My Billionaire Ex Beg For A Second Chance-Chapter 61: The Words Left Unsaid

The night had settled comfortably, but a certain hush had come over the place as families slowly filtered out, arms full of prizes and children sleepily trailing behind.

Felix, Katherine, and the twins had found a quiet bench tucked near a fountain, away from the bustling main paths. The bench was long but cluttered—their many shopping bags acting as a buffer between the two adults. Nathan and Maya sat between them, swinging their legs as they sipped the last of their slushies, cheeks flushed from a long day of fun.

Katherine leaned back slightly, her hand resting on Maya’s back while she absentmindedly scanned the crowd. Felix sat at the other end, legs slightly parted, elbows on his knees, fingers loosely interlocked. He stared at the fountain, water softly trickling down the stone tiers, his jaw relaxed but unreadable.

Then, Nathan wriggled a little and stood up, brushing his hands on his shorts. "Mom," he said, turning to Katherine. "I need to go to the toilet."

Maya perked up immediately. "Me too!"

Katherine straightened. "Alright, I’ll come with—"

"No, it’s okay," Nathan said quickly, waving a hand. "It’s right there." He pointed toward a small public restroom just across the path. It was close enough that the light above its entrance glowed plainly from where they sat.

Katherine hesitated, her gaze tracking the distance. Indeed, it wasn’t far. She could see the door clearly from here, and even the people milling around the vending machines nearby.

"Alright," she said carefully, "but stay together. Wait for each other once you’re done."

"Okay!" they said in unison, then dashed off hand-in-hand, their small sneakers pattering quickly over the pavement.

Katherine watched them until they disappeared behind the restroom door. Then, silence returned.

She leaned back into the bench again, folding her hands on her lap. The shopping bags between her and Felix were ridiculous—three bags with cartoon characters, one with an oversized teddy bear, and another with light-up swords poking out of the top. It all formed a makeshift wall that neither of them had the heart to move.

The silence stretched.

Katherine tilted her head slightly and glanced sideways at Felix.

He wasn’t looking at her. Instead, he stared down at the ground, brows faintly furrowed, the corner of his mouth twitching every now and then like he was deep in thought. The glow from the streetlamp made his profile look sharp yet somehow distant, like he wasn’t really sitting next to her but somewhere else entirely.

If someone had seen us in that gondola, Katherine thought, they would say Felix was about to confess. Or maybe they’d say I was waiting for it...

She let out a soft breath, her fingers nervously fidgeting with the hem of her sleeve. Why am I thinking like this? Why am I hoping he says something more?

She didn’t have a ready answer for that.

But still, she asked.

"Felix..." she began softly, almost unsure.

He blinked and turned toward her instantly, as though he’d been pulled from a spiral of thoughts.

"Hmm?"

"Earlier," she said, not meeting his gaze, "in the Ferris wheel... you didn’t finish what you were going to say."

Felix stared at her for a beat longer than necessary.

Then he leaned back on the bench, one arm stretching out along the backrest behind the bags, legs now crossed at the ankle. "Ah, yes," he muttered dryly. "The damn Ferris wheel had the audacity to interrupt the moment."

Katherine chuckled softly, though her chest felt strangely tight.

Felix glanced at her sidelong, a flicker of seriousness in his voice now. "But... maybe it was for the better."

She turned to him, brows slightly furrowed. "Why?"

Felix shifted slightly, his expression softening. "Because I realized something in that moment. What I wanted to say to you... it’s not something that should be said in a place like that."

Katherine blinked, surprised. "Why not?"

He gave a small, almost rueful smile. "Because you deserve more than a rushed confession in a creaking gondola with stuffed toys piled at your feet."

Her lips parted slightly, but no words came.

He looked down, letting his hands fall into his lap. "And I need to say it properly. Not just... let it slip between distractions."

I knew it, she thought, heart hammering in a rhythm that felt too loud in the hush between them. I was right.

Felix shifted beside her, still not looking up. A breath hitched in her chest before she caught it, strangled it, and pressed it down. She pressed her lips together, fighting the twitch at the corners. Don’t smile.

Her mouth trembled anyway. God, he admitted it.

The silence that followed wasn’t heavy—it was warm.

But it lasted only a second.

"M-Mommy!"

Katherine jolted, turning toward the sudden voice. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Maya was running toward them—alone. Tears streaked her cheeks, and her arms flailed slightly as she rushed forward in uneven steps.

Katherine immediately stood up. "Maya?"

The little girl reached her mother and collapsed into her arms, sobbing.

Felix stood too, eyes scanning the surrounding crowd with alarm, darting glances. "Did someone hurt you?"

But Maya only buried her face deeper into her mother’s shoulder as Katherine crouched beside her, her sobs shaking her small frame. Whatever had happened, the words were still stuck somewhere deep in her throat.

Katherine gently pulled Maya’s face back. "Hey, hey, what happened? Why are you crying?" Her heart pounded. "Where’s Nathan?"

Maya hiccupped, sniffling, her lower lip trembling. Her voice was small and cracked.

"I don’t know, Mommy..."

Katherine froze. "What do you mean you don’t know, sweetie?"

Felix had already stepped out toward the path, his sharp eyes scanning the area near the restrooms. He looked back at Katherine, voice low but urgent. "I’ll check over there."

Katherine nodded, holding Maya tighter as panic slowly crept into her chest like icy fingers. Her eyes darted toward the restroom building. Her gaze couldn’t find the familiar messy brown head of her son.

"Maya," she said softly, brushing the little girl’s hair back. "Tell Mommy what happened, okay? Slowly. What do you mean you don’t know where Nathan is? He was with you earlier, right?"

"He’s gone, Mommy. Nathan’s gone..."