Chapter Nine: Tangled Threads
1543 Words
When Desire got home, Snow and Shine were waiting beside their grandparents, faces red, eyes misty. The moment they saw her, they shot up and started crying in unison—loud, attention-seeking wails that would’ve worried anyone else.
Desire, however, was unfazed. Without rushing to their theatrics, she greeted her parents first. “Good evening, Mum. Dad.”
Only after that did she crouch to their level. “You know what? You two, follow me. Let’s go to your room and settle this.” She gave her parents a polite nod and guided her children out.
“She’s doing a good job,” Samuel said, watching his daughter leave the room.
“She still needs to find a man to make her complete,” Nina added, not even looking up from her knitting.
Samuel, knowing too well how Nina could spiral into unsolicited opinions, sighed and quietly stood up, heading for the garden.
In the twins' room, Desire folded her arms as she looked between her children. “Snow, why did you score low on your classwork?”
“I didn’t score low,” Snow corrected, slightly offended. “I got two wrong. He passed everything. That’s all.”
"so why did you Smash his iPad?" Desire asked looking furiously at the both of them
"but, it was a mistake." Snow said remorseful
Desire nodded
Desire turned to Shine, who stood quietly, eyes to the floor.
“And you smashed his iPad, Shine?”
He gave a sheepish nod.
Desire exhaled, rubbing her temple. “Okay. Whether a mistake or not, no iPads for either of you till further notice. And now—you apologize to each other.”
“I’m sorry, Shine,” Snow said softly.
“I’m sorry, Snow,” Shine echoed.
The two hugged.
Desire knelt down to their level again. “You both need to learn to talk first. Don’t take things into your own hands. See? Now you’re both at a loss.”
As they turned to leave, Snow paused at the door. “Mummy, what if Uncle Nate gets us a new iPad?”
Desire raised an eyebrow. “And why would Uncle Nate get you a new iPad without my permission?”
Snow looked down, lips pursed, and followed her brother out without another word.
Later that night, after putting the twins to bed and settling into her night routine, Desire stood in front of her vanity mirror, dabbing on moisturizer when her mother walked in.
“Hey, Mum,” she said, catching Nina’s reflection in the mirror.
“How was your date?” Nina asked with her usual bluntness.
Desire turned to face her. “It wasn’t a date. It was just a dinner. A thank-you meal.”
Nina stepped closer, gently placing her hands on her daughter's shoulders. “Oh, my child. I just want you to have a complete family.”
Desire softened. “Mum, if I ever meet someone who truly accepts my twins without hesitation, I won’t think twice. I promise.”
Shortly after Nina left the room, her phone buzzed—Nate calling.
“What did you do to my boss?” Nate said before she could greet him.
Desire frowned. “Nothing.”
“He’s been in a weirdly good mood since he got back. You sure you didn’t slip something in his drink?” he teased.
Desire was quiet, but her expression gave her away.
“Wait... what did I do?” Nate asked, growing more serious.
“You already knew I was going to dinner with your boss?”
Nate chuckled nervously. “Yeah… something like that"
Desire leaned against her dresser. “And the resemblance?”
There was a long pause before Nate admitted, “I saw it the first day , seeing him after a long time
Nate spoke faintly more like a whisper. “So, what if he really is their father? What would you do?”
Desire hesitated. “Honestly? I don’t know.”
Desire ended the call, her thoughts spiraling.
The next few days were a blur.
Desire couldn’t breathe at work without Miles causing a scene. His behavior had shifted from annoying to borderline obsessive.
He showed up at her desk multiple times a day under flimsy pretenses.
“Where are the finalized mockups?” he demanded one morning, though he knew they weren’t due till the next day.
“They’re with the design team. You know that,” she answered calmly.
“You always have an answer, don’t you?” Miles sneered, lingering longer than necessary.
