THE CEO'S RUNAWAY BRIDE

3. MOTHER OF TWO

3. MOTHER OF TWO

Rosa was in panic mode. From the moment that Matteo called her, she knew that the secret she took pain to keep would be exposed. When Rosa left the US for Norway, she didn't know she was pregnant. If she had found out just when she moved to this new city. After she left her wedding, she went on to Bianca's aunt's place. Queen was very accommodating, and Rosa enjoyed her time there. She couldn't stay on her goodness forever, though. Rosa left after three weeks when she was able to access her funds, and she booked a flight to Norway, ready to begin a new life. Her father had always believed in financial independence. He made sure that all of his children had money of their own. Rosa was sure that he would regret that when she left. If not for the funds that her father always deposited in her account, she wouldn't have been able to leave the country.

Rosa was in touch with Bianca all through. She told her that things were chaotic and that Sebastian was angry. He was jilted on his wedding day. It would be surprising if he didn't act as though he was angry. Rosa was convinced that it was all an act, though. He would be happy since he would finally be able to spend some time with Eloise. He could even marry her.

Rosa convinced herself that she was doing the right thing up until she got to Norway, got an apartment, began a whole new life, and then she found out that she was pregnant.

It was already three months after her wedding, and she was far gone before she even realized. She didn't think she would be pregnant. Rosa only had s*x once in her life, and it was with Sebastian, the man that she ran away from. She loved him them. If Rosa was being truthful with herself, she still loved him. But when she had s*x with Sebastian, he was the one she would get married to. She had no idea that he was in love with someone else. Rosa had felt then that a happily ever after was a chance for her. She had no idea that she was so wrong.

She didn't know what to do when she found out that she was pregnant. It was almost like her whole life was crashing down in front of her. Her friend and flatmate, Astrid, was the source of her strength throughout that period. Astrid was looking for a flatmate as her rent had expired, and she didn't like the neighborhood anymore. Rosa felt quite lonely when she first came to Norway and she needed a friend. She started to search for a flatmate then. Astrid moved in, and they became closer than sisters. This was before Rosa found out that she was pregnant. Astrid held her hand when she was scared and came with her to the doctor. They cried together when she found out that she was having twins.

Astrid was the one in the delivery room with Rosa when she gave birth to her children. She had a boy and a girl. She named them Daphne Sophia Kanatas and Damien Leonardo Kanatas. Rosa wanted them to have a part of their father, so she listed Sebastian as the father and gave them his surname. She just hoped that he would never find out about them.

He was already happy, Rosa was sure about that, she couldn't just come back into the life that she walked out of not so long ago. There were times that Rosa missed home and then thought that she should have.

After the birth of her children, Rosa decided to go to culinary school. Astrid was the one who influenced her. She was a wonderful cook and had gone to culinary school herself. After her graduation, they opened a restaurant together. Rosa had employed the help of her parents to fund the restaurant, or at least what she needed to start. They were on talking terms now, but Rosa didn't tell them about her children. She wasn't ready yet. So she ran the restaurant with Astrid, Daphne, and Damien by her side.

When Matteo called her, she was on her day off, and she was spending some time alone. It didn't occur to Rosa until Matteo was in the house that he would see the twins, and he would figure out what she was hiding.

Immediately, Rosa began to panic. Her brother saw through her that was obvious. One minute, she was bringing a glass of juice. The next minute, he was looking at the pictures of her babies.

Rosa started to think of ways that she could let him know. She had to tell him, either that or she would drive him out of her house before he could even think of finding about the kids. Rosa was still thinking about ways to drive Matteo out of her house when Damien burst into the house, Daphne was fast behind him, and Astrid smiled at her.

"They couldn't wait to see you." Rosa was still in shock, it was difficult to process anything.

"Mama!" Her children shouted, and Rosa instinctively stood up and hugged them hard as they hugged her.

"Mama?" Matteo asked, and Rosa chuckled dryly at her brother. The children looked very much like Sebastian. It wouldn't take Matteo five minutes to figure out the father of her children.

"Matteo, my children Daphne Sophia and Damien Leonardo," Rosa said with a smile.

"Children, this is your uncle, Uncle Matteo." Her two children looked to Matteo in wonder. They didn't have uncles, aunts, cousins, or any extended family here in Norway. So they would love him.

"Uncle Matteo," Daphne said and held Matteo's hands. Rosa could see her brother's eyes water.

"Daphne, you are so pretty, you look like your Mama," Matteo said, and Daphne giggled.

"My Mama is pretty," her daughter said in a manner of speaking facts, and Rosa smiled.

Matteo turned to Damien, who seemed to be cautious of Matteo, looking at him. Damien looked more like Sebastian than Daphne, though they both looked alike. Damien's resemblance to his father was more apparent since he was a boy.

Matteo stared at Damien, his expression getting more serious, and then he turned to Rosa, who looked away. Her brother looked angry. Of course, he should be. She had two children for his friend and didn't let him know. It was crazy.

"How are you doing, Damien?" Matteo asked, bringing out his hands for a shake.

"I am fine," Damien said and hit his hand hard. At least as hard as a four-year-old could. Matteo raised a Rosa smiled.

"Astrid, come meet my brother," Rosa said, calling Astrid, who had been standing by the sides. She most probably didn't want to disrupt the family reunion.

Rosa could see the smile on her brother's face as she called Astrid closer.

"Matteo, this is my very close friend, Astrid. She is like my sister," Rosa said with a smile: Astrid, a slim and tall lady with light blonde hair and blue eyes.

"Astrid, this is my big brother, Matteo," Rosa said. If not that Rosa knew Matteo to be the big scary man that he was, she might have mistook him to be something or someone different. He seemed so calm and gentlemanly when he held Astrid's hand and kissed her fingers.

"Your name is beautiful, just like you are." Rosa just gushed as she saw her friend blush.

"Thank you, you are quite the charmer," Astrid said. She wasn't one for too much talk, and she wasn't one easily charmed. She looked different with Rosa's brother, though.

"I don't think of myself as a charmer, but someone like you is meant to be charmed. When you see beauty, appreciate it." Astrid laughed at that. Rosa had to admit that her brother was very good.

"Is this why you left?" Matteo asked later when they were alone. He played with the kids for a while and even flirted with Astrid, until Astrid had to go back to the restaurant. The kids were also asleep.

"What do you mean?" Rosa asked. She avoided conversation for as long as she could, yet she couldn't avoid talking to Matteo forever.

"I mean the children. You have two children Rosa. Twins. Were you pregnant at the wedding? Is that why you left? Why didn't you tell anyone? Why haven't you told anyone for the past five years?" Matteo shouted. He was clearly angry. Rosa understood that, but she also got that he didn't know the children were Sebastian's.

"I understand Rosa, you were young, and you just had to marry Seb for the business and all, and you loved someone else, you were carrying his child. But you should have told us, you should have told Mom or at least Lily, somebody," Matteo continued. Rosa just shook her head.

"That's not it Matteo. I wasn't in love with someone else," Rosa said.

"You weren't? Then the children...." Matteo wandered off in his words.

"Oh, you don't mean?" He asked in surprise. He was on his feet now. Rosa thought she could die from the nerves racking her stomach.

"Oh. f**k. Did you even tell him?" Matteo asked with a shout and Rosa only managed to hold back tears.