking a closer look at me.
“Their father?”
“Of course! Mr. Thomas Lennox.”
“It's usually my driver who comes to pick them up, but he's on vacation; it was necessary for me to come.”
“I understand.”
“Then get them for me.”
“The teacher should have brought them by now. Something must have happened.”
“Can you check?”
“Yes, sir.”
I crossed my arms and stood in the doorway, waiting while the woman closed the gate and went into the school to look for my daughters. It took a few minutes for her to return.
“Mary seems to be feeling unwell; the teacher is with them.”
“Feeling sick?!” I went into a state of alert, thinking about what could have happened to my daughter. “And you didn’t tell me or say anything?”
“It seems to have just started.”
“Where are my daughters? I want to see them.”
“Please come with me.” The woman let me through the gate, and I followed her inside the colorful building with its many drawings reminiscent of a child's play universe.
We entered a room, and I saw Mary lying on one of the desks, her head down and her eyes closed. Her sister was nearby, as was a woman I remembered seeing a few times.
“What's going on with her?” I asked in a harsh tone.
“About ten minutes ago, she started complaining of a headache.” The woman turned to me. She was young, probably no more than twenty-two or twenty-five years old. Her hair was brown and fell in waves around her triangular face.
“Mary.” I crouched down next to her, and my daughter raised her arms, putting them around my neck.
“Daddy...” His voice was weak and sly.
“What's wrong?”
“I'm sick.”
“I'm taking her to the doctor.” I checked her temperature by placing my hand on her forehead but found nothing suspicious.
“You don't have to.”
“Aren't you sick?”
“Helena will look after me.” She stretched out her arm to try and reach the teacher but couldn't.
“Mary, I...” The woman scowled as she looked at me. “Your father is going to take you and see how you are.”
“But I want you.”
“I can't go, princess.”
“Why not?” he whined.
“Mary, we have to go.” I closed my face with a stern expression. My heart was squeezing at the thought that she might have been ill, but she wouldn't stand being picked on.
“Helena...”
“We'll see you again tomorrow if you're better.”
“Please ...”
“Come on, Mary.” I picked her up, and my daughter began to whimper. “Anne?”
I turned to my other daughter who grabbed the teacher's hand, trying to pull her along with me.
“Anne.”
“Vamu , Helena.”
“Go with your father.”
“Anne...” I squeezed my eyes shut, and the girl finally let go of the teacher's hand and approached me.
I followed them out of the school and took them to the car. I held Mary with one arm and used my other hand to open the back door. I settled her in the car seat and put my hand on her forehead. There was no sign of fever, but I was still worried.
“How are you feeling, child?”
“I'm fine now.” She fidgeted as if she was upset.
“Are you sure? Where does it hurt in your head?”
Anne started tugging at the hem of my jacket until I was looking at her.
“What's wrong?”
“Let's go home.”
“First, we'll go to the hospital to see what's wrong with your sister.”
Anne crossed her arms and seemed irritated by the situation. I put her in the other car seat and drove to the hospital that was closest to our house. I'd been dealing with both on my own since they were babies, and it had never been easy, no matter how many resources I had.
I gave them my best, but sometimes, I still felt I was failing. It probably would have been a lot easier if their mother hadn't been torn away from us, but I avoided thinking about it so as not to mourn.
I stopped at the emergency room and picked up my daughters. I held Mary on my lap and Anne's hand. Soon, one of the on-duty doctors took us to a room to see her.
“How are you, young lady?” He closed the office door and approached Mary, whom I had placed on the stretcher.
“I'm fine now.”
“I was told that she complained of a headache at the end of the lesson, and when I arrived at school, she looked very down.”
“Did they give her medication?”
“They didn't tell me anything.”
“Have you taken any medicine?” He turned to my daughter, hoping she would remember to tell him.
Mary just shook her head no.
“I'm just going to examine you.”
“That's good.”
The doctor made Mary open her mouth, checked her throat and her head, probably in search of a bruise, and found nothing. He listened to her chest and checked her temperature before turning to me.
“Look, Dad, she seems fine. Apparently, there's nothing to worry about. No fever or throat infection, but I'll ask you to keep an eye on her and come back here if anything comes up.”
“And the headache?”
“There could be any number of causes, from playing to exposure to the sun. If her complaints become constant, you can come back, and we'll do a CT scan to identify a possible cause, but I believe your daughter is healthy and has nothing to worry about.”
“How nice!” I let out a sigh of relief.
The twins were my most precious possession, and the thought of something happening to them made me desperate.
“Let's go home, girls.” I took Mary from the stretcher and held out my hand for Anne to come with me.
“I want a lollipop,” Anne asked as we walked back to the car.
“Only after dinner.”
“Ah, Dad!”
“Candy is bad for your teeth.”
She pouted, but I was used to dealing with that little face and had acquired a firm hand over the years.
I put them in the car and leaned towards Mary again.
“And your head, child? Is it still hurting?”
She just said no.
“Promise you'll tell me if it hurts again?”
“Plometo.”
I kissed him on the forehead and drove home.