Ella’s heart raced as she turned to see who had captured her boys’ attention. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw Ethan standing at the end of the hallway, staring at Leo and Liam with an expression she couldn’t quite decipher.
For a moment, their eyes met, and the world around her seemed to blur. The shock, the pain, and the unresolved emotions from years ago threatened to surface, but Ella forced herself to stay composed.
“Mommy, that’s the man we met earlier!” Liam said excitedly, oblivious to the tension that crackled between his mother and Ethan.
Ella forced a smile and turned her attention back to the boys. “That’s nice, sweetheart. Why don’t you go say goodbye to your friends? Uncle Fabian is waiting outside for us.”
As the twins ran off to say their farewells, Ella gathered herself and walked purposefully toward Ethan. He was still standing there, his eyes flicking between her and the twins.
” El.. Ella?” Ethan’s voice was barely a whisper, filled with disbelief.
“Yes, it’s me,” she replied, her voice cold and controlled. “Surprised to see me alive?”
Ethan blinked, as if trying to process the reality before him. “I… I thought you were dead. Everyone did. Where have you been? And the boys…?”
“But they” Ethan started, his gaze drifting back to where the twins were playing. “They look like me. Are they?”
Stepping closer to Ethan, Ella responded her voice low and full of venom. “What they are, Ethan, is a reminder of everything you lost. And you don’t get to know more than that. Not after what you did.”
Before Ethan could respond, the school bell rang, signaling the end of the day. The hallway quickly filled with children and parents, breaking the tension between them. Ella turned away from him without another word, gathered the twins, and made a swift exit.
Fabian was waiting outside the car when they approached. He noticed the unease in Ella’s expression and quickly ushered the boys into the car.
As Ella climbed into the passenger seat, she couldn’t help but glance back at the school entrance. Ethan was still there, watching them leave, a look of torment on his face.
“Did you see him?” Fabian asked as they drove away, his tone gentle.
“Yes,” Ella replied shortly, staring out the window as the city blurred by. “He saw the boys.”
Fabian was silent for a moment, then asked, “Do you think he suspects the truth?”
Ella sighed, leaning her head against the seat. “I don’t know. But it doesn’t matter. Whether he knows or not, I’m not done with him yet.”
Fabian’s hands tightened on the steering wheel, but he said nothing. His thoughts kept drifting back to Grace.
The possibility that she might be his daughter gnawed at him, but now wasn’t the time to bring it up. There were too many pieces still in play, and the last thing he wanted was to push Ella further away.
That evening, after putting the twins to bed, Ella sat alone in the quiet of her living room, the events of the day playing on a loop in her mind. Seeing Ethan again had stirred up emotions she thought she had buried.
She had built her entire life around revenge, but now, faced with the reality of Ethan’s presence and the twins connection to him, she felt an unfamiliar conflict within her.
Her phone buzzed, breaking the silence. It was a message from Derek: Everything is set for the next phase. Are you ready?
Ella stared at the screen, her resolve hardening. She couldn’t afford to let emotions cloud her judgment now. She replied with a single word: yes
Meanwhile, across town, Ethan got home with a sleeping Grace, his mind running so far, so many questions but no answers he thought. After taking grace to bed, he went to his bedroom where he knows he would at least get one answer.
Opening the bedroom door, the room was dark, turning on the light he saw Tania sitting on the bed looking lost, her eyes red evidence that she had been crying all day.
‘Are you ready to tell me the truth about the paternity of our daughter Ethan asked going straight to the point. ‘gasping Tania could not respond, her eyes trained on Ethan, minutes passed and Tania refused to talk. ‘ nodding Ethan whispered did you know she was alive’ ‘what Tania said looking up.
‘ DID YOU KNOW THAT ELLA IS ALIVE he screamed angrily at Tania. ‘yes she whispered crying.
Ethan stood up, leaving the room, ‘he said I’ll get a DNA test done on Grace he said. ‘ what Tania screamed walking towards him, you can’t she said. ‘why not he answered, you are not giving me an answer Tania so I’ll get one myself Ethan said walking out of the room slamming the door behind him. Tania fell to the ground crying and in shock.
Sitting in the living room Ethan was lost in thought had Ella been alive all this time. And those boys… they had to be his sons. The resemblance was too strong to deny.
But why had she kept them hidden from him? Why had she let him believe she was dead?
Still lost in thought he heard his phone pinged with a message; unknown; The truth always finds a way out. Are you ready to face it?
He stared at the message, a chill running down his spine. This wasn’t just about Ella coming back. Something else is going on. And he had the sinking feeling that the truth, whatever it was, would destroy the last remnants of his life as he knew it.
Back in the room, Tania paced back and front, her mind racing. The article had already gone viral, and Ethan has already seen it. She had to act fast. She grabbed her phone and dialed a number she hadn’t called in years.
“Hello?” The voice on the other end was cold, detached.
“It’s Tania. I need your help. Now.”
There was a pause, then a soft chuckle. “I was wondering when you’d call. Let’s talk, shall we?”
As Tania listened to the voice on the other end of the line, a plan began to form in her mind. She wasn’t going down without a fight. If Ella wanted a war, then she would give her one.