Maybe Someday (English)

We were okay… until one day, we weren’t. It’s been years, and now I can finally say that I’ve already moved on. Seven years in Boston with my sons taught me so many things. I’m still the same Nikita—playful, talkative, and a little chaotic. I never really changed. I just started seeing life differently. Especially now that my world revolves around my three sons. Our sons. They’re all I have, and honestly, they’re all I need. Our return to the Philippines happened so suddenly, and I already knew the triplets hated the idea. They only came because they had no choice. Not because they hated the country, but because they hated the thought of seeing their father again. And truthfully? I wasn’t ready for that either. I didn’t know what my sons were capable of doing once they saw him again. They were older now—fifteen, mature enough to understand everything we tried to hide from them years ago. Back then, they were too young to understand why their parents separated. Now, they understood too much. “Oh my! I have a bad feeling about this!” I ignored Sam and kept running beside her toward the café we had just left earlier. Rhys told us he was only going to buy something, but something about it didn’t sit right with me. A mother’s instinct never lies. If Sam was nervous, then what more for me? My heart felt like it was about to burst out of my chest from fear. Because I knew my kids. And I knew how much pain they still carried. When I saw Rocco and Rush wiping away their tears, my chest tightened painfully. I knew exactly what they were feeling even without them saying a word. They were my children. Of course it hurts. Imagine seeing your father with the woman he chose over your family. I wasn’t hurting because I still loved Rome. I was hurting for my children. Even after all these years, they still carried the anger, the hatred, and the trauma of what happened to our family. And now that they were older, the resentment had only gotten worse. “Rhys is the bravest out of the three! He might actually kill his father!” My eyes widened the moment I saw Rhys and Rome outside the café. Rhys had his father tightly by the collar. Even at fifteen, he was almost as tall as Rome. “Rhys! Stop it!” I shouted while crossing the street. Good thing there were no cars passing by because Sam and I ran straight toward them. I quickly stood between the two, but Rhys didn’t loosen his grip at all. “Rhys, let him go,” I scolded, trying to pull him away from Rome. I am scared, honestly. “Let him, Nikita.” I shut my eyes tightly the moment I heard Rome’s voice. I turned to him immediately. Why was he allowing this? There were so many people watching. It was embarrassing! And where was Irish? Their children? But Rome just stood there, staring at our son. Then my chest tightened when I noticed the look on his face. He looked like he was about to cry. He might looked scary, but deep inside, I know his heart is aching. “Are you insane—” I wasn’t able to finish because Rhys suddenly spoke. “H-How dare you, Rome Donovan?” His voice shook with anger. “You seriously have the nerve to show your face in front of us again? And you even brought your woman with you?” “Rhysander!” I pleaded. “This meeting was unexpected, okay? Please, let go of your dad. He’s still your father! Respect him!” My eyes burned with tears because of how my son was acting. I knew he hated Rome, but I never thought it would reach this point. He was so straightforward. Then I noticed the blood on Rome’s lip. Rhys must’ve punched him earlier… and Rome just let him. “You’re defending this asshole, Ma?” Rhys snapped at me before turning back to his father. “Do you even realize how much pain and trauma he caused you? Us? He left us. He hurt you. He chose another woman and abandoned us while we suffered!” I wanted to scream at Rome to stop our son. But he didn’t say anything. He just stood there and took it. I could never read Rome. And somehow, after all these years, he was still impossible to understand. I shut my eyes tightly and grabbed Rhys’ hands that were still clenched against Rome’s shirt. Tears finally fell down my cheeks. “R-Rhys, baby… let him go. S-Stop this already. Let’s just go home before your brothers get worried. Let… Letme remind you that he’s still your father—” “I hate you.” Rhys ignored me completely. He stared directly at Rome with eyes full of hatred. “Hate is an understatement, Rome,” he said coldly. “I would never let you enter our lives again.” Then he roughly let go of him. I saw the tears falling from my son’s eyes before he immediately wiped them away, and it felt like someone stabbed me straight in the chest. Rhys called for Sam before pulling me away from the scene. I glanced back once and saw Rome still standing there, frozen in place. The moment we got far enough, I pulled my arm away from Rhys and hit his chest several times. “Nikita… stop,” Sam whispered sadly. “I-I didn’t raise you to be disrespectful, Rhysander!” I cried. “How could you do that to your father? In front of so many people? In front of his family? What will people say about you? About me? You could’ve talked to him properly instead of doing something like this! You even hurt him!” I stopped for a moment just to catch my breath and wipe away my tears. “No matter what happens, Rome is still your father! Even if the world turns upside down, that will never change! What happened between us was years ago. I don’t care about it anymore. I already moved on. But you have no right to hurt him because he’s still your dad! Get that inside your head!” Rhys stared at me, hurt flashing across his face. “But he had every right to hurt us? Is that how it works, Ma?” My lips parted after hearing that. Then my eyes widened as tears continuously streamed down all three of their faces. The last time I saw Rhysander cry like this was seven years ago. He was still young back then. It was the same day I told them we were leaving the Philippines. “Years have passed, but why does it still hurt so much, Ma?” Rhys whispered brokenly. “It’s been so long, but the pain he caused us is still here. We grew up carrying it in our hearts because that man fooled you.” His voice cracked. “So please understand why I acted like this…”