“And Aurelia? Next time you sneak him into the house, make sure his car isn’t parked three blocks away where my security can see it.”
Then he’s gone, the door closing behind him.
I stand frozen for five seconds before Cassian emerges from the closet.
We stare at each other. He doesn’t say anything. Just straightens his shirt and leaves through my bedroom door like Julian didn’t just make it clear he knows exactly what’s happening.
I hear his footsteps on the stairs. The front door opening and closing. And then I’m alone with Julian’s warning echoing in my head and the knowledge that this can’t stay secret anymore.
31
AURELIA
Finn’s icecream is melting faster than he can eat it. Chocolate drips down his hand, onto his shirt, and he doesn’t even notice because he’s too busy telling Cassian about the ducks we saw at the pond ten minutes ago.
“And there was a baby one! It was this small!” He holds up his sticky hands to demonstrate. “Can we get a duck, Da?”
“No,” Cassian and I say at the same time.
Liam’s already finished his ice cream and is eyeing Finn’s like he’s considering theft. “You’re getting it everywhere.”
“Am not!”
“Are too. Look at your shirt.”
Finn looks down and sees the chocolate stains. Shrugs. “It’ll wash.”
Cassian hands him napkins. “Clean up before your mam has a heart attack.”
We’re walking through Central Park on a Saturday afternoon. All of us. Julian insisted on a family outing after three weeks of successful visits. Said the boys needed to see their parents together outside the estate, doing normal things.
So here we are. Me, Cassian, the twins, Julian, and Nadia. Looking like any other family spending the weekend together.
Except we’re not like any other family, and this isn’t what normal looks like for us.
But the boys don’t know that. To them, this is just what Saturdays are now. Da comes over, we do things together, everyone’s happy.
Finn finally gets the ice cream under control and runs ahead to where a street performer is doing magic tricks. Liam follows, more interested in figuring out how the tricks work than being impressed by them.
“They have so much energy,” Nadia says, watching them go. “Where do they get it?”
I smile. “No idea. I’m exhausted just watching them.”
Cassian’s walking beside me, hands in his pockets, looking more relaxed than I’ve seen him in weeks. No suit today. Just jeans and a jacket. He could be anyone. Just a regular dad spending Saturday with his kids.
The magician pulls a coin from behind Liam’s ear and Liam immediately demands to see his hands. Wants to know where the coin really came from. The magician laughs and shows him the sleight of hand. Liam watches with intense focus, like he’s memorizing every movement so he can replicate it later.
Finn’s less interested in the mechanics, just claps and shouts, “Do it again!”
We watch for ten minutes before the boys get bored and want to move on.
“Carousel?” Nadia suggests, pointing to where it’s spinning nearby.
“Yes!” Finn takes off running.
“Walk!” I call after him, but he’s already halfway there.
We follow at a more reasonable pace. Buy tickets. The boys climb onto painted horses while the carousel operator helps buckle them in.
