Chapter Nine

PRISCILLA’S POV

I dropped the dress I was folding and dragged Aiden from where he was scattering the clothes I’d already folded. “Will you stop that? Please.” I added since I knew he was doing it because he was in pain.

Avery glared at me and dragged Aiden towards her. “We don’t want to go. What of our teacher? And our friends?” She ended in a wail which almost made me smile, but I kept it in. I didn’t want them thinking I was making fun of them.

Here in California, they had friends from school as well as a large area to play and have fun with each other and their brief stay in New York only had them staring out of the city in a car and through the hotel window which didn’t help since we were on the twelfth floor, and they were convinced they would be miserable in New York.

I squatted until I was eye level with my babies and grabbed their hands. “We have to move to New York because mummy’s new office will be there.” I hadn’t told them about their father, and they had eventually stopped asking when they were three years old after I explained that our family was as normal as others, and they didn’t need any more person since I could do both jobs perfectly. An unreasonable statement? I know.

Avery shook her head, tears in her eyes. “But mummy, you have your office here. Why do we have to move? I don’t want to.”

I sat back on my heels, the words I had promised myself not to use, ever, spilling out of my lips. “Because I said so.”

I sighed as they ran outside, and I was left with clothes and belongings scattered everywhere, a chilling silence and regret eating my heart. My phone started ringing, and I grabbed it from the bed, where it was buried under some clothes.

“Hello.” I responded, not bothering to look at who was calling since I was waiting for my assistant, Carlie’s call. I looked at the phone when the voice came out, and I let out another sigh, tears of frustration coming to my eyes.

“What is it now?” I asked, the thought of how I had just hurt my kids plaguing me.

“Are you okay?” Brent’s deep voice asked and I scoffed. He was the whole cause of everything I was going through. Okay, that was a little overboard, but who could blame me.

“Of course.” I replied, sniffing. “We’ll soon be on our way. You don’t have to worry about me running away.”

His sigh sounded from the phone. “Priscilla…..”

I frowned, he was sounding weird, and I didn’t really have the time to waste since we needed to get to New York that day, and we didn’t have much time until our departure. Although, I was eighty percent sure I was going to change the time. I dropped the phone and put it on speaker and continued folding our clothes.

I checked the phone to confirm if he had dropped the call, but his voice came out loud and clear then. “I’m so sorry.”

I looked at the phone like it had sprung wings. “What?” I choked out.

Brent sighed. “I’m so sorry. Nothing can justify what I did, and I will always regret choosing not to listen to you. From the very beginning.”

I melted into the floor. That meant he had found out his ex-girlfriend had lied to him. I laughed even as my eyes filled with tears. I sniffed and waited for what he was going to say next.

“Priscilla. I shouldn’t be doing this over the phone, but I couldn’t wait. I had to apologize immediately.” He added in a low voice.

I smiled and wiped the tears that had fallen down my face. “That’s true. Not only did you believe her over me, but I was accused of infidelity, something I would never even dream of doing, given a divorce paper and made to sell all my company shares. That isn’t exactly something you can try to rectify over the phone.”

“You’re right. I’m sorry. I’ll continue when you come. When are you arriving?”

I looked at the clock and knew we couldn’t make it again today. “Probably tomorrow or next. The twins are not taking the move well and I can’t force them to get on a plane with me when they clearly hate it.” I said.

“Alright. Come as soon as you can then. I can’t wait to meet them.” He responded, his voice filled with something I couldn’t recognize.

He dropped the call and I stared at my phone’s blank screen going through the conversation I just had and the way I was feeling about it. I had always imagined that when he found out, I would feel justified and with the justification will come happiness and satisfaction but surprisingly I was feeling empty. Not happy, not relieved, just nothing.

My mind went back to when I’d first arrived California. After signing the divorce papers and the document giving my shares to Brenton while Pamela looked on with glee, I had been taken to the airport with a small carrier filled with few clothes and what I needed for basic survival.

I had bought a one way ticked to the farthest location at the time which was California and I had not been myself since then. Going to a new place, two months pregnant, divorced and having no one on my side had both changed and matured me. I had spent the next few months battling depression and trying to take care of the babies in my womb even though I could hardly bear to eat anything. The struggle had continued after having the twins and my passion, designing, had finally taken me out of the rut I’d spent years in. I was currently feeling like I had in those first months.

The sound of the door brought me out of my reverie and I turned to see my twins walking towards me with drawn faces. I ran to them and hugged them to me, my heart breaking as they broke down on me apologizing for their attitudes. How had I gotten lucky to have such amazing children?