Chapter 367

Serena’s POV

A knock on the door suddenly broke the silence.

I was lying in bed scrolling through my phone when I looked up toward the doorway. Who could it be at this hour?

"Come in," I called out.

Milo entered wearing dark blue pajamas, with Stella following close behind in her pink nightgown. I glanced at the time—it was already past nine. I felt confused. Weren't they exhausted from playing all day? Why were these two children still awake? And judging by their expressions, something weighed heavily on their minds. What had happened?

"What is it, Milo? Stella?" I set my phone down and sat up straight.

"Nothing really. We just saw your light was still on, so we came by," Milo quickly shook his head.

"Mommy, we just wanted to chat with you for a bit," Stella flashed a sweet smile, but I could see a hint of unease in her eyes.

I could sense they had something to say but were hesitant. "Why aren't you two asleep yet? Can't sleep? Or are you still not used to being here?"

"It's not that. It's just..." Milo trailed off.

Stella sat down at the edge of my bed, her small hand gripping the corner of my blanket, looking just as hesitant as her brother.

I knew they must have something on their minds. These children would never come to my room during bedtime without a reason. "What's going on?" I looked at them seriously. "Is there something you can't tell Mommy? Milo, do you have a crush on some girl at school?"

I teased, hoping to lighten the mood.

"No," Milo's little face turned red.

Of course, I knew that wasn't the issue. I just wanted them to relax enough to share what was truly bothering them.

"Mommy, do you miss Daddy?" Stella suddenly asked.

My heart tightened. As I suspected, the only thing that could make these children so melancholy was Lucas. They still couldn't let go of their father.

"I can't think about that," I said calmly. "The dead can't come back to life."

"What if Daddy is still alive?" Stella asked very seriously.

"Milo, Stella, this world doesn't have that many miracles..." I tried to help them understand the cruel reality.

"I mean, what if Mateo is actually Daddy?" Stella persisted.

I took a deep breath. I truly didn't know how to extinguish their determination. Even the DNA test results hadn't convinced them.

I spoke directly, "Sweethearts, I would rather your daddy was dead than Mateo being your father."

Milo and Stella's little faces froze in shock. I could see a flash of disappointment in their eyes.

"Why?" Milo asked quietly.

"Mommy, why can't you give Uncle Mateo a chance?" Stella's eyes reddened, her voice trembling slightly.

"Mommy cannot accept a man who betrayed her. No matter the reason." My tone was firm. This was my bottom line, and I didn't want my children harboring any fantasies about it.

"What if Daddy lost his memory and doesn't remember us?" Milo continued searching for excuses for his potential "Daddy."

"Yes, Mommy, don't people on TV sometimes get amnesia?" Stella eagerly chimed in.

"Nothing can be an excuse," I remained resolute.

"If Mateo really is Daddy, what would Mommy do?" Stella asked.

"I would leave him," I said. "And I would be very hurt." I knew these words might seem harsh to the children, but I needed them to understand my feelings.

I saw Stella bite her lip, while Milo lowered his head. I didn't want to crush their spirits, but I truly didn't want them fixating on Mateo anymore. There was no reason for an irrelevant person to affect my children this way, to affect our family.

I thought to myself that perhaps we should return to Manhattan. As long as they didn't see Mateo, the children wouldn't get these wild ideas.

I spoke gently, "Sweethearts, tomorrow I'll tell your great-grandfather that we're going back to Manhattan."

"We're leaving already?" Milo clearly seemed reluctant.

"But Mommy, we just got here!" Stella quickly protested.

I could see they wanted to say more, surely because they didn't want to leave Mateo. "You don't want to go back?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Mommy, can we stay a few more days, please?" Milo begged, his eyes shining with pleading.

I sighed inwardly. It was just because of Mateo, wasn't it? They thought Mateo was their father, so they wanted to spend more time with him. I even began to wonder if my children had gone to see Mateo today.

Considering this possibility made me even more determined to leave Washington.

"Alright," Stella finally conceded.

She bit her lip, seemingly wanting to say something more, but ultimately just nodded slightly. "Mommy, I'm sorry. We shouldn't have made you angry."

Seeing my children's disappointed expressions, I felt somewhat reluctant, but I knew this was the best decision. I couldn't let them immerse themselves in such unrealistic fantasies.

"Mommy, we'll go back to bed now. Goodnight," Milo said, head lowered.

"Goodnight, Mommy," Stella hugged me gently, tears in her eyes, but still managed to smile at me.

"Goodnight," I softly replied.