My Billionaire Ex Beg For A Second Chance-Chapter 153: A Name She Won’t Say

The clinking of spoons against ceramic filled the air, punctuated by the soft giggles of Maya and Nathan as they sat across from Leonard at the dining table. The morning light streamed through the small kitchen window, brushing soft gold along the edges of their faces and making Maya’s ponytail shine like silk.

Leonard stirred his coffee slowly, not because it needed stirring, but because his mind wandered elsewhere—back to the night before.

Katherine had been in a mood. That much was obvious. She hadn’t raised her voice or said anything rude, but the forced smile, the clipped tone, and the way she closed the door on his face without even a proper good night—it all sat heavy in his chest now.

Maybe I should’ve left after dropping off the food, he thought. She looked like she didn’t want me there at all.

Still, she hadn’t turned him away. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

And now here he was, sitting with the twins while Katherine moved quietly around the kitchen behind them.

"So what happened at school yesterday?" Leonard asked, putting on his best version of a casual grin as he leaned in, forearms on the table.

Nathan’s eyes lit up. "We had a class competition! We had to build the tallest tower out of blocks."

"We won," Maya added, puffing her chest proudly. "Mine was wobbly though, so I held it up with my hand."

Leonard chuckled. "That sounds like smart engineering to me."

"Miss Clara said it was cheating," Nathan mumbled, wrinkling his nose. "But we still got points!"

The conversation drifted from towers to snack time, to who tripped over whose backpack. Then Nathan mentioned, "Oh! We went to the mall too! After school."

"Yeah," Maya added brightly. "To find a birthday present for Julio."

Leonard raised a brow. "Oh? What’d you get him then?"

"A robot!" Maya beamed. "He loves robots, and now his robot family can be complete."

Nathan, ever the serious one, chimed in. "I picked a book. Julio needs to read more. Everyone does."

Leonard smiled as he sipped his coffee. "Thoughtful choices."

Then Maya leaned forward, lowering her voice like she was sharing a national secret. "What did you get him?"

Leonard blinked. "Me?"

"Yeah!" Nathan’s eyes narrowed, smiling in suspicion. "We told you ours. You have to tell us yours."

Leonard tapped his chin dramatically. "Hmm. I think I’ll keep it a secret for now."

"Aw! Come on!" both twins whined in unison.

"I promise you’ll know soon," Leonard said with a wink. "But besides finding a gift... what else did you all do at the mall?"

That was when Maya’s face changed slightly. Her lips twisted, eyes scrunching as she looked at Nathan for support.

"We saw someone," she said cautiously.

Nathan nodded solemnly. "A mean lady."

"She was scary," Maya added, now playing with her spoon. "She yelled at Jazz. And at us too. She said Jazz wasn’t watching where she was going."

Leonard’s playful mood instantly dimmed. His gaze sharpened subtly, though he kept his tone even. "Really?"

"Yeah," Nathan said. "She was really mean. Even when Jazz said sorry."

Leonard glanced toward the kitchen. Katherine was rinsing something in the sink, her back straight and stiff. The moment she turned to grab a dish towel, their eyes met.

Just for a second.

Then she quickly looked away.

Maya fiddled with her fingers. "But Mommy knew her."

Leonard leaned back slightly. "She did?"

Nathan squinted, trying to remember. "Her name is... Rina?"

"No," Maya corrected. "Rida?"

"Bada?" Nathan guessed, making Maya laugh.

Leonard couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle, but his mind was spinning. He had a hunch. Only one name lingered at the tip of his thoughts—a name he hoped never to hear again in the same sentence as Katherine or the twins.

But before he could ask, Katherine suddenly appeared beside them, balancing plates in both hands.

"Alright, enough gossiping," she said lightly but firmly. "Let’s eat. Your food’s getting cold."

"Okay!" the twins chirped, immediately digging into the breakfast.

Leonard watched her with quiet focus. Her smile was practiced. It reached her lips, but not her eyes. She moved quickly, sitting across from them without making much noise. She didn’t look up once.

As they ate, the tension seemed to ease from the kids—but not from Katherine.

Then Nathan, ever the curious one, piped up again, chewing his eggs.

"Mom, what was her name?"

Katherine didn’t look up from her toast.

"Nathan, let’s finish breakfast, okay? We don’t want to be late."

"But I just—"

"Nathan."

Her tone wasn’t harsh, but it was final.

The little boy frowned but nodded, stuffing another bite into his mouth without further question.

Leonard lowered his fork and glanced sideways at her. She wasn’t eating. Just slowly tearing her toast into small pieces on her plate.

Deflecting.

He knew it. Saw it clearly.

And it wasn’t just about some random stranger at the mall. The way she shut down that question. The way she couldn’t meet his eyes.

Miranda, Leonard thought grimly. It has to be her.

His chest tightened.

Was that why Katherine was so off yesterday? And today too?

He remembered all too well the damage Miranda had caused, the scars she left—not just on him, but on Katherine too. And even now, the woman had a way of slithering back into their lives, stirring up just enough chaos to leave a mess behind.

The twins were laughing now about something Maya said, but Leonard barely heard them.

He leaned back in his chair, eyes fixed subtly on Katherine as she got up again to fetch juice from the fridge.

She was hiding something.

Or maybe just trying to protect the twins from it.

But Leonard knew her well enough to recognize when she was choosing silence over honesty—and not because she didn’t trust him.

But because she didn’t want to reopen an old wound.

Still..., Leonard thought as he glanced toward her again, it’s a wound that’s clearly not healed.