All Chapters of After Forgetting Me, My CEO Ex-husband Regrets: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

(Lydia)A cascade of emotions flooded through me: I was shocked, sad, nostalgic, happy to see my mother again, struggling with the memories of the past – of me defending her and of her ignoring me, and so much more. With this much going on within me, I was rooted to the spot.“My child…” my mother said through trembling lips and a broken voice.“Mama…” I finally said and exhaled. I had had no idea that I had been holding my breath for so long. I flung my arms around her.She stiffened when I did so. My heart lurched. How could she come here after so many years and then reject my attempt to hold her again?She was shivering.I held her by the forearms and looked at her in the eyes. “Are you okay, mama?” I asked, my voice more concerned for her than she had ever been for me.It hurt but that didn’t mean that I still didn’t care for her.My mother shook her head and dropped it. Her shoulders began to shake. She was crying.“What’s wrong, mama?” I asked her, alarmed.My mother looked up

(Lydia)With a heavy lump in my throat, I hung up the phone. I stared into the void for a minute. Absolutely nothing made sense anymore. But knowing now all that Ruby had told me, I realized that I needed to talk to my mother. I should not have let her leave so quickly. I should have taken her to a restaurant – maybe had lunch with her.Fifteen minutes later, I was in my car with the location of her hotel set as the destination on the GPS navigator. I had no idea what I would say to my mother. “ETA: five minutes. You are now on the fastest route to Green Air Fort Hotel” the robotic voice on the navigator application system said.What would I say to her? How would I talk to her? My heart thumped wildly as I pulled up in front of the building and handed my car keys to the valet. As I made my way into the elevator, my mouth ran dry.But I knew that it was the right thing to do. My mother deserved to be loved and cared for by me. All those years ago, she had made a mistake by not leaving

(Lydia)Seeing my mother in that state – still inside that very state, after all these years had gone – set off something inside of me. All of a sudden, I had had enough.“Come with me,” I said to my mother and grabbed her by the hand.“You too,” I shot at my father as I watched him saunter towards the door frame.I almost had to shove my father through the elevator door at the end of the corridor. He was trying his best to resist coming with me. My mother had broken into tears and was sobbing softly into a napkin.The elevator door glided open with a ding. “Well, move,” I rasped at my father as he stared at me in confusion. His shirt was thoroughly creased and its top buttons were undone. I caught a faint whiff of whiskey through my nose. The man could barely stand. “Where are you taking me?” he slurred.I pushed him through the door at the security office and he almost tripped and fell, catching the edge of a desk just in time.The security officer seated there shot up immediately.

(Thomas)A few seconds ago, I still hadn’t known what my decision would be. I had only come here to talk to her because I knew that that was important. We needed to move forward together in as practical of a way as possible. I needed to be allowed to have a role in my children’s lives.But the second she opened the door and I caught sight of her angelic face, I knew that I could only ever want her.Lydia was the only woman for me.***When Sarah had sprung the news on us that night, I had been too shocked for words. Before I could have even fully understood the implications of Sarah’s announcement, Lydia had gotten up and left the table.I had not gone after her. How could I? Sarah was bearing my child.But I had been quiet when, fifteen minutes later, Sarah had sat strapped in the passenger seat of my car. Her eyebrows had been arched in expectation, as though she were waiting for an answer.I had no answer. I had been too baffled to respond.So, I had taken a deep breath and driven

(Lydia)I can’t very well kick him out of the house until it’s time for the party, I thought. I pulled out my phone to text Ruby and let her know that Thomas would be helping her with decorations. Ruby was angry at Thomas for choosing Sarah all over again and she might not react well to finding him here without warning.But before I could tell Thomas, the twins began to drag him outside.“Will you push us on the swings?” Mabel asked, looking up at him.“What’s your favorite ice-cream flavor?” Miles asked and then added, “I like strawberry! And Mabel likes chocolate!”Thomas was smiling and chuckling.Ah well, I shrugged. It would be better if I didn’t leave him and Ruby alone. She would certainly pick a bone with him.The visit to the park was uneventful. It was delightful, in fact. I was surprised at how much the twins had missed Thomas and so very pleased that they were getting to spend time with their father.They laughed as Thomas pushed them on the swings. He held his daughter’s