The Unwanted Wife and Her Secret Twins (Mia and Kyle) novel Chapter 343

Mia

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Alexander bounced on his toes like a spring had been released inside him. “Yes! Yes yes yes!”

He spun toward Kyle, words tumbling out so fast they blurred together. “We always eat at six–thirty except on Sundays when we have pancakes for dinner which is backwards but fun and after dinner we play games or read stories or sometimes watch a movie if it’s Friday and-“He paused to gulp air, then continued without missing a beat. “Do you like board games? We have Candy Land and Chutes and Ladders and Ethan always wins at checkers but I’m better at the memory game where you flip over cards-”

I felt my chest tighten watching him. Kyle’s lips parted slightly, as if Alexander’s enthusiasm had stolen his breath.

Madison’s hand tightened around mine, her small fingers pressing into my palm like she was anchoring herself. She tilted her head up to look at me, her eyebrows drawn together in that small frown that always made my heart ache. “Will there be enough food?” she asked quietly.

Madison’s grip on my hand loosened just slightly. I squeezed her hand, “There will be plenty of food, sweetheart“.

Ethan said nothing. His gaze moved from Kyle’s face to mine, then back to Kyle.

Kyle went completely still. His eyes locked onto Ethan’s hand, following the movement with the kind of stunned recognition that comes when you see your own reflection in an unexpected mirror. Kyle’s own hand twitched, then stopped, his fingers curling into a loose fist at his side.

Ethan shifted half a step closer to Alexander, but kept watching Kyle with that careful.

In the end, Ethan said nothing. My heart ached.

“What should we have for dinner?” Alexander asked as we made our way to my car. “Can we have hamburgers? Oh! Or fried chicken! Uncle Kyle, do you like fried chicken? I love fried chicken but Mama says it’s not health food so we can only have it sometimes but maybe if you’re visiting we could have it tonight because guests are special and-”

“Alexander,” I said. “We’ll figure out dinner when we get home.”

But Alexander had already moved on to his next campaign. “Uncle Kyle, did you bring any presents? Not that you have to bring presents, but at the park you brought really cool presents and I was wondering if maybe you might have more presents because presents are awesome and-”

“Alexander Williams,” I said in my warning voice.

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Chapter 343 Gas lifted his leg

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Alexander deflated slightly but wasn’t ready to abandon his cause entirely. “I’m just asking because it’s polite to ask about presents and maybe Uncle Kyle likes giving presents and-”

“Alexander,” Kyle said quietly. “I didn’t bring presents today. But if your mom says it’s okay, maybe we could order that fried chicken you mentioned.”

Alexander’s disappointment evaporated instantly. “Really? Really really?”

I opened my mouth to object, but something about the expression on Kyle’s face stopped me. He was looking at Alexander like he was trying to memorize every detail of the boy’s excitement.

“Maybe,” I said carefully. “We’ll see.”

Kyle’s car was parked near mine in the school lot.

“Should I follow you?” he asked.

“Do you remember where we live?”

“Yes.”

“Mama,” Ethan said during a rare pause in Alexander’s commentary. “Why is Uncle thinner?”

The question caught me off guard, partly because Ethan had noticed Kyle’s physical condition and partly because I wasn’t sure how to answer honestly without scaring the children.

“Sometimes adults get sick,” I said carefully. “When people are sick, sometimes they lose weight.”

“Is he going to get better?” Ethan asked.

I met his eyes in the rearview mirror. “I don’t know, sweetheart.”

“Is he sad because he’s sick?” Madison asked quietly.

“I think he might be,” I said. “Sometimes being sick can make people feel sad.”

Alexander had been listening. “We should make him feel better,” he announced.

“That’s very kind, Alexander,” I said.

By the time we reached our apartment building, Kyle’s car was already parked at the curb. He was leaning against the driver’s side door, smoking a cigarette with the desperate efficiency of someone who knew it was a bad idea but couldn’t bring himself to care. When he saw our car, he dropped the cigarette and ground it under his heel, but I could smell the smoke on his clothes when we approached.

“Uncle!” Alexander called out, bounding toward him with renewed enthusiasm. “Are we still having fried chicken?”

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Chapter 343 Gas lifted his leg

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“If your mother agrees,” Kyle said, glancing at me for confirmation.

I nodded, already mentally calculating delivery times and wondering if I had enough plates that matched. “There’s a place called Mama’s Kitchen that delivers. They have good fried chicken.”

“Perfect,” Kyle said, but his attention was already drifting to the children, watching as they moved

around him.

We made our way into the building and up to our apartment, Kyle moving more slowly than the rest of us but keeping pace. I unlocked the door and watched as my children performed their after–school routine–backpacks in the designated spot, coats hung on their hooks, shoes arranged in the neat line I’d taught them to maintain.

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