He’d “accidentally” show up in the company cafeteria just as she was finishing her lunch. Once, she saw him outside the daycare where the twins stayed, claiming he was “in the area.”
He even parked next to her at a supermarket two neighborhoods away from their office.
Every time she confronted him, he’d smile and say, “Relax. I’m just being friendly.”
But his eyes said otherwise.
The final straw came when she opened her locker at work to find a small bouquet with a note that read: “We’d make a perfect family. Don’t fight it.” She immediately tore the note apart and flushed the petals down the breakroom sink.
She didn’t report him—yet. She needed to know who she could trust. And strangely, her mind drifted back to Rylo.
The way he looked at her at dinner, the way he’d pulled out her chair and listened.
Could he really be…?
She pushed the thought away. There were more pressing matters now.
And Miles, Miles was becoming a problem she could no longer ignore.
Getting home that evening, Desire was mentally exhausted. Two whole months had passed since that dinner with Rylo — and not even a text. Nothing. Just silence. Nate had come home for a break after being away for two months, and while he had seamlessly slipped back into his role as the boys’ favorite uncle, Rylo had vanished like a passing storm that left her wondering if it ever really rained.
The sound of loud giggles and dramatic sound effects echoed down the hallway as she opened the door. She paused, one brow raised, then smiled before even stepping fully in.
"KA-POW! Super Uncle Nate strikes again!" Nate’s voice rang out, followed by a suspiciously exaggerated sound of someone being dramatically tackled.
Desire walked in just in time to see Snow clinging to Nate's back with a kitchen strainer as a "shield," while Shine, with a towel tied around his neck like a cape, was crawling under the coffee table yelling, "Nate the Giant! You can’t catch me, I have invisibility powers!"
“You better run, Shine! I have the sock of doom!” Nate threatened, wielding a rolled-up pair of socks like a weapon. The twins shrieked with laughter.
Desire folded her arms, pretending to be stern as she leaned against the doorframe. "What exactly is going on in here, and why is my living room a war zone?"
"mummy!" Snow called, still riding piggyback on Nate. “We’re defeating evil ninjas!”
“Yeah!” Shine added. “Uncle Nate says they stole our treasure, and we’re fighting them to get it back!”
Desire arched a brow. “Evil Ninjas?”
Nate gave a mock-salute. “Don’t worry, Captain Mommy, your brave soldiers are on it.”
Before she could roll her eyes, both boys shouted, “Mummy, help us! The Ninjas have reinforcements!”
Before she knew it, Snow handed her a plush toy and said, “Use this to shield us! It’s magic!”
Desire laughed, her stress loosening as Shine tied a spare cape around her neck and Nate declared her “Commander Mama D.”
Together, the four of them spent nearly an hour battling imaginary Ninjas, leaping across couches, launching pillows, and defending the realm of house from the evil overlords of the enemies.
With Samuel and Nina gone for a party that evening, the house was quiet of adult commentary and free for chaos. It was the kind of silly, joyful noise that made the walls feel alive.
Eventually, they collapsed in a pile on the living room rug, catching their breath, the twins giggling in the soft afterglow of play.
“Okay, okay,” Nate panted, lying flat like a tired warrior. “I surrender. Ninja's win. My back is officially broken.”
“You’re weak, Uncle Nate,” Shine teased, poking him with a spoon.
Desire chuckled, brushing hair off Snow’s face. “This… this is exactly what I needed.”
Nate turned his head to look at her, his smile softening. “You’ve been carrying a lot lately. I'm glad you joined the rebellion tonight.”
She smiled at him — really smiled — for the first time in days. “Thanks for being home, Nate.”
He shrugged. “Always. Besides, someone has to train the future worlds defenders.”
They all burst into laughter again.
But as she tucked the twins into bed later that night, and as silence fell once more over the house, Desire couldn’t stop her mind from drifting back to Rylo’s face — quiet, unreadable. Absent.
Still... tonight, she'd let her heart rest.
- Writer
