~Katherine's POV
"Well," Mathew said as he bent down and lifted Jasmine easily into his arms. "I suppose promises must be kept."
The twins immediately cheered happily.
"Pizza! Pizza!" they shouted together.
Their laughter filled the office, and the heavy atmosphere from earlier seemed to disappear completely.
Mathew looked back at me with a playful smile while Jasmine wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Shall we go get some?" he asked.
I could not help smiling as I watched the three of them. Just a short time ago, my mind had been full of worry about Aaron and what he might do next, but in that moment, the only thing that mattered was the simple joy on my children's faces.
So I picked up my bag from the chair and nodded with a small laugh.
"Yes," I said. "Let's go get pizza."
We left the building not long after that, and the twins walked between Mathew and me, swinging their little arms and talking excitedly about pizza as if it was the most important event in the world. Hanith kept asking if they would get extra cheese this time, and Jasmine said she wanted the biggest slice in the shop. Their voices were loud and full of joy, and people around us smiled when they heard them.
Mathew parked a few streets away from a small pizza place the twins loved, and the moment we stepped inside, the warm smell of baked dough, cheese, and tomato sauce filled the air. The twins ran ahead to a table near the window while Mathew and I followed behind them more slowly.
The place was lively. People were talking, plates were clinking, and soft music played somewhere in the background. It was the kind of warm, noisy place where families came to relax after a long day.
Hanith immediately climbed onto a chair and began looking at the menu like he could actually read all the words on it, while Jasmine leaned across the table and whispered something to him that made both of them giggle.
Mathew went to order the pizza while I stayed with the twins.
For a moment I watched them quietly.
Jasmine was drawing small shapes on a napkin with a crayon the waiter had given her, and Hanith kept asking if the pizza was coming yet even though it had only been a few minutes.
They looked happy. Completely carefree, and their small laughter filled the table in a way that made the whole place feel lighter. Jasmine was trying to pull the cloth from the table while Hanith laughed and told her she was doing it wrong. Their little voices were loud and playful, and they did not care that other people in the restaurant could hear them.
And that was exactly how I wanted their lives to remain.
Simple, happy, and free from the heavy problems adults carried around.
But even with all that laughter around me, my mind was still not settled. I tried to focus on the moment, on the smell of the pizza and the warmth of the place, but my thoughts kept drifting back to the same place again and again.
Aaron.
His face kept appearing in my thoughts no matter how hard I tried to ignore it. The way he had looked at the twins earlier that day stayed in my mind like a picture that refused to fade.
The way his eyes moved slowly between them.
The way his voice sounded when he said they looked like him.
Even remembering it now made something twist inside my chest.
I pushed the thought away again, but it did not disappear easily. It stayed somewhere at the back of my mind like a quiet storm waiting to return.
I was not ready to accept Aaron as the father of my children.
Not after everything that had happened between us.
Five years ago he had promised me love. He had promised me a future, and he had made me believe that we would face life together. I had believed every word he said because when he looked at me back then, I thought I could see honesty in his eyes.
But in the end I was the one who walked away with nothing.
Nothing except a broken heart and two babies growing inside me.
The memory still hurt even after all these years, and sometimes it felt like the pain had only been sleeping quietly, waiting for the moment Aaron would return to wake it up again.
Mathew returned to the table with drinks and placed them in front of us before sitting down across from me. The twins immediately grabbed their cups and began drinking happily.
Mathew did not speak right away. Instead, he studied my face for a moment as if he was trying to read my thoughts.
"You are thinking again," he said quietly.
I forced a small smile and tried to look relaxed, even though I knew it probably did not look convincing.
"I am fine," I replied.
Mathew raised one eyebrow slowly because he clearly did not believe me.
"Katherine," he said gently.
The way he said my name made it clear that he was not going to let the subject drop so easily.
I sighed quietly and looked down at the table, tracing the edge of my napkin with my finger.
"He will not let this go," I admitted.
Mathew leaned back slightly in his chair and crossed his arms as he listened.
"I told you I will handle the records," he said calmly. "Everything will be under wraps."
I nodded slowly because I trusted him, but even with that promise the worry inside me did not disappear completely.
After a short pause, Mathew spoke again, and this time his voice sounded more careful, like he was choosing his words very slowly.
"And if Aaron somehow finds out about the kids…"
I lifted my head and looked at him immediately, my chest tightening slightly as I waited to hear what he was going to say next.
"…then maybe you should allow him to take responsibility as their father."
The words felt like a sharp slap across my face. For a moment my mind went completely blank, and then the anger rushed up so fast that I could not hold it back.
"No!" I yelled immediately.
My voice came out much louder than I expected, and the sound carried across the restaurant. A few people at nearby tables turned their heads to look at us, and the twins stopped talking for a moment as they stared at me with wide, confused eyes.
Mathew quickly raised his hands a little, trying to calm the situation.
"Hey, calm down," he said softly.
I realized people were still looking at us, so I took a deep breath and forced myself to lower my voice. My heart was beating fast, and I could feel the heat of embarrassment creeping up my neck.
Mathew leaned forward slightly and reached across the table. He placed his hand gently over mine, and the gesture made me pause.
"I am not saying you must do it," he continued carefully. "I am only saying you should think about it."