"It's not like that, Princess. I don't feel well."
Andrew cooed gently, comforting him. "Are you sick?" Arya asked.
"His temperature, heartbeat, and breathing are all normal. He isn't physically sick," Obed answered, surprising Andrew. He hadn't realized just how incredibly intelligent his son was.
"Then what is wrong? If you tell us, maybe we can help you," Arya voiced softly.
"It's okay. I will solve things myself... I promise," Andrew assured them.
The children looked at him earnestly. "When you aren't here for us, sometimes something terrible happens to Mommy. She will come home very sad, or even worse, crying. But after she talks to us, she always feels fine. Sometimes she overworks herself and comes home completely exhausted. We make sure to take care of her and entertain her so that she can feel happy again."
Hearing the children say this made Andrew feel as if his heart were being squeezed in a harsh, painful grip. Lily had already passed through so much suffering in her life, yet he had still ended up hurting her.
"Stand up for a moment," he told the children. He adjusted the pillows, leaned back against the headboard, and guided the kids to sit closely on both sides of him.
"I am so thankful to you guys for taking such good care of your mother. Thank you," Andrew smiled warmly, leaning down to kiss both of their heads.
After a quiet moment, his face became seriously calm. "The truth is, I am sad right now. And it's because Mommy is mad at me. I did something wrong, and I ended up making her both sad and angry with me." Andrew finally revealed the truth to the kids, his voice heavy with regret.
"Is that why she decided to leave even before breakfast?" Arya questioned, her wide eyes filled with a mixture of confusion and sadness.
Her father slowly nodded his head, unable to look her in the eye. Arya reached out, placing a small, comforting hand on his arm. "Don't be sad, Daddy. We will help you seek Mommy's forgiveness, and I am sure she will forgive you. She is a very good person." Her innocent words felt like a knife to Andrew's heart, reinforcing just how much he stood to lose.
Finally, evening came, casting long shadows across the room as Andrew prepared to leave for Stephanie's apartment. He grabbed his keys, desperate for a chance to fix his broken family.
"I want to come along," Mrs. Gray suddenly announced, stepping into the hallway with her coat already in hand.
"Mom, please," Andrew pleaded, rubbing his temples. "Not tonight."
"You can't leave me here all alone in this big house," Mrs. Gray reasoned, her tone dripping with dramatic hurt.
"Mom, I know you, and you have already caused enough trouble for me today," Andrew pointed out, his patience wearing thin.
She crossed her arms defensively. "I didn't do anything wrong! She saw the picture herself, so you can't blame me for her overreacting," she retorted, completely dismissing her role in the drama.
Andrew clenched his jaw, trying hard to resist the urge to pack his mother's bags and send her back home immediately. It hadn't even been twenty-four hours since her arrival, but the woman was already causing nothing but chaos. The four of them had been so happy in the morning. But as soon as his mother's face appeared at his door, everything turned sour.
He took in a deep, stabilizing breath before giving in. "Okay. But keep in mind that if you do or say anything unpleasant, I will send you back home immediately."
Without waiting for her reply, he turned and went to call the children down. Mrs. Gray stood frozen in the hallway, completely unable to believe her ears. 'What had come over her son? she thought bitterly. What had Stephanie done to him to make him turn against his own mother? All she had ever wanted was what was best for him, yet he treated her like the enemy. Someone of his standard. Why was it so hard for her son to understand her?'
Soon after, Andrew came into the living room with the kids, and they all began their journey to Steph's apartment. While they were in the car, Andrew tried to call Steph to tell her his mother was coming along, but her phone was switched off.
They stood in front of Stephanie's door at eight o'clock, the two children fast asleep on their feet. Stephanie finally opened the door after Andrew rang the bell a few times. "Good evening," she greeted them, holding the door wide. As expected, Mrs. Gray didn't respond. Stephanie was neither surprised nor displeased to see her. She led them to the couch and invited them to sit. "I will take the children to bed," Stephanie offered.
