~Katherine's POV
Aaron just kept looking at me as if he was trying to see through me. His eyes were steady and serious, and the silence between us began to feel heavy. I tried to keep my face calm and focused on the files in front of me, but I could feel his gaze pressing on me.
Then, finally, he spoke.
"Were they the results of your affair five years ago?"
The question fell into the room like something heavy dropping into deep water. Everything inside me froze for a moment. My fingers stopped moving above the keyboard, and even my breathing felt strange. I slowly lifted my head and looked at him. My heart was beating hard, but I forced my face to remain cold and controlled.
"Don't you ever ask me such a question," I said firmly, my voice sharp and steady at the same time. "And my kids are none of your concern."
Aaron scoffed softly as if he did not fully believe my reaction. Then he walked a few slow steps closer to the desk, and I could see the confusion clearly written across his face. He rubbed his jaw lightly before speaking again.
"Well, I'm sorry if I hit a nerve," he said, and his voice sounded calmer now, but the confusion was still there. "But Katherine, I am confused."
He paused for a moment and looked toward the door where the twins had left earlier. Then his eyes came back to me again.
"Those two kids…"
He stopped speaking for a second as if he was choosing his next words carefully.
"…look like me."
For a brief moment, I thought I had heard him wrong, and my mind struggled to process what he had just said. Then a small laugh escaped my mouth, but there was nothing funny about it. The sound came out dry and empty.
"You must be blind," I said sharply, shaking my head slightly. My voice carried clear irritation now. "Because they obviously do not resemble you at all."
His eyes narrowed as he looked at me more carefully, and I could see that he was not ready to let the matter go. The room suddenly felt smaller, and the air between us felt tight. I could almost hear the thoughts running through his mind as he tried to connect what he had just seen with what he already knew about me.
"They obviously do not resemble you in any way," I said again, trying to sound calm even though my heart was beating faster with every passing second.
Aaron folded his arms across his chest and leaned slightly against the edge of the desk. He kept watching my face as if he was searching for something hidden there.
"They have my eyes," he said slowly, as though he was pointing out something very obvious.
"They do not," I replied immediately, and I forced myself to keep my tone firm and steady.
"My nose," he continued without hesitation.
"They do not," I said again, and I crossed my arms as well, refusing to look away from him.
"My…"
"Stop."
My voice came out firmer than I expected, and the sharpness of it surprised even me. I slowly pushed my chair back and stood up so that I could face him properly. My hands rested on the desk for a moment as I gathered myself, and then I looked him straight in the eyes.
"Cancel that thought right now. Remember, I cheated on you five years ago. And yes, they are the products of that affair!" I said, speaking slowly so that every word would be clear.
Aaron stared at me, and the muscles in his jaw tightened slightly. I could tell he did not like being told what to think.
"You expect me to believe that's a coincidence?" he asked after a moment, and his voice carried a mixture of doubt and frustration.
"Yes," I answered without hesitation.
"They are around five years old," he continued, and he tilted his head slightly as if he was studying my reaction.
I said nothing this time, and I simply held his gaze while trying to keep my face completely calm.
"They look like me," he insisted.
"They do not," I repeated, even though the words felt heavier in my mouth now.
He let out a long breath and ran a hand through his hair in frustration. He began pacing slowly across the office floor as though he was trying to calm himself down.
"Katherine…"
Before he could finish whatever he was about to say, I cut him off again because I did not want to hear it.
"What you are thinking is not true," I said firmly.
My voice remained steady, cold, and controlled because I knew that if I allowed even the smallest crack in my tone, he would notice.
"The kids have a father," I continued.
The words hung in the air between us, and the silence that followed felt heavy and uncomfortable.
He suddenly stopped moving.
He froze where he stood, and his eyes returned to my face again. This time, his expression looked more serious than before.
"Who?" he asked quietly.
"That," I replied while lifting my chin slightly, "is none of your business."
Another silence filled the room, and it stretched longer than before. I could hear the faint noise of people moving in the hallway outside the office, but inside the room, everything felt still.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
He looked like he was fighting a hundred different thoughts inside his head. His brows were slightly drawn together, and his eyes moved across my face as if he was trying to read every small reaction I might show.
But I refused to let him see anything.
I kept my expression calm and neutral.
After a few seconds, I turned back to my desk and picked up one of the files lying there. I opened it slowly as if nothing important had just happened between us.
"We should focus on work," I said calmly, keeping my eyes on the papers in front of me.
He did not respond immediately. Instead, he continued staring at me for a long moment. I could feel his gaze again, just like earlier in the day, but this time it felt heavier.
Then slowly, very slowly, he walked back to the chair and sat down again.
However, the look in his eyes told me something very important.
He was not convinced.
Not even a little.
And deep inside my chest, where I had been trying so hard to stay calm, my heart began to pound again because I knew that this conversation was far from over.
I quickly closed my laptop, forcing a polite but tired smile.
"I think we should continue the rest of the meeting another time because I need to go pick up my kids," I said as I picked up my bag.
I had barely taken two steps toward the door when Aaron spoke again; his voice was calm but sharp.
"So tell me something," he said slowly. "Is Mathew their father?"
His question stopped me in my tracks, and my heart slammed hard against my chest.