The Unwanted Wife and Her Secret Twins (Mia and Kyle) novel Chapter 323

Chapter 323 “Will I never see my mom again?”

Mia’s POV

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The doorbell rang forty–three minutes after I’d hung up the phone with Thomas. I knew because I’d been watching the clock.

The twins had moved their block city to the living room, and Gas kept knocking down buildings with his tail every time he got excited about a particularly good architectural decision.

“Someone’s here!” Alexander announced, abandoning a half–built skyscraper to race toward the

front door.

Through the peephole, I could see Thomas standing in the hallway, his hand resting protectively on the shoulder of a small figure. Madison looked like a different child from the one I’d seen at school. Her blonde hair was tangled. She wore clothes that were too big for her already tiny frame, a sweater that drooped off one shoulder and jeans that bunched around her ankles.

But it was her eyes that stopped me. They held the particular emptiness I remembered from my own

childhood.

I opened the door.

“Hi,” Thomas said. His voice was careful.

Madison didn’t look up. She kept her eyes fixed on her shoes, which I realized were falling apart at the seams. One sole was completely detached, flapping with each step.

“Hi, Madison,” I said, crouching down to her eye level. “Do you remember me? From school?”

She nodded without raising her head.

“Would you like to come inside? Alexander and Ethan are building a city. They might need an architect.”

Another small nod.

The twins had gathered in the entryway, suddenly shy in the presence of a girl who clearly wasn’t here for a playdate. Ethan stepped forward first.

“Do you want to see our blocks?” he asked Madison. “We made the Empire State Building, but Gas knocked it down twice.”

Madison looked up then, just for a second, and I caught a glimpse of something that might have been curiosity before she ducked her head again.

Thomas was still standing in the doorway, holding a small backpack that looked like it contained

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Chapter 323 Will I never see my mom again?”

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everything Madison owned. Which, I realized with a sickening feeling, might actually be true.

“Can we talk for a minute?” I asked him quietly.

We stepped into the kitchen while the children disappeared into the living room. I could hear Alexander’s voice, louder than usual, explaining the rules of block construction to someone who wasn’t responding.

“How bad is it?” I asked.

Thomas set Madison’s backpack on the counter. It was a child’s backpack, pink with unicorns, but it was dirty and one of the zippers was broken.

“Bad,” he said simply. “Victoria’s been arrested on multiple charges. Financial fraud, identity theft.

It’s a mess.”

I wanted to tell him about Victoria’s abuse. That I’d seen Victoria hurting Madison. But looking at Thomas’s face, I couldn’t bring myself to add to his burden. Not right now.

“What kind of financial fraud?”

“Something to do with Theo’s family trust. Victoria was apparently embezzling money that was supposed to go to Madison’s care. The family hired investigators when they realized the numbers didn’t add up.”

“She was stealing from her own daughter.”

“It looks that way.” Thomas ran his hand through his hair, the gesture so familiar it made my chest ache. “Mia, I’m sorry. I know this is terrible timing. I know we need to talk about… everything. But I

didn’t know who else to call.”

From the living room came the sound of blocks clattering to the floor, followed by Alexander’s delighted laughter and something that might have been a giggle from Madison.

“It’s okay,” I said, and meant it. “She can stay as long as she needs to.”

Thomas looked at me then, really looked at me, and I saw something crumble in his expression. He stepped forward like he might try to hug me, then stopped himself.

“Thank you,” he said quietly.

I nodded, not trusting my voice. My throat was still raw from crying, and I could feel tears threatening again.

“I should go,” Thomas said. “Let you get settled. But Mia… thank you.”

After Thomas left, I stood in my kitchen listening to the sounds of children trying to figure out how

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Chapter 323 “Will I never see my mom again?”

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to be around each other. Alexander was doing most of the talking, his voice bright with the kind of forced cheerfulness.

“And this is the library,” he was saying. “It’s where all the smart people go to read books about dinosaurs and space and probably princesses if you want.”

“I like princesses,” Madison said, her voice so quiet I almost missed it.

“Ethan doesn’t like princesses very much,” Alexander continued, “but he likes horses, and horses are kind of like unicorns without the pointy thing, and unicorns are kind of like princess pets, so it’s all connected.”

I found them in the living room. Madison was sitting cross–legged on the floor, still wearing her too- big sweater, but she was holding one of the wooden blocks and turning it over in her hands like she was examining it for structural integrity. The twins had clearly decided that the best approach was to include her in their construction project, because they’d placed several blocks within her reach and were waiting expectantly for her to contribute.

“Madison,” I said, settling onto the floor beside them, “are you hungry? It’s almost dinnertime.”

She nodded immediately, and I realized she was probably always hungry.

“What would you like to eat?”

Madison looked confused by the question, like she’d never been asked for her preference before.

“We have pasta,” Ethan offered helpfully. “And cheese. And bread that looks like smiles.”

“Do you like pasta?” I asked Madison.

Another nod.

“With cheese?”

“Yes, please,” she whispered.

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