Mirabelle’s POV:
He looked awful, dark circles under his eyes, his shoulders slumped. I wanted to tell him to leave, then get up and shut the door in his face, but I couldn’t.
“Mirabelle,” He said quietly, and the sound of my name in his voice made me feel weak.
“Why are you here, Ken?” I asked, harsher than I meant to.
He sat down without asking, running a hand through his disheveled hair. “I came to apologize. Last night… I was out of line. I shouldn’t have-”
“Yes, you shouldn’t have,” I interrupted, my voice shaking. “And you had no right to act that way you. That wasn’t right.”
“I know,” he said, his voice breaking. “I just… I still love you, Mira. I’ve never stopped. Seeing you happy with Noah… it’s killing me. I’m a different man now. I need you to know that.”
I didn’t want to hear it. I couldn’t. “We’re over, Ken. I am tired of repeating the same line over and over again. It’s too fucking late, Ken.” I said, but even I heard the uncertainty in my voice. He looked so broken, so desperate, and a part of me hated that I still cared.
He left after that, and I sat there for what felt like hours, staring at the closed door, trying to sort through the thoughts in my head.
Then, my phone buzzed.
It was a message. I didn’t recognize the number, but I opened it, and my blood went cold.
It was a picture of Noah and Natasha, sitting alone at a restaurant. The lighting was intimate, and they looked so comfortable, so at ease together.
He’d lied to me. He said it was a business dinner.
I felt something inside me snap. The phone slipped from my fingers, and I pressed my hands to my mouth to keep from screaming.
He lied to me.
I wanted to cry, to throw something, to break everything around me, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t fall apart.
I grabbed my things, barely seeing where I was going, and rushed out of the office. I needed to be around the kids.
Maybe they’d be enough to pull me back from the edge. But even as I watched them play later that evening, their laughter filled the house.
My mind was still a million miles away.
Noah’s voice. Ken’s face. Natasha’s smug smile.
I was losing my mind, and I didn’t know if I’d ever get it back.
After making sure their nightwear was on just right, I gently helped them climb into bed. I finished by pulling the soft, pastel-colored blanket over Mika, Tyler and Skyler. They wiggled and squirmed, excited for bed but not quite ready to settle down just yet.
“Alright, my little sweethearts,” I whispered, leaning down to place a soft kiss on their foreheads. “Sleep tight, and no peeking under the covers for any monsters, okay?”
They all giggled. I gave each of them another peck on the cheek before straightening up, ready to leave them to drift off into their dreams. But just as I turned to walk away, a small voice stopped me.
“Mom, can you tell us a bedtime story?” Mika asked, pouting her little lips.
Tyler nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah, a good one! A really good one, like the dragon story!”
And Skyler well, he just stared at me.
I paused at the door, considering the request. Normally, I’d already be out of the room by now, but how could I resist? The night felt quiet, and they were so eager for the kind of adventure only a story could bring.
As I turned back toward them, I saw Skyler sitting quietly in his bed, looking up at me with his soft blue eyes, a carbon copy of Noah’s eyes.
A smile tugged at my lips, and I sat back down on the edge of their shared bed, the mattress creaking softly under my weight. The kids snuggled in closer as they waited for me to begin.
“Alright, you three,” I said softly. “How about a story about a brave knight who had to save a village from a terrible storm?” I paused for effect, seeing their eyes widen in anticipation.
“A knight!” Tyler whispered in awe.
“Shh, quiet now,” I smiled, holding up a finger to my lips. “Once upon a time, in a village tucked away beneath the tallest mountains, there lived a knight named Sir Cedric. He was known throughout the land not just for his strength, but for his kindness and bravery. One day, a terrible storm came, one like no one they had ever seen before. It roared through the trees and shook the earth beneath their feet…”
As I continued the story, I could feel the children drifting closer to sleep, their bodies relaxing under the sheets. Mika and Tyler were listening intently, their wide eyes not leaving me for a moment. Skyler was curled up tightly with his teddy bear, but I could see the small smile on his face as he slowly, gently drifted into his own little world of dreams.
I paused at a dramatic moment in the tale, and I could see their little faces waiting for the next part.
“But… Did the knight save them, Mommy?” Mika whispered, her voice barely audible.
I chuckled softly, brushing a strand of hair away from my face. “Of course, darling. Sir Cedric was brave and clever. He realized that the storm was not just made of wind and rain, but of sadness and fear. And with his bravery, he found the heart of the storm, and he told it to calm down-just like how we can calm ourselves when we’re scared.”
Tyler let out a satisfied sigh, already half-asleep, the corners of his mouth curling up in a smile. Skyler, who had been so shy to ask for a story, was now fully at ease, his head tilted toward me.
“Good night, my little ones,” I whispered as the story came to an end. “The knight will always be there to protect the village… just like I’ll always be here for you.”
The room was quiet now, the sounds of their breathing filling the space. I tucked the blankets up around them one last time, smoothing down Mika’s hair and giving each of them another gentle kiss.
As I tiptoed out of the room, I looked back over my shoulder.
‘I love you all so much and your father loves you more.’ I muttered under my breath.