Mia's hands moved mechanically as she wiped down the café counter, her mind still swirling in a haze of shock. Adrian had just walked back into her life, and with him, the weight of everything she had tried so hard to leave behind. She tried to focus on the routine tasks in front of her, stacking coffee cups, wiping down surfaces but every time her thoughts strayed back to Adrian, her heart clenched with a mixture of guilt and fear.
Her shift had never felt longer.
The clock on the wall seemed to tick louder than usual, each second stretching into eternity. Every time the door opened, she flinched, half-expecting Adrian to walk back through it. But the café remained quiet, save for the soft hum of the coffee machine and the occasional clink of cups. Her eyes darted toward the play area where Leo and Liam had settled into a calmer routine, now drawing pictures with crayons on the little table. She was grateful for their distraction, but the looming conversation with Adrian kept pulling her back to the reality of what had just happened.
"Mia," the voice came from behind her, deep and low.
She froze.
Adrian had returned.
Without turning around, she exhaled slowly, trying to regain control of her emotions. "I'm done with my shift," she said, her voice betraying none of the turmoil racing through her chest. "We can talk now."
There was a pause, followed by the sound of his footsteps as he walked toward her. She felt his presence before he even spoke again so close, so overwhelming.
"Mia," Adrian repeated, his voice now softer, almost coaxing. "Please. Don't make me do this in front of the kids."
His words cut through her, sharper than she expected. She slowly turned to face him, the weight of the situation finally hitting her. His eyes were not filled with anger anymore, but confusion hurt, even. Adrian, the successful CEO who seemed to always have control, was now standing in front of her as a man who was lost.
"I don't want to do this in front of them either," Mia replied, her voice trembling despite her best efforts. "But we don't have much choice now, do we?"
Adrian's jaw tightened, his gaze flicking briefly to the twins, who were still quietly drawing. "No. I guess we don't."
"Why are you here, Adrian?" Mia asked, her voice suddenly quieter, as if she was afraid of the answer.
He hesitated for a moment before speaking, the words coming slowly. "I've been looking for you," he said, his gaze fixed on her, unwavering. "I know you left, but I thought... I thought you'd come back, eventually. I was wrong."
Mia's breath caught in her throat, her heart aching as the weight of his words sank in. She had run from him, from everything they once had. And now, here he was standing in front of her, asking questions she had long buried.
"I never wanted to hurt you," she whispered, her hands clasped tightly in front of her as if they were the only thing keeping her grounded. "But I had no choice. You were... you were grieving, and I was caught up in something I couldn't control."
Adrian's face hardened, and his eyes flashed with a mixture of hurt and frustration. "And what about me, Mia?" he asked, his voice strained. "What about what I felt? What about what we felt? I lost my brother, and you... you just disappeared. Without a word. Without a trace."
Mia flinched at the rawness in his voice, but she stood her ground. "You lost your brother, Adrian," she said softly, her eyes brimming with emotion. "But I lost everything. I lost the man I loved. And then I found out I was pregnant. I couldn't do it. I couldn't stay and watch you grieve and..." Her voice faltered, the words caught in her throat.
Adrian's eyes softened, a flash of guilt passing through them. "I never meant for you to feel alone in that. But I was... I was blinded by my own pain. I didn't see what you were going through."
Mia let out a shaky breath, trying to steady her racing heart. "It wasn't just about you, Adrian. It was about me, too. I didn't know how to navigate my grief, or yours. And when I found out I was carrying your children... I was terrified. I was terrified of what that would mean. Terrified of how your family would react."
Adrian's face paled, his expression unreadable. "My children?" he repeated, as if trying to absorb the enormity of what she had just said.
Mia nodded slowly, her eyes locked on his. "Leo and Liam. They're yours. I never meant for you to find out like this, but they are. They're your sons, Adrian."
The words seemed to hang in the air between them, heavy with the weight of truth. Adrian's expression shifted, his entire demeanor changing. The shock was evident in his eyes, but there was something else there, something that Mia hadn't expected.
"I have two sons?" he asked quietly, as if the concept was too foreign to grasp.
"Yes," Mia whispered, nodding.
For a long moment, neither of them spoke. The quiet between them felt more intimate than any conversation they'd ever had, and yet, it also felt like a gulf had opened between them that could never be bridged.
"I didn't want this for them," Mia said, her voice breaking. "I didn't want them to grow up without their father, but I didn't know how to tell you. I didn't know how to tell you that you were going to be a part of their lives when I didn't know how to fix what was broken between us."
Adrian's features softened as he reached out, placing a hand gently on her arm. "You don't have to do this alone, Mia. You never did."
Mia met his gaze, her eyes filled with tears. "I've been doing this alone for three years, Adrian. I don't know how to trust anyone with them now."
He nodded, his expression serious but filled with a quiet determination. "Then let me prove to you that I can be here. For them. For you."
Her heart ached at his words, but she wasn't sure if she could let him in again. Not after everything that had happened. But then she looked at Leo and Liam, who were still obliviously scribbling on the paper, and felt the weight of the decision press upon her.
She had been running for so long. But now, perhaps, it was time to stop.