315: The inevitable happening

315: The inevitable happening
Theo’s POV

“Dad, wake up, please.” It was my daughter Mirella, shaking my shoulder to rouse me from sleep.

I opened my eyes, disoriented. “What’s wrong? What happened?” I asked, catching the anxious look in her eyes.

“Why are you sleeping on the floor?” she asked, staring at the makeshift bed I’d set up on the floor of the bedroom.

“Uh… where’s Mom?” I noticed the bed was empty—robin—Amanda was gone.

“She left early, said she had some things to take care of downtown. She told me you’re supposed to take Ben and me to school,” Mirella explained.

I nodded, rubbing my face. “Alright, got it. Just let me splash some water on my face, okay, princess?” I said, and she gave me a sweet smile, her dark curls bouncing softly as she nodded.

“Okay, but don’t be late, alright? Or we’ll be late for school,” she warned, planting a kiss on my forehead before leaving the room.

I sighed. That girl was so smart and kind. I was her father, but I knew she didn’t deserve Amanda and me as parents—not even Ben deserved us.

I got up from the floor with a groan, my back aching from nights spent on the hard surface, my head throbbing with a migraine. Yeah, I’d come home late last night, stopping at a bar after dinner and drinking myself numb just to avoid facing my wife.

I didn’t even want to come home, but thoughts of my kids always gave me the strength to face Amanda, to deal with that bastard Marcus, and to keep going. But nothing changed the fact that my marriage was a disaster, getting worse by the day. Amanda and I barely spoke, and when we did, it always ended in a fight. I’d even taken to sleeping on the floor to avoid more arguments.

Meanwhile, she didn’t seem to care about fixing things, like she was perfectly fine with our marriage crumbling.

Now, staring at my reflection in the bathroom mirror, I saw a tired man with an unshaven face. Life hadn’t been easy lately. I was stuck in a job I hated with a boss I despised, and at home, I had no peace with my own wife.

How could I find peace with Amanda when every time I looked at her, Marcus’s insinuating words echoed in my mind? The way he talked about how fiery she was in bed, like he knew from experience. Like he’d been there.

No, I wasn’t spineless. All the signs were there, and I couldn’t find peace until I got to the bottom of it. Had they slept together? When? Where was I when it happened? Was it just once, or more?

Or worse—were they still doing it? Were they lovers? Marcus had no morals; he’d cheated on Ella with Vanessa while married to her. I couldn’t imagine Marcus, if he wanted my wife, turning her down just because she was married to me.

And knowing Amanda’s greed, her willingness to do anything to stay in the good graces of that egotistical billionaire, why wouldn’t I assume she’d been with him more than once?

I was screwed, and it made me think about my kids. Were they even mine? I didn’t trust Amanda anymore, so why not wonder if she’d been lying to me all this time, making me believe those kids were mine when they could be Marcus’s? To her, I was a useless, easily manipulated man. Had she been playing me this whole time?

“Dad, we’re gonna be late!” Mirella called from the living room, snapping me out of my spiral.

“Coming, sweetheart,” I replied, pulling myself together to focus on what mattered most right now.

…

When we got to the kids’ school, I realized we were indeed late. “Oh, boy. You guys are late, huh? Sorry about that,” I said, ushering them toward the gate.

“It’s okay,” Milla said with a sweet smile, hugging me. “I won’t tell Mom, so you guys don’t fight.”

Her words hit me like a punch, forming a lump in my throat. Of course the kids were hearing our fights, especially Mirella, who was old enough to notice.

“Thanks, sweetheart. Dad loves you both. Have a good day,” I said, stepping back, feeling like a coward for letting my issues with Amanda affect my kids’ mental health.

Have a good day at school. That’s all I could say after learning my daughter was hurting because of something she shouldn’t even be dealing with? I was such an idiot. I decided to catch up with Milla and explain things, reassure her that everything would be okay. It was my job as her father to make her feel safe.

I rushed into the school to find Mirella before she got to her classroom, but then I saw her in the hallway, arguing with a blonde girl about her age.

“Give me my bag, Lily!” Milla pleaded, tugging at her bag, which the other girl was pulling with an angry expression.

“No! This bag is mine! My mom bought it for me,” Lily snapped.

“But she gave it to me as a gift,” Mirella countered.

“Hey, girls, calm down,” I said, stepping between them.

Milla clung to my leg, and Lily started crying, throwing a tantrum. “It’s my bag! I want my bag!” she wailed. A teacher approached, apologizing as she led Lily away.

“It was Aunt Ella who gave it to me, Dad,” Milla explained.

I clenched my jaw at the mention of Ella’s name. All I wanted was for Ella and all that mess to leave us alone.

“It’s okay, sweetheart… Just go to class and stay away from that girl,” I said. She nodded and headed to her classroom.

I left the school determined to find Ella and have a serious talk with her.