Leap OF Fate

As their car entered his Villa, Serene felt a tug in her heart. This place contained some of her happiest and her most painful memories. She clutched Pax closer to her chest and looked at the sleeping Felicity in Justin's arms. She looked so peaceful and at home in his arms.

Jane, Justin's helper, could not hide her surprise at the sight of Serene. Her eyes were as wide as her open jaws. It's been years since she last saw Serene. And it was when Justin ordered her to send Serene away. It broke her heart to see her pitiful condition then. But she was a mere helper, and her master forbade her to help Serene.

"Ma-Madam!" Jane could not help but cry at the sight of her. Her smile almost reached her ears.

"Jane, good evening," Serene said, smiling at Justin's helper.

Serene followed Justin to the second floor. Her steps faltered when she realized he's headed to the master's bedroom and not to one of the guest rooms. Justin felt her steps falter, so he turned around to look at her. "What's up, Serene?" "Um, can we stay in one of the guest rooms?"

"No." he said and strode forward to open his room. Serene sighed and followed him, clutching Pax closer.

Justin placed Felicity in the center of the bed and watched her sleep. Serene went to the opposite side of the bed and placed Pax beside his sister.

Pax stirred and cried in his sleep when he did not feel his mother beside him. Serene patted his leg and hummed a lullaby, but it did not do its usual trick. She had no choice but to lie beside him. When Pax felt her warmth, his tiny hand looked for her breast and latched on to it.

Justin could not help but frown. "He's already so big, why is he still feeding on you?"

"He does it at night to fall asleep. He's been through a lot of stress. This is his way of making sure I won't leave him," she explained.

Justin nodded and turned around to answer his phone. His brows knit and his face was gloomy when he finished his phone call. "I'll head out to the police station. They caught the kidnappers, and I'd like to talk to them."

He was out the door before Serene could even respond. She wanted to know the people behind her children's kidnapping. They tainted the twins' childhood with trauma. Felicity stirred beside her, muttering something inaudible, her voice registered fear. Serene stroked her daughter's hair to soothe her.

She did not know when she'd fallen asleep. It could be because of the tension she had in the past day that it did not take long before her eyes grew heavy. Justin arrived close to midnight and the sight before him evoked a warm feeling inside him.

His room has a spacious bed, but the three people who sleep there huddled together on one side. Serene lay in the middle, and on her either side were their children. Pax slept on Serene's chest while Felicity slept on her side, her head resting on Serene's extended arm. He slipped on the bed and watched the three as they slept. For the first time in five years, he slept without taking sleeping pills.

Serene felt a throbbing pain in her head when she heard her alarm. With her eyes closed, she felt for the mobile phone. Her eyes shot wide open when her hand closed to a large palm.

Justin, with his eyes still closed, took the noisy mobile phone and turned off the alarm.

While Serene's sluggish morning brain still processed the situation, her daughter's soft sleepy voice pointed out the obvious. "Mom, why is Uncle Chester sleeping with us?" Her innocent eyes shifted from her and Justin.

Her face flushed from the awkwardness, her mouth opened and closed, but she could not find her voice.

"I'm not Uncle Chester, dear. My name is Justin and I am your Dad," Justin casually explained to Serene's horror.

Pax, who was laying still on her chest, stirred and looked up to Serene with his wide questioning eyes. He got up from her chest to look at her mother better and asked, "Mom, we have a dad?"

He could not believe what he heard. For the longest time, Serene had told them they did not have a dad and only had her. Hearing Justin say that he's their father made his young brain want to explode from excitement. "Well, um..." Serene started. She swallowed hard. How come simple and innocent questions like these are the toughest to answer? She glared at Justin. How dare he put her in such a tight spot!

"Yeah, Mom. We have a dad? Like Kenny? Kenny has two, right Pax?" Felicity asked, putting her in a tighter spot.

"Well, we all have dads. Remember the video we watched about where babies come from?" she answered, feeling relieved when her children nodded their heads. "Who's up for breakfast?"

The three bounced and scrambled

out of the bed and out of the room quicker than Justin. He remained staring at the spot they occupied He felt disappointed with her answer, but more so knowing that his children grew up accepting the fact that they were fatherless

He followed them to the kitchen where Serene prepared breakfast. He missed seeing her working in the kitchen. He wanted to hug her from behind and nuzzle on her neck like he always did, but he knew that if he did, he'd scare her away. That's the

last thing he wanted to the

He

wanted to have her and the children

in his life.

After a while, she and Jane came out of the kitchen with plates of food. Sunny side up eggs and fruit for Felicity, while Pax had scrambled eggs and toast. Jane gave him his coffee and a plate with bacon, eggs, and toasts. "By the way, how did the police get involved with the case? Didn't they say don't contact the police?" she asked.

"I had a device stashed with the money to track its location. When Joseph confirmed the children are safe, I tipped them off to the police."

"I see." she nodded then switched her attention to wiping her children's mouth. "So, who's behind it?"

"Crystal."

"Crystal? You're kidding me, right? In case you don't know, your fiancée committed suicide a week ago," she spat, brows hitched. Can't he be more creative?

"I know. But that's what they confessed. She hired them even before her scandal but backed out days before she took her life. But then, these two men wanted to earn more money, so they carried out the plan on their own." "Why would Crystal want to harm my children?"

Serene felt sad because she treated Crystal as her friend. She consoled her when the world bashed her, only to find out later that she harbored ill thoughts for her children.

"What puzzled me is how did they know you stayed in that hotel?" Justin asked.

Serene thought for a while and said, "Crystal and I met a few times in the hotel after her scandal broke out. I guess she assumed that I'm staying there."

"Why would you meet up with her?" Justin's brows knit as he looked at her.

Serene subconsciously touched her left wrist before answering his question. "I empathize with Crystal. Depression sucks. After going through myself, I know how

difficult it is to fight to live every net

single day, and how easy it is to choose to give up life. As much as possible, I don't want another person to go through the same horrors I did." she looked at Justin and smiled a bitter smile.

Justin remained quiet as he listened to her. A piercing pain struck his heart as his eyes followed her fingers that kept tracing a spot on her left wrist.