Chapter 12: Ice Cream and Heartache
Keifer's POV:
The boy's small fingers clutched mine as we walked toward the ice cream cart. I kept stealing glances at Ella, the weight of her words from the hospital still pressing on my chest.
"Yes," she said simply when I asked if he was mine. Just like that, a quiet confirmation that made the ground beneath me shift. My heart thudded violently, but there was no room for joy—only devastation.
I shoved my hands into my pockets, trying to appear calm, but I couldn't stop my mind from racing. I was married to Jay. I couldn't tell anyone—not even myself—the thoughts that were flooding through me.
"So… why did you leave me back then?" I asked quietly, my voice low, tight with emotion.
Ella sighed, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "I had my reasons. I… I wasn't ready. I didn't have anything to offer. I was broke, a single mother in training before he was even born. I didn't want to drag you down with me. So… I left. It's that simple."
I froze. Broke? A single mother? The woman I remembered as confident, sharp, untouchable… had spent years struggling alone.
"And… it's my child," she added softly. "You… you're his father."
The world tilted slightly, and I swallowed hard. I couldn't divorce Jay. I couldn't… I couldn't admit the truth yet. Not now. Not when everything was tangled between us.
"Have you been… okay?" I asked carefully, my voice softer.
Ella laughed, a little bitter, a little self-deprecating. "Oh, you know… surviving. Working, scraping by. I'm a broke single mother. Nothing glamorous. Nothing you'd envy."
I swallowed again, imagining her life alone, raising my son, keeping the pieces together. It made something twist inside me.
"Move in with me," I said suddenly, the words tumbling out before I could stop them. "Here. At my mansion. You and him. You don't have to struggle anymore."
Ella's eyes went wide. "Uh… Keifer, I… I can't. I won't—your wife—"
"Jay will be fine," I said firmly, and maybe a little recklessly. "She won't care. Trust me. Just… move in. For him. For yourself. You don't have to do this alone anymore."
She hesitated, biting her lip, and I saw the conflict in her eyes. Finally, after a pause, she nodded. "Okay… but… only for him. And… I won't overstep. I won't intrude. I promise."
The boy cheered, clapping his hands, and my heart ached. Seeing them together, laughing, light and unburdened… it was beautiful. And yet it hurt, because Jay wasn't here to see it, and I was… tied. Bound by vows I hadn't chosen, by a marriage that was supposed to be nothing more than a deal.
We grabbed our ice cream—cones dripping faster than the seconds seemed to pass. I let him sit on my lap for a moment while Ella stood nearby, smiling softly. I even let him smear chocolate across my cheek, laughing along with him despite the heaviness in my chest.
For a while, it was simple. The city, the laughter, the sticky sweetness of vanilla and chocolate. For a brief moment, I almost forgot that my heart was already in two places at once.
But reality always finds its way back.
By the end of the outing, I was looking at the time, realizing how late it had become. I had to return to the hospital. Jay. My wife.
I walked them back, making small talk with Ella, joking lightly with my son, but my mind was elsewhere entirely. How would I tell Jay about this? How could I ever explain it without tearing apart the fragile balance we had?
As they waved goodbye, I felt a pang of helplessness and longing. I watched them go before turning toward the car, ice cream forgotten, heart still heavy.
And then I drove back to the hospital, parking quietly outside the entrance. My chest tightened, my palms slick with sweat.
I opened the door to Jay's room, the soft beeping of the machines greeting me.
She was asleep. Peaceful. Innocent. And utterly unaware of the storm I was trying to navigate—her, me, and the new life that had unexpectedly appeared in my world.
I took a deep breath, steeling myself.
How do I tell her… everything?
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