CHAPTER 5
1060 Words
The Twins Remain
Paul's POV
Later that morning, I watched Ruby and Lia laughing beneath the tree in the hallway from behind the curtain. Like old friends, they were whispering secrets while crouching over a small red ant hill and gently prodding it with a stick. Instead of making me feel warm and fuzzy, it made me feel empty inside.
They were becoming closer. Already. Too quickly.
Furthermore, I wasn't prepared.
I felt the urge to march outside and drag Ruby back inside, away from everything that this circumstance stood for. The quieter, more worn-out part, however, just watched and pondered whether I was the one erecting the actual wall here.
I heard footsteps behind me.
"I expected to find you here," Paul remarked softly.
I didn't respond. His hands were in his pockets as he stood next to me, staring at the two young girls playing as if nothing had broken.
Silently, he said, "I told them they could stay."
My eyes narrowed as I slowly turned to face him. "You *told* them?"
He gave a nod. “Yes. For now, in the guesthouse. They have nowhere else to go, so I wanted to ask.
"Before you invited them here, they were somewhere else."
That was not the same. They were making it through. I want them to live now.
My chest constricted once more as I took a step back from him. "How about us? Should we simply accept this arrangement with a smile, like obedient little puppets?
He remarked, "I don't expect you to smile." However, I do anticipate that you will be the woman I wed. Strong. Understanding. Compassionate.”
I turned away after whispering, "You have high expectations."
Paul did not comply. As though it were all part of some organic plan, he remained there and watched our daughter laugh with one of his twins.
Salma was packing away a basket of folded clothes when I went into the kitchen. When I walked in, she looked up.
I said dryly, "You don't have to act like the maid."
"I wasn't acting," she answered. "Just attempting to assist."
I folded my arms. "You're staying, I heard."
She gave a nod. "I didn't request it. Poul made the offer.
"He did, of course."
She didn't flinch when she looked into my eyes. "I will avoid getting in your way. I'm not here to do any more harm.
I yelled, "You're already in the center of it." Don't deceive yourself, either. You had already done the damage when you brought those girls to my door.
Salma remained silent. She simply had a worn-out appearance. Not arrogant or triumphant. Simply exhausted.
That ought to have made hating her simpler. However, it didn't.
Paul gathered the girls in the living room later that night. Salma watched silently from the corner. I stood with my arms folded by the stairs.
"You'll be here for a while," he said, kneeling down in front of the twins. within the guesthouse. This is also your home.
Lia's eyes glowed. Liana looked uncertainly at Salma.
Ruby gave a clap. “Yay! Can we play every day?
Beside me, Rose sat rigidly, her jaw clenched. She remained silent.
Paul looked at her. "I know this is difficult, Rose—"
"It's not difficult," she remarked acerbically. "It is repulsive."
"Rose," I cautioned.
She got up. "You expect us to pretend nothing happened when you brought strangers into our lives."
Softly, Paul said, "They're your sisters."
“No. "They aren't," she yelled. "You are guilty of them. Not mine.
She rushed upstairs after that.
I trailed after her, softly shutting her room door behind me.
Arms wrapped around her knees, she sat on her bed.
"It's unfair," she uttered, her voice trembling. "Everything is about *them* when she shows up with two children.* Mom, what about us?
I took a seat next to her. "Right now, it's not about fairness. It's about doing the right thing.
"And is Dad's replacement of us appropriate?"
I said, "He's not replacing anyone," even though my voice sounded weak.
Rose snorted. "You still have feelings for him?"
My heart ached as I gazed at her. "I'm not sure how I feel at the moment. However, I am aware that I will always love *you.*
I heard Ruby and the twins laughing again downstairs. The sound made me feel twisted because none of it was their fault.
However, the pain persisted.
I stayed in the guest room once more that evening. Poul didn't stop by to see how I was doing. I wasn't sure if that made me feel better or worse.
When I opened the curtain the following morning, I saw Salma escorting the twins to the school bus that Paul had set up for them. As though they were already a part of the routine, the driver greeted them.
It was all happening so quickly.
Too quickly.
Paul was reading on the bench in the garden when I entered it in the afternoon. I didn't leave for once.
"You made the choice," I said coolly.
He gave a nod. “I did.”
"And if this doesn't work, what then?"
He raised his head. Then I will continue to try. Until it does.
"Are you really that certain?"
He gave me a direct glance. “Yes. Because even though it begins with pain, I think healing is possible.
I took a seat next to him. We sat quietly for a while while the wind blew softly around us.
"The twins want to visit their grandparents," he added. They have never before had a real family. I want them to feel like they belong.
Startled, I turned to face him. "Are you bringing them to visit your parents?"
“Yes. I would like to take us all.
"*All* of us?"
He gave a nod. "You are included in that. Salma. Rose. Ruby. The twins. Every one of us.
I blinked. "You want to go on a family vacation with your wife and your ex-partner?"
"Only a visit," he clarified. "A move in the direction of unity."
"What if I decline?"
He gave me a soft glance. "Then I'll leave you behind."
*Now that Poul has boldly offered to bring the entire family back together,
Nadia has to decide whether to stand her ground or watch her family grow stronger without her.
- Writer
