The sound of utensils clinking against ceramic plates echoed softly in the cozy apartnt. Katherine sat at the dining table with the twins, each of them busily scooping rice and vegetables into their mouths between excited chatter. The day had been long, and she was grateful for the calmness of the evening, or at least, she thought it would be calm.
"Mom," Nathan chirped, his mouth still half-full of food. "Is Uncle Felix coming tonight?"
Katherine’s hand paused midway to her mouth. Nathan’s question hung in the air like a pebble dropped into still water, sending ripples through her carefully constructed calm.
She had hoped, naively, that dinner with the twins would be a distraction. Their laughter, their ssy little stories from school, their innocent bickering over who got more tofu. She had wanted to lose herself in the comfort of their presence, to pretend, just for tonight, that her thoughts weren’t tangled in everything else.
But of course, she should’ve seen it coming.
Of course, they’d ask about Felix.
But Katherine smiled, shaking her head lightly as she reached across the table to wipe a bit of sauce off his chin. "No, sweetheart. He’s still in Singapore for bussiness trip."
"Singapore?" Maya echoed, eyes wide. "That’s far, right? Did he fly there in a rocket?"
Katherine chuckled. "Not a rocket, just a plane."
"Did you go too?" Nathan asked next, his brows drawing together in a frown. "Why didn’t you go with him?"
"Because soone had to stay here with you two," she replied, reaching to ruffle his hair gently. "Besides, it was a work trip."
Maya tilted her head. "What kind of work? Is he building a robot? Or maybe a super tall building?"
"Hmm... not quite," Katherine said, enjoying the montary silliness. "He’s eting important people. Having etings, making decisions... grown-up stuff."
Nathan slumped back in his chair. "Sounds boring."
"Very boring," Maya agreed, wrinkling her nose. "Poor Uncle Felix. He probably wants to co ho already."
Katherine’s smile faltered slightly. She looked down at her plate, pushing a piece of broccoli around with her fork.
The twins had already turned their attention back to their food, their brief concern for Felix fading as quickly as it had co. But for her, the mont lingered, tugging at sothing quiet and yearning inside her chest.
I wish he’d co back soon too.
Co ho soon, she thought, eyes lingering on the empty seat he usually took when he joined them for dinner. So we can talk. So I can finally ask what I’m too afraid to say.
Not in front of the twins or over the phone, and definitely not when Lara was within reach of him.
"Mom?" Maya called, breaking her out of her thoughts. "You’re not eating."
Katherine blinked and smiled, picking up her fork again. "Just thinking."
"About Uncle Felix?" Nathan grinned knowingly.
She laughed softly, trying to mask the truth. "Maybe. A little."
But it wasn’t just a little. And that realization sat quietly in her chest as she took another bite, hoping tomorrow would co quickly and bring him with it.
The twins continued eating and bickering playfully about who had more rice, but her mind had already begun to drift. She reached instinctively for her phone beside her plate. Still no ssages. No missed calls. Not even a check-in. Her thumb hovered above the screen, as if waiting for a sudden ping. But nothing ca.
She locked the phone and placed it down again with a soft sigh.
Maybe he was busy.
Of course, he was busy. He’d told her himself before he left that it would be a tight schedule, back-to-back etings and dinners with investors. She had nodded, smiled, told him good luck.
So why had she expected sothing different?
She shook her head, ntally scolding herself. This wasn’t like her. Overthinking things, imagining scenarios that didn’t exist. She picked up her fork again and forced herself to finish the rest of her dinner without letting her mind spiral any further.
After dinner, she cleared the table and cleaned up while the twins ran off to their room. Later, with the laundry basket balanced on her hip, Katherine settled on the couch to fold clothes. The twins were nearby, lying on their stomachs with crayons and paper scattered across the carpet.
To fill the quiet, she turned on the television, flipping through a few channels before settling on the evening news. The familiar sound of the anchor’s voice faded into the background as she folded a pair of Nathan’s socks.
"...Authorities confirm the capture took place earlier this evening, in what they describe as a coordinated operation..."
Katherine half-listened, distracted by a stubborn crease in one of Felix’s shirts she was trying to smooth out. The anchor’s tone grew more animated.
"...though details remain unclear, sources indicate that the woman in custody has connections to several high-profile incidents overseas..."
She didn’t think much of it, until the twins let out a simultaneous shriek.
"Mommy! Look!" Maya jumped up, pointing at the TV with wide eyes. "That auntie! That auntie we saw before!"
Katherine blinked. "What?"
"There! There!" Nathan scrambled up beside his sister. "The one from the other day! On the TV!"
Katherine followed their pointing fingers to the screen.
And froze.
There she was.
The woman on the screen, flanked by two officers in dark uniforms, her face partially obscured by her long, disheveled hair, but unmistakable. Sharp cheekbones. Cold, calculated eyes. The sa smug even in the face of flashing caras.
Miranda.
Katherine rubbed her eyes, hard. Once. Twice. As if the image would disappear the mont she blinked it away. Maybe it was a mistake. A trick of the light. Maybe the woman only looked like her.
But as she stepped closer to the television, the screen’s harsh glare illuminating her face, all hope of denial evaporated.
It was really Miranda.
The sa Miranda who had once stord into her life like a tidal wave, uninvited, destructive, unforgettable. The sa woman who, days or weeks ago, had smirked as if the world owed her sothing. Who had hurt people just by being there.
She was handcuffed now. Surrounded by officers in tactical vests, her head slightly bowed under the weight of public sha.
She’s... she’s been arrested?!
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