MasukDave POVI decided to message my lawyer that same night and told him to prepare Lydia’s and I divorce papers because that’s the best way to get Lydia to meet up with me and to also soften the blow I was about to deliver.The divorce papers arrived faster than they should have. Not legally faster. Not technically faster. Just emotionally faster than anything that significant usually is.My lawyer arrived in the hotel lobby looking like a man who had been personally offended by the concept of sleep. Which meant he had probably crossed at least two time zones and three levels of irritation to get here. I respected that. Loyalty like that is rare.I signed my portionAs I was about to sign it, it felt so weird.It felt like I was losing something very valuable and important.I was thinking of that night where Lydia and I were so chill, the way I found out about interest in PR and all.I was so lost in my thoughts that my lawyer said Mr Ashton?I raised my head up and signedHonestly, I ha
Dave POV By the time I got back to my hotel suite that night, the city lights had already taken over the skyline. Country Z looked different at night. Softer. Less intimidating. The glass towers reflected gold and silver across the river while traffic moved below in neat streams of light. I loosened my tie as I stepped inside. The shopping bags carrying Ava’s dresses and Eli’s shoes sat on the dining table. For a moment, I found myself smiling. Ava was going to love the constellation themed dress. And Eli was absolutely going to pretend he didn’t care about the shoes before secretly wearing them every chance he got. I already knew the routine. I was still thinking about that when my phone rang. The caller ID immediately made me straighten. Daniel. Acting CEO. Friend. One of the few people on Earth I trusted with my company. I picked up immediately. “Daniel.” “Dave.” His voice came through clear. “Tell me you’re finally sleeping like a normal human.” “I slept fou
Dave POVAs I drove away from Lydia’s house that evening, I should have gone straight back to the hotel.That would have been the logical thing to do.Go back.Answer emails.Review reports.Pretend I wasn’t still smiling because Eli had bankrupted me in Monopoly and called it capitalism.A normal evening.A productive evening.Instead, I found myself driving toward one of the luxury shopping districts.The twins had spent the entire afternoon talking.And somewhere between discussions about dinosaurs, rockets, butterflies, and scientifically responsible tanks, I had learned more about their preferences than I had in six years.Ava liked soft colors.She preferred practical things over flashy things.She hated uncomfortable fabrics.She loved stars.Books.Anything astronomy related.Eli cared surprisingly little about clothes but had very strong opinions about shoes.Apparently shoes needed to be useful.Durable.Capable of surviving adventures.Whatever that meant.So naturally, I f
Dave POVThe drive started awkwardly.Not hostile.Just awkward.The twins occupied the backseat while discussing something that apparently required my complete exclusion.“…because velociraptors were smarter.”“They were not smarter.”“They absolutely were.”“Tyrannosaurus was stronger.”“That’s not the same thing.”I attempted participation.“So—”Neither noticed.“Eli—”Nothing.“Ava—”Still nothing.Remarkable.I had been ignored.The conversation continued without interruption.Then an idea occurred to me.“Astronomers discovered a possible new dwarf planet candidate recently.”Silence.Instantly.Both heads snapped up.Ava leaned forward immediately.“Wait.”Eli sat upright.“What?”I smiled.Success.“Very recent observations.”“How recent?” Ava asked.“Last few months.”“Where?”“Outer solar system.”“Past Neptune?”“Far past Neptune.”Now both children were fully engaged.Questions came rapidly.Could humans visit it?How long would it take?Could there be life?Did it have m
Dave POVToday was my day with the twins.According to the co parenting schedule Lydia’s lawyer had sent over, I was supposed to spend the afternoon with them. A walk. Some time at the park. Nothing dramatic.Simple.Normal.The kind of thing fathers did every day.Which was precisely why I was nervous.Because normal was still new to me.I arrived at Lydia’s house almost an hour early.An hour.Ridiculous.The twins usually got home from school around two or two thirty.I knew that.I had their schedule saved.I had read it enough times to memorize it.Yet somehow my brain kept producing scenarios.What if school ended earlier today?What if they had a special event?What if traffic was lighter?What if they arrived before I did?So naturally I left early.Very rational behavior.I sat in one of the living room armchairs while the nanny moved quietly around the house. A financial journal rested in my lap while I skimmed through an article about emerging infrastructure investments.I
Lydia POVBy the time I finished reviewing a campaign proposal and signed off on two client approvals, my watch vibrated softly against my wrist.A notification.I glanced down absentmindedly.Then froze.The twins’ location tracker.Their icons were moving.Not at home.Not at school.In transit.I blinked.Looked again.Then immediately sat upright.Wait.Why were they moving?My brain took approximately seven seconds to catch up.And then I remembered.Oh.Oh no.Today.The co parenting schedule.Today was Dave’s day.I dropped my head dramatically onto my desk.Right.The official schedule.The carefully structured legal document that I personally helped create.The same schedule I insisted upon.The same schedule I reviewed three separate times.The same schedule I forgot existed.Wonderful.Mother of the year.Honestly, becoming comfortable with co parenting felt like trying to voluntarily participate in my own stress.I picked up my phone.Right on cue, a message from Dave appe







