Carter hadn’t expected the twins to reject Lauren so strongly.

Lauren was in tears, wobbling on her feet. “It’s my fault… It’s all my fault… I shouldn’t have left… They don’t even know me…”

Right there in front of Rhea, Carter wrapped an arm around Lauren’s shoulders. “Don’t blame yourself. You didn’t have a choice. Come on. Don’t cry. Go upstairs and freshen up a bit.”

Dressed in plain clothes, Lauren looked fragile and miserable. She was too weak to stand on her own, so Carter ended up escorting her to the guest room himself.

They passed by Rhea without so much as a glance, paying no mind to how she might feel.

Rhea bit back the strange discomfort swelling inside her. She told herself that Lauren simply missed the kids and wanted to see them, and that Carter was just doing what any decent father would do. He was trying to keep things civil.

At that thought, she forced a smile. “Alright, sweeties. It’s time to wash up and get ready for bed.”

“Okay, Mom!” The twins grinned and followed behind Rhea.

…

In the guest room, Lauren quickly freshened up and changed into a clean set of clothes. However, a sense of unease lingered in her chest. “Carter, the kids are probably getting ready for bed by now, right?”

Carter nodded. “Yeah. It’s late.”

If it hadn’t been for the celebration party that night, the kids would have been asleep already.

Lauren set down a cup of warm water. Her eyes were still red-rimmed as she asked, “Do you think I could give them a bath? It might help us bond a little. I’ve missed them so much, and I’ve already lost so much time with them. It really hurts.”

Her eyes were filled with a deep, aching longing for the kids.

How could Carter possibly deny a mother’s love for her own kids?

Especially since their parting hadn’t come from a lack of love, but from circumstances beyond their control. Carter couldn’t bring himself to see Lauren so upset.

Those two children were, after all, the ones she had carried and given birth to.

So he nodded and said, “Alright.”

…

Carter arrived at the kids’ room and knocked on the door. “Arielle, Adrian.”

Rhea opened it with water still clinging to her hands. When she saw him standing next to Lauren, she quietly pressed her lips together and asked, “What is it?”

“Lauren wants to help the kids with their baths. Maybe they can bond a little,” Carter said.

It wasn’t an outrageous request. So Rhea stepped aside and said, “Come in. Arielle’s using the bathroom on the right.”

The twins were six now. They were old enough to need separate bathrooms.

Lauren hurried to the bathroom on the right. Pushing the door open, she called out softly, “Arielle? It’s Mom.”

Startled by the sight of this woman who wanted to take Rhea’s place, Arielle quickly pulled her towel around herself. “I don’t need your help,” she said.

The rejection hit Lauren hard, causing her eyes to well up with tears again.

Carter stood with his back to the bathroom door. “Arielle, don’t speak to your mother like that.”

Lauren quickly said, “It’s alright, Carter. They don’t really know me yet. It makes sense that they’d be guarded. I’m okay.”

She sounded so patient and forgiving, which only made Carter feel more sorry for her.

How was it fair that a biological mother wasn’t allowed to be near her own children?

At that thought, he turned to Rhea, who was about to bring a rubber duck to Adrian. “Is this what you’ve been teaching them?”

Rhea paused, confused by the sudden accusation. “What did I teach them?”

“Lauren is their mother. Even if she were a stranger, they should still show some basic respect.”

Carter believed that the children’s resistance toward Lauren stemmed from Rhea’s failure to teach them better.