The office had been unusually quiet that afternoon. She stared at her monitor screen without really seeing it. Rows of numbers blurred into aningless lines, reports scrolled by without imprinting a single word in her mind. Instead, what replayed over and over was the faint sound of a keypad beeping beneath her fingertips.
Leonard’s passcode.
Her stomach tightened just thinking about it. The worst part wasn’t that she had rembered it. It was how easily she had rembered it, how natural it had felt. Her fingers hadn’t even hesitated. The numbers had lived inside her all this ti, buried deep but never erased. Their wedding anniversary.
Katherine rubbed her temples, willing the thought away, but it clung stubbornly like the scent of smoke after fire. She hated that sothing as trivial as four digits had the power to stir so much inside her. It shouldn’t matter anymore. It was just a number. But it wasn’t, and she knew it. The mory of the years attached to it gnawed at her, tugging at places she had worked so hard to lock away.
And Felix, he hadn’t said anything. Not a word. He hadn’t frowned, hadn’t questioned her, hadn’t even hinted at irritation. If anything, his silence unnerved her more. She would have preferred sharp words, an argunt, sothing to release the tension. Instead, his quiet patience lingered, a reminder that he was holding sothing back. She knew Felix wasn’t the type to suppress his feelings without reason. Which made her wonder.
Was he sparing her, or was he quietly asuring her?
By the ti the afternoon crept to a close, Katherine’s nerves were frayed. Felix was waiting by the his office door, his tall fra leaned casually against the wall. He didn’t fidget, didn’t check his watch, just stood there, as if he had all the ti in the world to wait for her. His eyes found her instantly when she approached, the familiar depth of his gaze holding steady.
"Ready?"
"Yes."
When they stepped inside the apartnt, Katherine barely had ti to put her bag down before the twins’ eager voices cut through the air.
"Mom! You’re back!" Maya ca running, her small face bright with relief.
"Can we go to Uncle Leonard’s now?" Nathan chid in.
Jazz appeared from the kitchen, a dish towel slung over one shoulder. Her expression was caught sowhere between exasperation and fondness. "They’ve been restless the whole day," she reported with a sigh. "Kept asking every hour when you’d be ho so they could check on Mr. Ford."
Katherine’s lips pressed into a thin line. She should have expected this. The twins were stubborn when it ca to the people they cared about, and Leonard, despite everything, had carved out a place in their hearts.
"Fine," she said finally, setting her bag down by the entryway. "But let clean myself up first. Ten minutes."
Nathan groaned but nodded, while Maya clasped her hands dramatically. "Ten minutes only, Mom. We’re counting."
Felix stood a little to the side, his coat still draped neatly over his arm. He didn’t interrupt, didn’t question her decision. He simply gave her a small nod, a wordless promise that he would watch them while she prepared.
When Katherine erged from the bedroom a short while later, the twins were already lined up by the door like little soldiers, coats half-zipped in their impatience. Felix stood nearby, his hand resting lightly on Maya’s shoulder to keep her from bouncing too much. He caught Katherine’s gaze briefly, his expression unreadable but steady. She offered him a faint smile in return, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes.
Together, the small group crossed the hall. Nathan marched ahead with determination, Maya at his side, their excitent radiating. Jazz trailed behind them, muttering sothing about making sure they didn’t run too fast. Felix walked close to Katherine, his long stride slowed to match hers.
As they reached Leonard’s door, Katherine felt her steps falter. The air seed heavier here, pressing down on her chest. Her hand hovered just above the keypad, trembling slightly despite her effort to appear composed. For a mont, the world narrowed to the black panel before her, the numbers glowing faintly under the dim hallway light.
Her throat tightened as old mories surged. She exhaled slowly and typed in the familiar digits. Each beep sounded louder than it should have, echoing in her ears.
"Mom," Nathan’s curious voice broke the stillness, "how do you know the passcode?"
Katherine froze, her hand lingering on the keypad. She turned slightly, eting her son’s wide eyes. His innocence cut through her carefully built composure.
"He told ," she said evenly, her voice steadier than she felt.
Nathan blinked, considering her answer, then nodded as though it made sense. But Maya wasn’t as easily convinced. She tilted her head, her brows furrowing.
"What is it then? Is it our birthday? Or today? Is today Uncle Leonard’s birthday?"
The question hit like a blade. Katherine’s lips parted, but no sound ca out. Her chest ached with the weight of words she couldn’t say. How could she explain that the code was tied to a past she had no desire to revisit, to a date she had once thought sacred?
Her instinct was to deflect, to say sothing lighthearted and brush it away. But as her gaze fell on Maya’s wide, expectant eyes and Nathan’s steady, curious stare, she froze. Lying to them now would be easy. Children were quick to accept answers when they ca from soone they trusted. But if she started down that road, if she made a habit of twisting the truth for convenience, where would that leave her later?
The twins’ eyes remained fixed on her, expectant.
Then Felix stepped forward. He rested a hand lightly on Katherine’s shoulder, the warmth of his touch grounding her instantly. His voice broke the mont, calm yet firm.
"Co on," he said, his tone carrying just enough finality to redirect their attention. "The door’s already open."
Katherine let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. The twins, thankfully, shifted their attention just as Felix intended.
Her shoulders sagged with relief, though her chest still felt tight from the mont before. She turned to look at Felix. He didn’t say anything, didn’t even look at her, as if it were the most natural thing in the world to step in when she was cornered.
And for that, she was thankful.
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