Chapter 163

Chapter 163
"Two daddies?" Luca echoed, his voice full of wonder. "Does that mean we get two birthday parties too?"

In the naivety of the question, a small, bitter laugh was dragged from Bernice. "Oh, sweetheart…", she started, but her words caught in her throat as tension pulled thick in the air.

Rafael hunched down beside him, his features soft but strained. "It means you'll always have more people who love you. But I'm your father, Luca. You and Mia…you're my everything.”

Luca looked up at him and furrowed his little brow as the meaning of Rafael's words digested. "But Uncle Alex takes care of us. Is he not our daddy too?"

Mia stared at them, clutching her stuffed animal tightly. "Uncle Alex is fun…is he still our daddy?"

Alexander had been leaning quietly against the wall until now; he stepped forward, his face composed, an edge laced in his voice. "I'll always be here for you, just like I always have been. But…," he paused, his eyes flicking to Bernice before he finished, "…your real father is Rafael."

The children exchanged confused glances, their young minds unable to fully grasp the complexities of the situation.

Before anyone could respond further, the door opened, and the doctor entered, clipboard in hand. “Good to see everyone here,” she said with a smile. “I have some great news—Mia is doing much better. She’s better now and if her vitals remain stable, we’ll be able to discharge her soon.”

Bernice let out a quivering breath, and her chest all but burst as she leaned down to place a kiss on Mia's forehead. "Did you hear that, sweetheart? You'll get to come home soon."

Mia nodded, her small face lighting up. "I wanna go home!"

After giving them a few more updates, the doctor excused herself, leaving the room quieter but no less charged.

“Home means adventures,” Rafael said, kneeling to the twins’ level. His voice was steady, though his eyes betrayed his turmoil. “When we’re all together again, we’ll go to the park, visit the zoo, and even have movie nights with popcorn and candy. How does that sound?”

“Really?” Luca’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “You’ll come too, Mommy?”

Bernice smiled softly. “Of course, sweetheart. We’ll all be there.”

Alexander's jaw clenched, his hands fisting at his sides as he watched the scene. It was like a knife to his gut, just how easily Rafael wove himself into the children's lives.

"You can't promise them the world, Rafael," Alexander said with an even tone, laced only with a hint of bitterness. "They deserve stability, not some fly-by-night adventure."

Rafael stood tall, his eyes locked with Alexander's. "And that's precisely what I plan on giving them. Permanently."

The tension crackled in the air between the two men until Bernice, who rose from her chair, commanded, "Alexander, may I speak to you outside?"



The hallway was quiet outside Mia's room, but the storm that brewed inside Bernice was quite another thing altogether. She turned to Alexander, her arms protectively wrapped around herself.

"Go ahead," he said flatly, crossing his arms. "Say what you need to say.

Bernice stumbled over her words. "I know this is not fair to you. I know how much you've done for us, for me and the kids. I simply cannot thank you enough for everything."

"But?" Alexander's voice cut sharp, a knife slicing through her gratitude.

Her throat was tight. "But Rafael is their father. They deserve to know him, deserve to be with him.”

Alexander laughed cynically, his head shaking. "This is not about the kids, Bernice. It is you. You still have feelings for him, don't you?"

She felt like she had been punched. "That is not-

"Don't lie to me," he interrupted her, his voice rising. "I've seen the way you look at him, the way you defend him. Don't stand there and act like this has just to do with the children.”

Tears pricked at her eyes, and she bit down on her lip in the struggle not to cry. "Alexander, please…you don't understand—"

"Then make me understand!" he snarled. "Tell me, Bernice. Are you going back to him?”

At last, she broke and let her over-spilled tears run wildly down her cheeks. "I don't know," she said, voice trembling. "I don't know what I am doing. All I know is, I want my children to be safe and loved. And Rafael…he's their father, Alex. I can't take that away from him.”

“And what about us?” Alexander’s voice softened, the hurt in his eyes cutting her deeper than any anger ever could. “What about everything we’ve built together? Everything I’ve done to be with you?”

"I never wanted to hurt you," she whispered, her voice cracking. "You've been my rock, Alex. You've been there for me in ways I can never repay. But Rafael and I…we were in love once. Deeply in love. And when I see how he's changed, how he's trying…" She trailed off, unable to finish the thought.

Alexander stared at her, his expression unreadable. After some time, he finally spoke, "You are giving him a second chance, just like that?"

Bernice wiped her tears off. "It is not this easy," she said. "This is not about love or second chances; this was about doing the right thing for the kids. I could not let the kids grow up in a custody battle. They deserved way better than that.”

Alexander slumped, the fight seeping from him. "And what of what I deserve, Bernice? Don't I deserve the truth? Don't I deserve someone who chooses me, not some person leant between me and their past?"

The words cut her heart as she remained speechless.

Alexander retreated a step back, his face contorting behind a mask of hurt and disappointment. "Hope you get to know what you want, Bernice. Don't expect to keep waiting, while you sort that out, though."

He turned and disappeared away as Bernice, consumed, stirred up an internal storm that left her standing in the hall, swallowing in guilt and pain.

Inside, Rafael sat beside Mia, his hand lying lightly on hers as he listened to the twins' excited babble about all the things they would do. 

"Can we go to the zoo first?" Luca asked, bouncing with excitement.

"Of course," Rafael said, smiling softly.

But even now, his mind was elsewhere. He looked at the door, his jaw clenching as Alexander and Bernice came to mind.

No matter what Alexander is planning, he'll not let his family be divided again.