Chapter 5 - The Collision
He walked with a purpose,
not because he knew who we were,
but because he was a man,
who couldn't ignore a crying child.
The irony was a bitter pill,
dissolving in my mouth,
as I stood up to meet him.
I picked Max up,
brushing the dirt from his knees,
keeping my back to Julian as long as possible.
"You're okay,
baby,"
I whispered,
my voice trembling.
"Let's go home now."
"Is he hurt?"
The voice was closer now,
right behind me,
smelling of expensive cologne,
and the cold outdoor air.
I had no choice.
I turned around,
holding Max tightly against my chest,
while Leo stood by my leg,
clutching my jeans.
Julian stopped dead in his tracks.
His phone slipped from his hand,
landing in the soft grass,
unnoticed.
The air seemed to leave the park,
creating a vacuum of shock,
and disbelief.
"Audrey?"
he breathed,
his face turning ashen,
his eyes scanning my face,
as if I were a ghost.
I didn't answer,
I couldn't.
I just looked at him,
seeing the four years of regret,
etched into the lines around his eyes.
He looked down at the boy in my arms,
then at the boy standing beside me.
Max stopped crying,
staring at the stranger,
with wide,
curious eyes.
Leo looked up at Julian,
tilting his head in that serious way,
that always reminded me of the man before me.
Julian’s gaze went from Max’s dimple,
to Leo’s intense stare,
to the golden hair they both shared.
He stepped back,
his hand going to his mouth,
his chest heaving with a sudden,
violent realization.
"They... they look like me,"
he whispered,
the words barely audible.
"Audrey,
tell me these aren't...
tell me they're mine."
I found my voice then,
sharp and brittle,
like thin ice over a deep pond.
"They are mine,
Julian,"
I said,
stepping away from him.
"They have nothing to do with you."
"How old are they?"
he asked,
ignoring my words,
his eyes filled with a desperate light.
"They're three,"
I said,
regretting it the moment it left my lips.
He did the math in his head,
I could see the numbers clicking,
the timeline of my departure,
aligning with their birth.
"You were pregnant,"
he said,
his voice cracking.
"When you walked out of that office,
you were carrying my children."
"I was carrying my future,"
I corrected him,
my anger finally rising,
May you like
to meet my fear.
"A future you didn't deserve to be a part of."
