"Missed me?" He inquires and moves closer to me. I take a breather.

"What exactly are you doing here?" I inquire of him. He locks his gaze on mine. I'm perplexed since his eyes convey so many different emotions. He appears melancholy, as if he is regretting something, and as if he is weak.

"Hazel, I-" He begins but is cut off by a small voice.

"Mommy?" Aria enters the living room, where Hudson and I are standing. When I notice them both looking at each other, my eyes widen. "Hi, my name is Aria. It's a pleasure to meet you." She smiles shyly at him and approaches me, gripping my leg.

"Did I say it correctly, Mommy?" she inquires.

"Yes, baby," I say as I take her into my arms.

"Didn't she just call you Mommy?" Hudson's eyes are wide with sadness.

"Yes. She did it. Have a problem?" I yelled at him.

"How could you possibly do this to me, Hazel? Don't you feel bad about it?" He asks clearly.

"Can you and your brother go to your room, baby? I'll be there in a few moments." I tell Aria. I don't want my children to witness a fight. She nods, and I place her on the ground. Jayden emerges from the kitchen a few minutes later, and they both walk upstairs to their room. I turn to Hudson once I'm sure they're inside. His brows are wrinkled, and he appears to be irritated.

"What do you want, Hudson?" I inquire.

"First, respond to my inquiry. Why did you do whatever you did? Was I not enough? Didn't I make you happy?" He inquires loudly.

"Keep your voice down!" I become agitated. "Five years later, you still believe that. I didn't do anything and didn't need to prove it to you because, honestly, who are you?" He sighs as I make my poker face.

"I know you didn't do anything." I furrow my brows as he speaks gently. "The pictures that I saw were....fake."

Pictures? What images?

"The pictures that made me think you had cheated on me." He says that as if he could read my thinking. It bothers me that he can read me like an open book. That is highly infuriating.

"I don't care, Hudson," I say, turning away from him. His fingers wrap around my wrist as he pulls me closer, causing me to clash with his chest. My heart is pounding, and I know Hudson can feel it against his. I struggle out of his grasp, but it only makes him tighten his grip on me. His arm snakes around my waist, drawing me closer, if possible.

"Let it go, Hudson," I say firmly.

"Not ever again." He states. His breath fanned my cheeks, and his perfume enveloped me.

"Leave me alone!" I say. He lets go this time. I was angry with myself for being disappointed when he let me go.

"Have you moved on? How come you didn't wait for me?" He inquires.

"I didn't move on!" I notice that I am crying.

"You have two kids!" says the mother. He yells. I remain silent, and he appears to realize something. Oh no!

"T-they are....are t-they...mine?" I turn away from him while he stutters, validating his point. He grabs my arm firmly, and I wince. When he turns around, the sadness in his eyes is replaced by anger.

"You didn't even bother telling me?!? I am their biological father!" He yells. Because of his rage, tears well up in my eyes. It brings back memories of that day.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He inquires once more. I release my grip on his hand. I look at him in the eyes and begin to speak.

"Did you allow me?" Did you let me tell you the most exciting news we've both been waiting for?" I inquire, and he remains silent.

"No. You didn't do it. I felt accused of cheating when it was you who was doing it. I had no idea where I had gone wrong." I sob, and he remained mute.

"Over the years, I've tried to put myself in your shoes and consider what I did. I assumed it was my error that had jeopardized our relationship. I laid the blame on myself. I'm still unsure what I did to make you think I was cheating." I can't stop crying. He strides forward, but I step back and raise my hand to make room.

"No. Keep your distance." I indicated to him with my finger.

"They are my children." And if you try to enter my life and take my children away from me, I will not even-"

"Why should I take them from you? I want you all in my life!" I start laughing as he says this.

"It's already five years too late, Hudson," I say.

"I know. I know I messed up horribly! But please allow me to make amends!" He says as he takes a step toward me. I raise my hand and request that he stop.

"No," I say. He began to talk, but I cut him off.

"Leave me alone. Please simply leave." I cry.

"We'll talk about it again." He states. He approaches and kisses my brow. I move my gaze away from him. "All that matters to me is you." Those final words before walking out the door and all the tears in my body flow.

