~Katherine's POV
Watching them made my chest tighten with emotion.
Those two little children had been the reason I kept moving forward even when everything in my life felt broken.
"And now everything feels like it could change overnight," I finished quietly.
Mathew remained silent for a moment, and he seemed to be thinking carefully about what to say next.
Finally, he spoke again in a calm voice.
"You do not have to decide anything today," he said.
I lifted my eyes and looked at him.
"Right now the only thing you need to do is breathe," he continued gently. "And take care of those two little people who clearly think pizza is the most important thing in the world right now."
A small laugh escaped my lips before I could stop it.
Because when I looked at the twins again, that statement felt very true.
Hanith was now trying to convince Jasmine that his slice of pizza was smaller than hers, even though it was clearly bigger. Jasmine was shaking her head stubbornly while holding her slice tightly as if someone might steal it from her.
Their little argument was so serious in their eyes that it almost made me forget everything else for a moment.
Mathew noticed the small smile on my face and nodded slightly.
"You see," he said quietly. "That right there is what matters the most."
I watched the twins for a few more seconds while thinking
Jasmine looked up suddenly.
"Mommy, look!" she said proudly while holding up her slice.
I nodded with a small smile.
"I see it, sweetheart."
For a moment, I allowed myself to focus only on them.
I did not know what the future would bring.
And I honestly didn't know what I would do if Aaron refused to walk away.
For a few minutes after that conversation, none of us talked about Aaron again. The twins continued eating their pizza happily, and Mathew asked them small questions about school and their friends, which slowly brought the mood back to something lighter.
Hanith began explaining a story about how he and one of his classmates had argued about who could run faster during recess, and Jasmine quickly interrupted him to say that he was exaggerating because she had seen him trip while running. Their little argument quickly turned into laughter again, and before long, both of them had forgotten the entire debate.
Mathew watched them for a moment while smiling, and then he suddenly leaned back in his chair as if a new idea had just entered his mind.
"You know what," he said casually, "I think today is too beautiful to end with only pizza."
The twins looked up immediately.
"What do you mean?" Hanith asked while still chewing.
Mathew looked at me for a second, and then he spoke in a playful voice.
"How about we go to the amusement park after this?"
For a moment, the twins froze as if they were not sure they had heard him correctly.
Then Jasmine's eyes widened with excitement.
"The amusement park?" she asked loudly.
"Yes," Mathew replied with a smile. "The one with the big Ferris wheel and the roller coaster."
That was all it took.
The twins immediately started cheering so loudly that people at nearby tables turned to look again.
"Please, Mommy!" Jasmine said while grabbing my arm.
"Please, please, please!" Hanith added quickly. "We have not gone there in a long time!"
I looked at them, and then I looked at Mathew, who was watching me with a knowing smile.
To be honest, part of me wanted to refuse. My mind was still heavy with everything we had just discussed, and I felt tired in a way that pizza and laughter could not fully fix.
But when I looked at the twins again and saw the hope in their faces, my resistance slowly melted away.
I sighed softly and shook my head with a small smile.
"Alright," I said. "We can go."
The reaction was immediate.
Both children jumped from their seats and started clapping excitedly, and Jasmine nearly knocked over her drink in the process.
Mathew laughed as he watched them celebrate, as if they had just won a big prize.
"Well then," he said while standing up, "finish your pizza, soldiers, because the adventure is about to begin."
After we paid the bill, we drove to the amusement park, and the moment we arrived,, the twins rushed toward the entrance as if they had been waiting for this day forever.
The place was full of bright lights, loud music, and the cheerful noise of families enjoying themselves. The smell of popcorn and cotton candy filled the air, and colorful rides spun slowly in the distance.
At first, I simply followed them while watching carefully, making sure they stayed close.
But as the evening went on, something inside me slowly began to relax.
We started with the smaller rides, and Jasmine insisted that I sit beside her on the spinning teacups. At first, I laughed nervously as the ride began turning faster and faster, but soon the twins' laughter became contagious, and I found myself laughing along with them.
Mathew watched us from the side at first, but then Hanith dragged him onto the bumper cars. The two of them spent the next several minutes crashing into each other while pretending it was some kind of serious competition. Hanith gripped the steering wheel with a very focused face while he chased Mathew's car around the small arena, and every time he managed to bump into him, he shouted as if he had scored a big victory.
Mathew did not make it easy for him, though, because he kept turning his car at the last second and bumping Hanith back, which made Jasmine laugh so hard that she almost dropped the cotton candy she was holding.
When the ride finally stopped, Hanith jumped out of the car quickly and ran straight toward me with a proud smile on his face.
"Mommy, did you see that?" he asked excitedly. "I completely defeated Uncle Mathew!"
Mathew walked over behind him while pretending to look very shocked and offended.
"That is not true at all," he said dramatically. "I simply allowed him to win because I am a very kind uncle."
Hanith shook his head strongly while Jasmine giggled beside him.
Later, we all went on the Ferris wheel together.
As the cabin slowly lifted us higher above the park, the lights below looked beautiful, and the cool evening breeze brushed gently against my face while the twins pressed their faces to the glass and pointed at the rides.
For the first time that day, my mind felt quiet.
The twins leaned against the glass while pointing at the rides below, and Mathew sat beside me quietly without saying much.
At one point, he glanced at me and smiled.
"You see," he said softly, "sometimes the best medicine is simply letting yourself enjoy the moment."
I looked down at the park lights again while listening to the twins' excited voices.
And for that short moment, I allowed myself to forget about Aaron, the questions, and the fear of what might happen next.