Chapter 2

Leo hadn’t expected the twins to reject Lorenza so strongly.

Lorenza burst into tears immediately, her whole body shaking.

“It’s my fault… it’s all my fault… I shouldn’t have left… They don’t even know me anymore…”

Right there in front of Lucia, Leo gently wrapped an arm around Lorenza’s shoulders, steadying her before she fell.

“Don’t blame yourself,” he whispered. “You didn’t have a choice. Come on. Don’t cry. Let’s go upstairs so you can freshen up.”

Dressed in those simple clothes, Lorenza looked too fragile, too lost—like even breathing was stressing her. She was shaking so much that Leo practically had to guide her step-by-step toward the guest room.

They walked right past Lucia as if she wasn’t even standing there—

No glance.

No pause.

Nothing.

Like she didn’t matter.

Lucia swallowed the sharp, uncomfortable feeling rising in her chest. She told herself over and over:

Lorenza is their mother.

She missed them.

Leo is just trying to manage the tension.

He’s doing what any normal father would do.

With that thought, she forced a smile and said softly, “Alright my babies… it’s time to wash up and get ready for bed.”

“Okay, Mom!” both twins answered happily, keeping close to her as they followed her down the hall.

---

Inside the guest room, Lorenza quickly washed her face and changed into clean clothes. But even after all that, she still looked uneasy.

“Leo… the kids should be preparing for bed by now, right?” she asked, voice soft and shaky.

Leo nodded. “Yeah. It’s late already.”

If not for the big celebration that night at the event hall, the children would’ve been asleep long ago.

Lorenza set down the warm cup of water she’d been holding. “Do you think…” She hesitated, biting her lip. “Do you think I could bathe them? Maybe… maybe it will help us bond a little. I’ve missed them so much. I’ve missed so many years. It really hurts, Leo.”

Her eyes were full of deep longing—pain so heavy that even Leo felt it in his own chest.

How could he deny a mother that kind of request? Especially when he believed she left because of hardship, not because she didn’t love the kids.

So he nodded. “Alright.”

---

Leo went to the twins’ room and knocked. “Nina, Nico.”

Lucia opened the door with water still on her hands. When she saw him standing beside Lorenza, her lips pressed into a thin line.

“What is it?” she asked quietly.

“Lorenza wants to help the kids with their baths,” Leo said. “Maybe they can connect a bit.”

It wasn’t a strange request. So Lucia stepped aside.

“Nina is using the bathroom on the right.”

The twins were six now—they had separate bathrooms.

Lorenza rushed toward the right bathroom. She pushed the door open gently.

“Nina? It’s… it’s Mom.”

Startled, Nina clutched her towel tightly. Her eyes hardened.

“I don’t need your help,” she said coldly.

The rejection stabbed Lorenza straight in the heart. Tears instantly filled her eyes again.

Leo, who was standing by the door, frowned. “Nina, don’t speak to your mother like that.”

But Lorenza quickly stepped in. “It’s alright, Leo. They don’t know me well. It’s natural they’ll keep their guard up. I’m fine.”

Her soft, forgiving tone only deepened the guilt in Leo's expression.

How could a biological mother not be allowed near her own children?

The unfairness of it pushed more frustration into his voice as he turned to Lucia.

“Is this what you’ve been teaching them?”

Lucia froze. “What did I teach them?”

“Lorenza is their mother. Even if she was a stranger, they should show basic respect.”

The weight of his accusation hit Lucia straight in the chest.

“They don’t know her yet,” she said softly. “What do you expect me to—”

“Enough,” Leo cut her off sharply. “Help Lorenza bathe Nina.”

He didn’t wait for a reply. He walked straight to Nico's bathroom.

Lucia stared at his back, feeling something quietly crack inside her. But she pushed it down and stepped into the bathroom.

---

Lorenza was already holding a bottle of body wash.

“Nina, let me help you with this.”

Nina wanted to push her away, but she’d just seen Leo scold Lucia. So she held herself still, her jaw tight, enduring it silently.

Lucia watched her daughter’s tiny fists clench. The pain stabbed her deep—Nina was forcing herself to tolerate the discomfort… for her sake.

But there was nothing she could do. Lorenza was their mother.

Thankfully, the bath didn’t take long.

The moment they were done, Lorenza hurried to pick up a small strawberry-scented lotion jar.

“Nina, do you want to use this? It smells really nice.”

Nina shook her head immediately. “No. I want my mom to do it.”

“I’ll do it,” Lucia said softly.

Lorenza’s face twisted in an ache of jealousy and helplessness.

“Alright…” she whispered and handed the jar forward.

But just as Lucia reached out, Lorenza suddenly jerked her hand—

The glass jar slipped.

CRASH!

It shattered on the tiles.

Nina jumped in fright—and her foot landed right on a sharp piece of glass.

Blood instantly flowed.

“MOM! I’m bleeding!” she cried.

Lucia's heart nearly jumped out of her chest. She grabbed Nina instantly and rushed out of the bathroom.

Lorenza ran behind them. “What happened? What’s going on?!”

Leo came rushing over just in time to see the blood dripping down Nina's small foot.

Lucia grabbed the first aid kit immediately and began cleaning the wound with steady, practiced hands.

“What happened?” Leo demanded.

Lorenza looked panicked and guilty.

“Mrs. Marchesi… even if you hate me, you shouldn’t take it out on the kids. A broken jar is dangerous. If you hadn’t grabbed it from me…”

Lucia's hand froze mid-air.

The cotton swab nearly poked Nina's open cut.

But she didn’t argue. Saving her daughter came first.

Luckily, the glass hadn’t gone deep—it was only a surface cut.

Still, Leo's expression hardened as he turned to Rhea.

“If you have a problem with Lorenza, tell me. Don’t take it out on the kids.”

Lucia looked up, shocked.

“I didn’t try to grab the jar. And I don’t have a problem with anyone.”

But Lorenza stepped forward in a trembling voice.

“Don’t blame her, Leo… it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have tried so hard to bond with the kids. If I hadn’t come, Nina wouldn’t have gotten hurt. It’s all my fault…”

“No,” Leo said firmly, “none of this is your fault. You’re her birth mother. Anyone else might hurt her—but not you.”

Snap.

The cotton swab in Lucia hand broke cleanly into two pieces.

Her chest tightened painfully.

Did Leo really think she would harm the children?

The same children she had raised since they were babies?

The ones she had loved with everything in her?

“Don’t be sad, Mom,” Nina whispered, hugging her tightly. “It doesn’t even hurt too much.”

Warmth spread through Lucia's chest, fighting with the ache building behind her eyes.

“Thank you, sweetheart. I’m fine.”

Leo looked at Nina, displeased.

“Your birth mother is here crying, and you don’t even comfort her?”

Lorenza tugged lightly on his sleeve. “Don’t scold them. They’re still small. They don’t understand.”

Which only meant one thing—

Leo believed Lucia was the problem.

The anger in his voice finally boiled over.

“Starting tomorrow, you don’t need to take care of the kids anymore. Lorenza will handle it.”

Lucia's breath caught in her throat. She stared at him in disbelief.

But before she could even speak, Nina burst out—

“Dad! Mom didn’t try to take the jar! This woman let it fall before Mom even touched it! She dropped it on purpose!”