Ariana’s POV

I sat up straight. My hands pressed against the window. "Ares. What are we doing here?" 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

He didn’t answer, just parked the car. He turned off the engine and looked at me. His eyes were soft. "You need to see them. You need to remember why we’re fighting... and I don’t want you getting distracted by either Melissa or Dante."

I stared at him, my heart was pounding. My hands were shaking. "I can’t. I can’t see them or hold them. I can’t see them and not take them home. It will break me."

Ares reached over. He took my hand. "Don’t say that you’re going to be fine now, come. School is letting out soon. You don’t have to talk to them. You don’t have to touch them. Just see them. Just remind yourself why you’re doing this."

I wanted to say no.

I wanted to tell him to drive away.

I wanted to pretend I was strong enough to stay away, but I wasn’t.

I had been away from my children for too long.

Months.

Too many months.

Every day without them felt like a lifetime.

Ares got out of the car and walked around to my side. He opened my door and held out his hand. I took it with my legs shaking.

My whole body was shaking.

He helped me out of the car.

He closed the door behind me.

We walked toward the gate. The school was beautiful.

Ares stopped at the gate. He pointed toward the building. "They’ll be out soon. You can watch from here. They won’t see you if you stay back."

I nodded, but I couldn’t speak. The words were stuck in my throat.

We waited for the door to open.

Children poured out.

Laughing.

Running.

Shouting.

Backpacks bouncing.

Parents waiting.

Cars lining up.

And then I saw them

Asher walked out first. He looked taller and thinner.

His face was harder and older. He wasn’t smiling or laughing. He was just walking. Like he was going through the motions.

Behind him came the twins Isabella and Sophia... They were holding hands.

Then, Leo was walking beside Alan. Alan, my lost son, my found son. He looked healthier than the last time I saw him.

Tears spilled from my eyes; I couldn’t stop them. They poured down my cheeks like rain, hot and heavy.

Unstoppable.

My hand went to my mouth as I tried to hold in the sob.

I couldn’t.

It escaped.

Asher stopped walking.

His head turned, his eyes scanned the crowd, and then his eyes found mine.

He froze. His whole body went stiff, his face changed, looking shocked and angry, and in pain, his eyes locked on mine.

He didn’t move.

He didn’t speak.

He just stared.

Isabella noticed first.

She followed Asher’s eyes.

She saw me.

Her face lit up.

Her mouth opened.

"Mummy!" she screamed. "Mummy! Mummy!"

She started running, her little legs pumping. Her backpack is bouncing. Her arms are reaching for me. Sophia saw me too. She started running as well, both of them racing toward me. Their voices are calling. "Mummy! Mummy! Mummy!"

Asher moved fast and grabbed Isabella’s and Sophia’s arms, pulling them back.

They struggled.

They cried.

They screamed.

"No! Let go! That’s Mummy! Mummy!"

Asher didn’t let go. His face was hard. His jaw was tight.

He looked at me, his eyes were full of something I had never seen before.

Disdain.

Hurt.

"Stop," he said to his sisters. His voice was sharp. "She’s not our Mummy anymore."

Isabella and Sophia were crying. They tried to pull away.

Asher held on tight.

"But that’s her! That’s her! Mummy! Mummy, please! Don’t leave again! Please!"

I wanted to run to them. I wanted to grab them. I wanted to hold them. I wanted to tell them I would never leave again, but I couldn’t. My legs wouldn’t move.

My voice wouldn’t work.

just stood there.

Frozen.

Asher dragged them away towards the car. The black car... the driver was waiting.

He opened the door.

Asher pushed his sisters inside.

He looked back at me one more time.

Then he got in and closed the door. The car drove away.

I watched them go and couldn’t do anything about it.

The sob tore out of me.

Loud.

Ugly.

Unstoppable.

I fell to my knees.

Right there on the sidewalk.

Ares was beside me, his arms around me. His voice in my ear. "I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I thought this would help. I thought"

"It didn’t help," I screamed. "It made it worse. I saw them. I saw my babies, and I couldn’t hold them. I couldn’t touch them. I couldn’t tell them I love them."

Ares held me tighter.

I shook my head. "You didn’t see his eyes. You didn’t see the way he looked at me. Like I was nothing, like I was a stranger, like I was the enemy."

Ares helped me stand.

My legs were weak.

My body was shaking.

He guided me back to the car and helped me inside. He got in the driver’s seat and started the engine.

"I want to go home," I whispered, my voice broken. "Take me home, Ares. Please. I can’t do this anymore."