"No, I want to do it. Besides, I am not needed here anyway," Mrs. Gray mumbled the last part under her breath, but the couple still heard it. Andrew intervened gently, "Guys, come on. Your granny will change you and put you to bed." Being sleepy, the children barely responded and simply allowed their granny to guide them to their room.
When they were gone, the room became dead quiet. Stephanie, who had been standing, sat down beside him. "Lily..." he called out. Stephanie looked up, moving her gaze from her hands to his face. Andrew took both of her hands in his.
He shifted closer to her. "I am sorry, Lily. I promise never to hide something like that from you again. It... it was just that I was scared to lose you. I was scared that by the time I got you to forgive me, it would be too late," he explained.
But Stephanie wasn't convinced. What was he so afraid of? "Scared of what?" she asked.
"Lily, when I first saw you after six years, I saw how much it pained you to see me. I saw how you tried as much as possible to get away from me, and how you viewed me as a liar and an untrustworthy person. All of these things terrified me. I was scared you might never forgive me or give me another chance."
Stephanie sighed. "When did I sign it?" she asked again.
"I don't know the exact day, but I got it before the weekend you went out with Micheal."
"You know what you did wasn't right. What if I hadn't given you a chance? Would you have forced me and insisted on us..."
"Don't say that, Lily. I will never force you into anything you don't like. I did that because I had faith you would forgive me after I told you everything. I admit it's my fault for letting my guard down, but I was wronged too. They tricked me. I love you, Lily, and I won't do anything to hurt you," Andrew said. He brought both of her hands up to his lips and kissed them. "If you want us to stay together in the future without any qualms, you should try to trust me just one more time."
Lily looked down at their joined hands, feeling the warmth of his skin but unable to completely shake the cold knot of doubt in her stomach. The weight of the past six years stood like an invisible wall between them. Andrew's eyes pleaded with her, filled with a desperate sincerity that made her heart ache.
Stephanie sighed, "Trust is earned, Andrew. You can't just ask for it after keeping secrets like that. I deserves concrete proof, not just promises."
Andrew flinched slightly but didn't let go of Lily's hands. "I know," he whispered, looking directly into Lily's eyes. "I will spend every single day proving it to you. Please don't be mad at me anymore. You can't imagine how much I was tortured knowing you were mad at me." "I'm sorry." She apologised. "Don't be. I want to kiss you. I have missed you so much." His right hand went up to her cheek. His thumb brushed on her pink kissable lips and pulled them closer until they were half an inch away and they could feel each other's breath. "I love you lily." Confessed Andrew. He finally pressed his lips on hers, sucking her lower lip deeply yet gently. He pulled them even more closer, and closed the remaining space between them. Stephanie's hand went behind his neck and closed her eyes. The simple kiss soon turned into a passionate kiss with their tongue involved. Their consciousness soon faded away, kissing like there was no tomorrow. "Mmm..." An unconscious moan escaped from Stephanie's mouth. The man began to go insane. His hand moved from her cheek to her shoulder, breast and waist. He kissed the side of her lips. He moved down to her neckband shoulder.
He unknowingly laid her down on the couch. Hos hand that went down sneaked under her loose t-shirt and began to grope her body. The sudden pleasure sent a hot sensation through her body. "Ahh... Andy." She shut her eyes opened. She took in a deep breath to get her sense back on track. "Andy...Andy wait..." But the man was too engrossed in what he was doing and made no attempt to stop. He tried to pull her t-shirt up but Stephanie didn't let him.
He groaned, annoyed with whatever was stopping him. "Andy stop." She placed her hands on his shoulders trying to gently push him away. Andrew took both her hands and ceased them above her head. He pulled away and complained, 'You make you mad when you do that. I want to touch you. Don't stop me." His eyes were full of pure hunger for her and his body shook with desire. "Andy your mom might come out and I...I am not ready yet." She cooed. She really felt bad...looking at him in this state and telling him she wasn't ready made her feel really bad.
She watched as as he pulled away and took I deep breaths to calm himself. "I am sorry. It's just... I don't want what happened to be repeated." Stephanie explained.