CHAPTER 138
LILY’S POV
~ “I want you and your fancy toy car off my property and this estate for good. I won’t say it again.” I said sternly, fishing out my phone to call the estate security. Maybe he thought I was joking about calling them.
However, the door to the house flew open, stopping me. The kids came rushing to him with big smiles on their faces, shouting “Daddy! Daddy! You’re back.” ~
Before I could react, Liam and Lila thudded him with a tight hug as if he were their long-lost father who finally came home after years of being away.
My eyes burned seeing how much body contact they were making with him. But there was nothing I could do about it. Ripping them off of him will make me seem like the wicked mother, denying them a chance at happiness. Not to mention they were still angry with me for yesterday, the ultimatum they gave me was a cruel reminder I should tread carefully with them to avoid any further escalation.
I didn’t make the call to the estate security again. My blood boiled to a hundred degrees as I stood there watching them locked in their never-ending hug, making me feel left out and jealous.
Can’t these kids see that he doesn’t deserve to be called a daddy? Can’t they see that he doesn’t deserve them, us? As long as those things he did in the past lingered inside me, his name alone reminding me of them, he could never be the father and husband they want him to be.
After getting through all these years without him and learning the truth about him, how were they suddenly able to accept him in such a short amount of time? I had thought he’d cry blood to win their love and acceptance. But he did it so effortlessly I couldn’t help wondering how he managed to do it.
“Have you come to take us to school?” Lila asked as they finally pulled away from him.
“Mmmhmm,” Robert nodded with a wide smile on his face as he looked at them. “Your mummy called me. She said the tyres of her car are bad and she needed me to come take you little angels to school.” He said, lowering to squash their cheeks, eliciting giggles from them like they were being tickled.
His words and actions pulled a string in me, an angry frown tightening my face. Just because they ran to him for a hug doesn’t mean he can keep touching them, and I never said he could take them to school. I’ll think of a solution one way or another.
But before I could react, Liam and Lila excitedly said, “Cool. We’ll go get our bags and lunchbox,” running back into the house.
“Just what are you?” I lashed at Robert, having had enough of his interference. “A weapon fashioned against me?….”
“Please Lily,” he cut me off with a plea as if he was tired of us fighting. “Don’t be like this. I know you’ll find it very hard to approve of me. I know no amount of apology will be enough to make up for everything I said and put you through in the past. And l also know I can never fill in completely for all that time I was absent from the kids’ lives. But please, let me take them to school. It’s the least I could do.”
Everything I wanted to say to him which was burning at the back of my throat died down. To my surprise, my expression became milder, my anger subsiding a bit. But there was no need to keep on attacking him when he had already yielded.
Crossing my arms over my chest, I looked away defiantly. He watched me closely, aware of every movement and expression I made. The weight of his gaze made me self-conscious, even nervous, but I refused to let it show. I didn’t want him to see that I hadn’t completely gotten over him. After treating him harshly since that day at the meeting, acting tough, pretending love and romance meant nothing to me, it was humiliating to admit, even to myself, that I still hadn’t completely gotten rid of my feelings for him.
Just why did it have to be that way? Why can’t I get over him and make him pay for what he did to me? He didn’t think twice before shattering my heart and leaving me for dead so why do I keep hesitating when it comes to him? And why was he so persistent? WHY?!
Checking my watch, I saw it was 8:45 am. I didn’t have any other choice or know anything else I could come up with for the kids to get to school in fifteen minutes. If only I had another car, then this problem would have been solved long before it even happened. But I didn’t and thinking about it now gave me more reason to get another car.
If I don’t let him take them then they’ll miss school for today and I didn’t want that. I never thought it’d come to this again asking Robert for help after all these years. Gosh, I was a fucking mess.
“Fine, you can take them,” I sighed in resignation, rolling my eyes.
“Yes!” He exclaimed, clenching his fist and punching the air. But realizing how childish he seemed, he stopped and quickly composed himself.
“Don’t get too excited,” I said, bursting his bubbles. He froze, his brows pulling in and eyes flickering with confusion. “I will be coming as well because I can’t trust you with my kids and I don’t want them alone with you again.”
“I don’t have any problem with that,” he shrugged casually, returning to being happy.
I felt a little defeated because I thought he’d have a problem with it.
The kids weren’t out yet. I wondered what was keeping them. Suddenly, being alone and this close to Robert made me feel something funny in the pit of my stomach, the silence between us awkward.
“I have to talk to you about something,” I said, breaking the silence because it was becoming unbearable for me.
“What?” He raised his brows.
“Can we talk over there?” I tilted my head towards the back of my car. “I don’t want the kids to hear it.”