"Mom?" A faint voice awakens me. When did I go to sleep? I open and close my eyes quickly, hiding my eyes from the intense morning light. I open them again after a few seconds and notice Jayden standing in front of me, perplexed. When I raise my head, my neck aches, and I realize I'm in the living room. My neck hurts like hell. I'm sitting on the floor, arms crossed on the couch, wearing yesterday's clothing.

"Mom? What are you doing sleeping here?" Jayden inquires, and I'm at a loss for words.

"Um... I had some work to do and ended up sleeping here." I'm unsure, but he nodded. I exhale a breath of relief.

"It's Sunday today. So we're going out for breakfast." He moans. I'm not in the mood to go out for breakfast, but it's our Sunday ritual, and I can't say no. He'll be irritated.

"Girls are so lazy." He says, and I stare at him wide-eyed.

"What exactly did you say?" I pretended to be angry. He smiled mischievously as he gazed at me.

"You and Ari are both so lazy, Mom." I instantly wrap my fingers around his arm and draw him to me, he says. He ends up on my lap, and I begin tickling him. His laughter permeates the room, brightening my mood and making me smile from ear to ear.

"Say you're sorry." I insist. I know it's childish, but I'm only thirty-one.

"S-sorry." He says this between laughter, and I come to a halt. I burst out laughing, and he pouts. "Now, come on. I'm starving." He continues to pout.

"Is Ari awake?" I asked him and got up from the floor, holding him in my arms. He shook his head.

"That's exactly what I said. Girls are lazy." He states. I narrow my eyes at him, and he apologizes instantly. I make fun of him.

"Go wake her up and request that she brush her teeth. I'll go get your clothes." I say as I put him down. He nods and dashes into their room. I go to my room and get ready. I choose children's clothes. Jeans and T-shirts will suffice. After getting ready for myself and the kids, we headed to the cafe nearby, where we typically go. I take my seat after making sure they're both comfortable.

"Hello, Hazel." Paisley, our regular waitress, introduces herself.

"Good morning, Paisley." I give her a kind smile. She greets the children, who return her greeting. She requests our orders, which we comply with. Jayden requested pancakes, Aria requested egg toast, and I asked for coffee and pancakes.

"Mommy?" Aria says as we begin to eat, I was drinking my coffee and nodded at her.

"A man was in our house yesterday. Who was he?" My heart skips a beat as she asks. Jayden pulls the water glass towards me as I choke on my coffee. I consume it.

"H-he... H-he's an old friend." I lie.

"Oh." She says as she continues to eat. My heart rate accelerates dramatically. What if they discover he's their father? Will they abandon me for him? No, no. They wouldn't do it.

"Mommy, I need to use the restroom," Aria murmurs in my ear, jerking me out of my reverie. I nod and assist her in getting out of the chair. She's so familiar with the area that she walks there without me. Jayden and I briefly talk about a girl at his play school.

Aria has yet to return after a few minutes. We finished our breakfast and are now waiting for her. What happened to her? As a mother, I was concerned that she was taking so long, so I stood up and began to make my way to the restrooms, but then I noticed her tiny figure returning. As I see who accompanies her, my heart races for the second time since we arrived at the cafe.

"Mommy, I met your friend near the washrooms." She says this while pointing at Hudson. She's holding his hand, and he's staring at me. I remain silent and nod to her.

"Hello," Hudson murmurs, his gaze fixed on me.

"That's Jayden. He is my brother." Ari tells Hudson.

"Hi, Jayden," Hudson says as he looks at him. Jayden smiles at him.

"Um... Well, um... Let's get started. I've got some work to do." I take Ari's arm and drag her away from him. I almost feel awful for him when I see the hurt on his face. I hurriedly paid the bill and gave a tip before gathering my belongings and the kids and leaving without looking at him.

I buckled the kids into their seats and moved toward the driver's seat, but I was stopped. When I looked up from the ground, I saw Hudson. I tried to walk around him, but he grabbed my wrist and spun me around.

"Hudson-" I begin, but he cuts me off, as he always does.

