Leap OF Fate novel Chapter 71

The twins got up soon as the sun’s rays touched the curtains. Each had been planting kisses on her face.

“Mom, wake up,” Felicity’s adorable voice said as she pulled on her arm.

She lazily opened her eyes and looked at the smiling faces before her. What a way to wake up each day, she said to herself.

“Good morning, babies! Give Mama a kiss, please,” she said and pouted her lips. Pax hopped on her lap and kissed her waiting lips, followed by Felicity. She tickled each one of them, making them shriek with laughter.

She quickly changed their diapers and pajamas and gave them thawed breastmilk. When they were settled, the trio marched to the kitchen for a quick breakfast. She had buttered toast while the twins had scrambled eggs and fruit slices.

She looked at the clock. It’s just 8 in the morning. When they finished eating, she bathed the twins and changed them into their clothes. Pax wore his denim pants, a cartoon shirt and sneakers, while Felicity wore a tutu over her leggings and a cute teddy bear top. Since becoming a mother, Serene has cut off her hair. She used to wear long hair since her college days, now she wore a pixie cut which she found very timesaving.

She put on her jeans, white shirt, a scarf and her boots. After checking if she got everything that she needs, she and the twins hailed a cab and went to the shopping district.

Their taxi stopped in front of Bloomingdale’s. She carried Felicity on her hip while she held Pax in her free hand. On her back was a backpack that contained their essentials. The three got into the shopping mall and strolled around for an hour. They got out of the shopping center with a toy each for her children. Then they went to a small family diner and had their lunch.

Serene’s particular with her children’s food. At two years old, they had not tasted table sugar yet. She ordered a salad for herself and for her children, freshly squeezed orange juice and some fried chicken.

They took their time eating their meals. She listened to her children bicker on who got the better toy. Often, Felicity would start the fire. Pax would do his best to ignore his twin or be patient with her and tolerate her or simply ignore her. But he’s also a child, so sometimes Felicity would make him cry. Despite their usual banters, the two loved each other deeply.

After they completed their meals, the twin’s exhaustion was visible, so she hailed a taxi. She did not go home directly, instead; she asked the driver to go to the address that Albert has provided.

Like their Upper East Side home, this neighborhood was also quiet, but it’s more on the outskirts of the city. As they have agreed, she just needed to enter the house and come out from the back door. From there, a car would wait for them to bring them home.

Justin had just completed his meeting and was walking back to his office when Joseph approached him.

“Sir, I’ve forwarded you the email I received from our team in the US. They think they spotted Ms. Ellis.”

Justin stopped in his tracks after hearing what Joseph just said. He looked at him and nodded, then proceeded to his office.

He hurriedly went to his desk and opened his computer. With a trembling hand, he guided the mouse and opened his email, clicking through each of the images in the attachment.

The first image showed Serene standing in front of a shopping mall, carrying a small girl on her hip and holding on to a tiny boy with her other hand. He zoomed into her face. She had short hair now, but she still looked as refreshing as she looked before. He zoomed at the girl she carried and saw her side profile. His heart tightened at the sight of her.

Apart from the sonogram he got three years ago, this was the first time he saw his daughter. It escaped him that his eyes had already watered, and a tear rolled down his cheek at the sight of his daughter. He clicked to another picture, showing them picking out toys. Serene squatted in front of their son and looked like she was asking him something.

He zoomed in on the image and chuckled at the sight of him. They looked identical. Even the expressionless stare he had to his mother. He touched the part of the screen that showed his face. His lips stretched into a smile as he looked at his son. The third photo showed the three of them enjoying a meal where Serene laughed heartily, his daughter making silly faces, while his son looked at her with brows knitted together, his mouth pursed, and his tiny arms crossed in front of him.

They looked happy, and how he wished he was part of that happiness. How wonderful would it be to hear his children’s laughter, to carry them in his arms, and to kiss them? He missed all these moments. Then his eyes lingered on Serene’s laughing face. It had been three years since he last heard her laughter. God, he missed her.

After a while, he picked up his phone and dialed a series of numbers.

“Mr. Rain,” said the polite voice on the other line.

“Bring all three of them back.” he ordered.

He continued to go back and forth to the three images in his email. Each one eliciting a fresh wave of joy and anguish. Every time he looked at the picture, he would notice something new. Like he noticed his daughter looked like him but had Serene’s eyes. Or how his son wore a cartoon shirt which contradicted his serious expression. Serene too, he noticed she gained some weight, but it suited her better. She looked even younger than she was three years ago.

The more he looked at Serene and the twins, the stronger his desire to have them back burn in his heart. He will have them back and once he does, he will never let them go. He will shower them with all the love they missed in the past three years. He wanted to spend each day with his children and Serene, especially Serene. He would like to make up for all the wrongs he did to her.