~Katherine's POV
The door to my office burst open so suddenly that my heart jumped into my throat. I turned just in time to see Hanith running straight toward me, his little legs moving as fast as they could. For a moment, my mind went blank.
"Hanith?" I gasped.
Before I could even think, I rushed forward and scooped him into my arms. His small body crashed into me and wrapped around my neck like he had not seen me in years.
"Mommy, I missed you!" he said, breathing fast.
My heart softened immediately. The stress of the whole day melted for a second as I hugged him tight.
"What are you doing here?" I asked softly, brushing his hair back.
Before he could answer, another small voice echoed in the hallway.
"Mommy!"
Jasmine ran in next, her little shoes tapping quickly on the floor. Behind her was Mathew, slightly out of breath as he tried to catch up with them.
"Hey! Slow down!" Mathew called, but the twins had already reached me.
Jasmine hugged my waist while I still carried Hanith. For a moment, the three of us were tangled together in the middle of my office.
I laughed softly, even though my heart was beating fast.
"What happened?" I asked. "Why are you not staying with Uncle Mathew?"
Hanith rested his head on my shoulder.
"We missed you," he said simply.
Jasmine nodded quickly. "Very much."
My chest tightened. These two little humans had a way of breaking every wall I tried to build.
"I was coming to see you guys soon," I said gently.
Behind them, Mathew finally stepped inside the office, giving me an apologetic smile.
"They insisted," he said quietly.
I nodded slightly. I understood. The twins had probably insisted on seeing me, and Mathew, being the kind man he is, could not say no to them. For a small moment, I was only thinking about them and how much they must have missed me during the day. But then something changed in the air inside the room. The atmosphere suddenly felt tight and uncomfortable, like something heavy had settled between us.
That was when it hit me. Aaron.
My body stiffened slowly as the thought returned to my mind. I had almost forgotten he was still there. Almost. My heart began to beat a little faster as I turned slightly toward the desk area.
Aaron was no longer sitting the way he had been before. He had stood up from the chair near my desk. He had been very quiet the entire time the twins ran in and hugged me. Too quiet. The kind of quiet that makes you uneasy.
Now he was staring.
But he was not looking at me.
His eyes were fixed on the twins.
His face looked stiff and frozen, as if his mind was trying to understand what he was seeing but could not quite believe it yet. His eyes moved slowly from Hanith to Jasmine and then back again.
Then he took a slow step closer, still watching them carefully, like he was studying every little detail on their faces.
My grip on Hanith tightened without thinking, and I held him a little closer against my chest as my heart began to beat faster. I could feel his small arms around my neck, warm and trusting, and that alone made my mind spin even more. I did not want Aaron looking too closely at them. I did not want him to notice anything. But the way he was staring made my stomach twist with worry.
"The kids… are… they from the pregnancy you had five years ago?" Aaron asked slowly with a sad expression on his face.
His voice sounded different from before. It was lower, almost uncertain, and there was clear confusion in it. It was the kind of voice someone uses when they see something they cannot fully understand.
I said nothing.
My mind was racing so fast that I could barely think straight. A hundred thoughts ran through my head at once. I needed to get the twins out of the room. I needed to end this moment before Aaron began asking more questions. But for a few seconds, my body refused to move, and I simply stood there holding Hanith.
Aaron did not wait for my answer.
Instead, he took another slow step forward, and his eyes never left the twins' faces. Then he bent down slightly and crouched so he could be closer to their height. The movement was careful and calm, but it made my heart pound even harder.
"Well… hello there," he said softly, and his voice had become gentle now, almost warm.
Hanith looked at him with open curiosity. My son tilted his head slightly and studied Aaron's face like children often do when they meet someone new. There was no fear in his eyes, only interest.
Jasmine was different.
She moved closer to me and hid partly behind my leg, peeking at Aaron from the side. One of her small hands held tightly onto my clothes as she watched him carefully.
Aaron's eyes moved slowly between their faces. First, he looked at Hanith, then Jasmine, and then back again. His gaze was very focused, and it was almost like he was studying them, noticing every small detail.
I could see the exact moment something changed in his expression.
His brows pulled together slightly, and his eyes narrowed just a little. He looked confused, but also thoughtful, like he was trying to understand something that did not make sense to him.
It looked like he was solving a puzzle inside his head.
And that was when panic hit me.
The realization rushed through my body so suddenly that it almost made me dizzy. I knew that look on Aaron's face. I had seen it many times before. It was the look he had whenever he was thinking deeply about something.
If he kept staring like that, he would begin to notice more.
The shape of Hanith's eyes.
The small curve of Jasmine's nose.
Little things that I had tried so hard not to think about over the years.
I could not let that happen.
So I quickly turned my head toward Mathew, my eyes silently asking him for help before Aaron could ask another question.
"Mathew," I said quickly, forcing calm into my voice. "Can you please take them back? I'm almost done with the meeting."
Mathew understood immediately.
He nodded.
"Alright, little ones," he said gently. "Time to go."
"But Mommy..." Jasmine started.
"I'll be done soon," I promised.
Hanith kissed my cheek quickly before Mathew helped them down.
"Bye, Mommy," they said together.
"Bye, my loves."
They walked out with Mathew, Jasmine waving one last time before the door closed.
And then the room became quiet.
Too quiet. The silence felt heavy.
I slowly turned back to Aaron.
He was still standing there. But now his eyes were on me.
I cleared my throat and walked back to my desk.
"Well," I said calmly, sitting down and opening my laptop again. "We should wrap up the meeting."
But Aaron did not move, and that alone made my chest feel tight.