"We have to talk, Hazel." Please get in touch with me." He says as he passes me his business card. I yank my hand from his grasp and shatter the card before hurling it at his chest. I moved to my seat, turning away. I close the doors and turn on the engine.

This week has been dramatic. My thoughts were always focused on one individual. I can't stop thinking about him, even if I don't want to. He even appears in my nightmares. His blue eyes mock me. I couldn't even focus on my work.

"Aria! and Jayden!" I called the kids to distract myself. They are the only ones who can make me feel better.

"Yes, Mom?" Jayden explains.

"What do you guys want for lunch?" I inquire.

"Chicken cheese sandwich!" said the waiter. Jayden screams. When I turn to face Aria, she's already nodding.

"Okay, then." I begin preparing lunch.

While I prepare the food, Jayden continues to talk while Aria remains silent. She was coloring cartoons in her book, and I imagine she was in another universe. But she also seemed a little off, and I began to worry. I was about to ask what was wrong with her when Jayden interrupted me.

"Oh, mother! I nearly forgot. Tomorrow is a parent meeting at the school." Jayden explains.

"You really should be there." Jayden also included. Aria raised her head to me as if she wanted to ask me a question but couldn't.

"I will be there." I made a promise.

"Everyone else is going to come with their mommy and daddy." But we're both going with just mommy." Aria emphasized, "only."

It has arrived. The predicament in which I am required to answer the children's questions concerning their father. Their father broke their mother's heart. The father refused even to tell him he would be a father. The father who abandoned us just when we needed him the most. The father's name.

"Yea. Because we don't have a father figure." Jayden says to Aria, but they both glance at me with...I'm still determining. Eagerness? Hope? I'm still determining. I had sandwiches for the kids and turned away, pretending to clean something. When I return to get some juice for the kids, they are both still staring at me, their plates untouched.

"Eat your food, guys," I say.

"No," Aria says, crossing her little arms over her chest. I narrow my eyes at her, but she maintains her angry, hurt expression. I sigh. "Everyone else in the school has a father, but we don't." Jaxon, too, has an uncle named Ezekiel. We are without a parent. "How come, Mommy?" Her eyes well up with tears as she asks. My eyesight becomes blurry as tears well up in my eyes. The last thing I want is for my children to cry.

"I-I'm not sure. Perhaps God thought that good children only required a mother." I lied. Hazel, are you serious? Does that make sense to you? My inner voice snarls at me.

"Really?" Aria wipes her tears away. I approach her and cup my hands around her face.

"Yes, my darling." I kissed her on the cheek.

I was busy at work the next day. A large corporation requires interior design, and we all work hard on it. If this project is successful, I will be promoted, and my income will be increased. And due to this work, I could not attend the meeting at the kids' school. They will be irritated.

"Hi, Hazel." I turn around when I hear a voice. My eyes expand as they come to rest on Brooks. What exactly is he doing here?

"How are things going for you?" He asks and takes a seat in front of me.

"Hi. I'm okay. What exactly are you doing here?" I ask.

"I came here to see you." He says this and tries to put his hand in mine. I drew my hand away, as did he.

"For what?" I inquire sternly. Brooks is a really attractive and well-mannered man. But that's it; I wouldn't go any further.

"Will you come on a date with me?" He stutters, his eyes bright.

"No." I put on a stern expression and responded to him right away. He lets out a sigh.

"You see, Brooks. There are hundreds of girls available; go try them out. It's not going to happen to me." I stand up and leave my office, leaving him at my desk.

In the evening, I called Axel and told him everything that had happened today.

Axel suggested, "Give him a chance."

Is he dead serious? I pondered. He claims to know me better than anyone else. He knows I only have one true love. I sigh and let it go. I have to get the kids. I shut the doors and walked to my car. After arriving at the school, I park the car in a parking area, get out, and lock it. I walk into the school and approach the receptionist. Her eyes are narrow as she stares at me, which is odd.

"Hi, I'm here to pick up Aria and Jayden Baker," I tell her.

"But, ma'am, they were already picked up." Her brow wrinkled, she says.

What?