Chapter 15

The hum of the engine filled the otherwise silent interior of the black Range Rover as Magnus adjusted his cufflinks absentmindedly. His voice broke through the stillness as he instructed his driver, “Take me to Lonnie.”

Lonnie was the kindergarten where his children, Jayden and Jayla, spent their days. It was a place Magnus had only heard about until now. Daniel had meticulously gathered every detail about it, down to the security protocols and teacher names, just as Magnus had requested.

Four days had passed since Magnus had been discharged from the hospital. The once-persistent ache in his leg was now a memory, and the crutches, along with the plaster cast, were no longer necessary. On the outside, he looked like a man completely healed, but the inside told a different story.

His mind kept returning to Vivienne. Her visit still played on a loop in his thoughts. He could hardly believe it. She, who had once glared at him with such disdain, had walked into his hospital room carrying a container of his favorite stew. She’d remembered.

Magnus frowned at the conflicting emotions this stirred within him. Vivienne, the same woman who had berated him for saving Jayden and Jayla without her knowledge, had apologized for her sharp words. It left him confused yet oddly hopeful.

But he knew what he was doing now wasn’t something she’d approve of.

His decision to visit the twins without her consent weighed heavily on him, but his desperation to see his children eclipsed his hesitation.

“Sir, if I may ask,” Soren, his driver, began cautiously as he turned the car onto a busy road, “why are we heading to a kindergarten?”

Magnus’s gaze shifted to Soren briefly before settling on the passing scenery. “I have something to take care of,” he answered, his tone clipped, leaving no room for further inquiry.

Soren, a perceptive man who had worked for Magnus for years, understood when not to push.

The drive to Lonnie was relatively short. As soon as they arrived, Magnus stepped out, scanning the small but lively playground. His sharp eyes found the two figures he sought almost immediately.

Jayden and Jayla.

They were a vibrant sight—Jayden was chasing a butterfly while Jayla giggled at something on the ground. Their laughter floated in the air, pure and unfiltered. It was the kind of sound Magnus didn’t realize he’d been longing for until this moment.

A tug of emotion hit him square in the chest.

“You’re here again, sir,” a familiar voice said from his side, pulling him back to the present.

Magnus turned to see the same woman who had addressed him the last time he’d come. She worked at Lonnie, though her role wasn’t entirely clear to him.

“Yes, good day,” he replied smoothly, masking the unease her presence brought. He knew he had to tread carefully now.

“Are you related to any of the kids?” she asked, her tone tinged with curiosity.

Magnus hesitated. The truth hovered on his tongue, dangerous but tempting. Finally, he nodded and pointed toward Jayden and Jayla.

Her reaction was immediate. “Oh, I see it now. You look just like them. Are you their father?”

Magnus stood frozen for a second. He had planned to avoid direct questions, but now, cornered, he opted for honesty. “Yes, I’m their father.”

The woman’s brows furrowed slightly. “But you’ve never dropped them off or picked them up. Their mother does all of that. Why is that?”

The question, innocent as it was, felt like a slap.

“I’ve been busy with work,” Magnus said, his tone tight. It wasn’t entirely a lie, but it wasn’t the whole truth either. He couldn’t explain everything—not to her. “That’s why I want to make it up to them today.”

She smiled at that, softening her expression. “That’s thoughtful of you, sir. But I’m afraid you can’t take them off the premises. That’s the policy here.”

Magnus nodded. It was a relief, in a way, to see how well-guarded the kindergarten was. Vivienne had chosen wisely.

A high-pitched squeal suddenly broke through the noise of the playground. “Superhero man!”

Magnus looked over to see Jayden running toward him, his face lit with pure excitement. Jayla followed close behind, her wide grin showing off her dimples.

“Hi, champs,” Magnus greeted, crouching slightly before lifting them both effortlessly into his arms.

“You really are a superhero!” Jayden exclaimed, his eyes wide. “You picked us both up! Mummy says we’re too big for her to carry together.”

Magnus chuckled at the boy’s enthusiasm. “Well, I can carry you as long as you want.”

Jayla giggled. “Really? Can you carry us to the ice cream stand?”

Magnus’s gaze shifted toward a small ice cream cart on the other side of the playground. He smiled. “Of course. Do you two want some ice cream?”

“Yes!” they said in unison, their voices full of excitement.

After buying them their favorite flavors—mint chocolate for Jayden and strawberry for Jayla—Magnus helped them onto a nearby bench. Watching them eat, he felt a contentment he hadn’t experienced in years.

But then, Jayden turned to him with a question that stopped Magnus in his tracks.

“Can you be our daddy?”

Magnus froze.

Jayla added, “Yeah! Can you? Everyone in our class has a daddy, but we don’t.”

Jayden frowned, his little face clouding. “Even Winnie has an uncle. We only have Grandpa Thomas.”

The weight of their words crushed him. His children, so innocent and unaware of the truth, yearned for something he had taken from them through his past actions.

“I should have found you both sooner,” Magnus whispered, his voice almost breaking.

“What did you say, Mister Superhero man?” Jayden asked, tilting his head.

Magnus forced a smile. “Nothing, buddy.”

As they finished their ice cream, Magnus made a silent vow to himself. He would fix this. No matter how long it took, he would earn their trust and Vivienne’s forgiveness.

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“Mummy!” Jayden and Jayla called out as they rushed to hug her legs.

Vivienne crouched to their level, smiling softly. “How are my babies? Did you have fun today?”

“Yes, Mummy,” Jayla chirped. “Mister Superhero Man came and bought us ice cream and cotton candy!”

Jayden added, “He carried both of us with his big muscles! I asked him to be our daddy, but he didn’t say anything.”

Vivienne froze, her mind spinning.

Magnus had been here. He had seen her children.

A mix of panic and anger coursed through her as she tried to maintain her composure. “What did I say about talking to strangers?” she asked firmly, her voice trembling slightly.

“But he’s not a stranger, Mummy,” Jayla protested.

“He is a stranger,” Vivienne said sharply. “And from now on, if he tries to talk to you or touch you, you yell at him to leave you alone. Am I clear?”

Jayden’s lip quivered. “Mummy, you’re scaring me.”

Vivienne’s heart clenched as she realized she was gripping his shoulders too tightly. She released him immediately, pressing a kiss to his forehead.

“I’m sorry, my love,” she murmured.

After dropping the twins off at daycare, Vivienne drove to Magnus’s company, her grip on the steering wheel white-knuckled.

She had been too lenient. Too forgiving. Magnus needed to understand that he couldn’t just waltz back into her life—or the lives of her children—without consequences.