My Billionaire Ex Beg For A Second Chance-Chapter 124: A Gentle Moment

The soft click of the door echoed behind Katherine as she gently closed it, watching Felix’s retreating figure disappear into the elevator.

For a second, she lingered, her hand resting on the doorknob. Slowly, she turned around—and there he was. Leonard stood a few steps away, hands in his pockets, leaning slightly against the wall with that same familiar half-smirk that used to drive her crazy years ago... in both good and bad ways.

"You’re not going to work?" Katherine asked, arching a brow as she crossed her arms loosely in front of her chest. Her voice was casual, but laced with a hint of curiosity.

Leonard shrugged, pushing himself off the wall with one foot. "I’m not that crazy to head to work when my daughter’s sick." His gaze softened ever so slightly. "Some things are more important."

A soft chuckle escaped her lips. "Fair enough." She didn’t fight the small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "Come on, let’s check on her."

Leonard nodded, falling into step beside her as they walked down the short hallway toward the twins’ bedroom.

As they walked, Katherine’s thoughts wandered—slipping back to yesterday, Sunday.

Sunday was supposed to be simple. Grocery shopping. Pick out Julio’s birthday present. Maybe grab lunch afterward. Instead...

She sighed quietly. Instead, the entire day was spent nursing Maya back to health.

Felix had come by early, coffee in one hand, a bag of pastries in the other. His usual smooth grin had been replaced with something gentler, more thoughtful. The tension between him and Leonard was clearly there—the way neither quite looked at the other, how polite words were coated with undertones neither bothered to fully hide.

Yet, to their credit, neither man made a scene. They’d worked side by side—fetching medicine, making soup, fluffing pillows—hovering around Maya like two satellites orbiting the same star.

Nothing serious happened. No fights, no sharp words. Maya’s fever persisted but stayed within the realm of manageable.

Thank God for that, Katherine thought. Both the fever... and the lack of explosions between the two men.

Her hand gently pushed open the twins’ bedroom door.

The room was filled with the soft glow of morning sunlight, filtering through the curtains in warm, lazy stripes. Nathan’s bed was empty, already made up. In the other bed, Maya lay bundled under her blanket, her tiny frame looking even smaller than usual. Her cheeks were still tinged pink from the fever, but her breathing was steady. Her favorite stuffed bunny was tucked tightly under one arm.

Leonard stepped inside first, his entire posture shifting—the stiffness in his shoulders melted away, replaced by something softer. More instinctive.

"Maya," he murmured, crouching down by her bed. "Hey, sweetheart. You awake?"

Maya stirred, her eyelashes fluttering open. Her eyes—still glassy but bright—locked onto her father’s face. A small, sleepy smile curved her lips. "Uncle Leo..." Her voice was hoarse but warm.

"Yeah, baby. I’m here," Leonard whispered, brushing a few strands of damp hair from her forehead. "How’re you feeling?"

"Mm... tired..." Her little nose scrunched. "And... warm..."

Katherine came over and sat on the edge of the bed, her hand immediately going to Maya’s forehead. Still warm. Not worse than before, but still higher than she’d like.

Maya shifted, wriggling her fingers toward her. "Mommy..."

"I’m right here, honey," Katherine murmured, catching her tiny hand and giving it a squeeze. "You just rest, okay?"

Maya blinked a few times, then frowned slightly. "Where’s Nathan...?"

Leonard smiled, leaning closer. "He went to school, sweetheart. He’s being super brave today—going for both of you."

Maya pouted weakly. "But... I wanna go too..."

"I know." Leonard smoothed her hair. "But Nathan said he’ll tell you all about it later. Right now, your job is to get better. Deal?"

"Deal..." Her fingers squeezed his. "Nathan’s... brave..."

Katherine laughed softly, brushing the back of her hand against Maya’s cheek. "Yeah, he is. But so are you, baby girl. Being sick isn’t fun, but you’re handling it like a champ."

Maya hummed but didn’t answer, her eyelids drooping again.

Leonard shifted, adjusting the blanket around her. His movements were careful—almost reverent—as if afraid the smallest wrong touch might disturb her. "You want anything? Water? Your bunny’s here... Should I read a story?"

Maya shook her head weakly. "No... just... stay..."

Leonard’s throat worked as he swallowed. "Okay... I’ll stay right here."

Katherine exhaled slowly, her heart swelling and aching all at once. Watching the two of them like this—the tenderness in Leonard’s touch, the quiet strength in his voice—it brought back a thousand memories of the past.

He hadn’t always been like this. Or maybe... maybe he had. Maybe this part of him was always there, buried under pride, stress, mistakes... and the cracks that had split their marriage apart.

She reached over and gently tucked a loose corner of the blanket under Maya’s chin. "You rest, sweetie. We’re right here."

Maya nodded faintly, and within minutes, her breathing evened out as she drifted back into sleep.

The room settled into a comfortable quiet—the kind that didn’t need words.

Leonard leaned back, sitting on the floor with his knees drawn up, his back resting against the side of the bed. His head tilted back slightly, eyes closing for a moment as if letting himself exhale some tension he hadn’t realized he was holding.

Katherine stayed seated on the edge of the bed, her hands absently stroking Maya’s small fingers. Her gaze drifted to Leonard, studying him quietly.

"You know..." she said after a moment, her voice softer than she expected. "You’ve... surprised me lately."

Leonard opened one eye, glancing up at her. "Yeah?"

She nodded, a small smile tugging at her lips. "In a good way."

Leonard’s lips curved upward—just a little. "Well... it’s about time." He rubbed the back of his neck, sheepish. "Guess I should’ve figured things out a long time ago."

Katherine chuckled under her breath but didn’t respond.

The moment lingered between them—gentle, warm, and maybe... healing.

For the first time in a long time, it didn’t feel tense. It didn’t feel forced.

It just felt... right.