The Cheater [JenLisa]

Chapter 19

Lisa POV

It was supposed to be a normal afternoon, one of those crisp autumn days when the sun was still warm enough to bask in but not so hot that it left you feeling suffocated. I was out at the park with Liam, letting him run off some of his energy.

He had been so focused on schoolwork lately, and I figured a little break in the fresh air wouldn't hurt.

The park was busy, with kids running around, couples walking hand in hand, and families enjoying the last vestiges of warmth before the cold set in.

Liam was bouncing ahead, full of life, the weight of the world still far from his shoulders. His laughter echoed around me as he raced across the grass, his face a mix of joy and excitement. I watched him, letting my mind wander, but not far enough to lose track of him.

And then, suddenly, everything seemed to stop.

As Liam took a sharp turn on the grass, I spotted her. Jennie.

She was sitting on a bench near the far side of the park, her figure unmistakable even from a distance.

My heart stopped for a beat, just long enough to remind me how much I had tried to forget about her. But there she was, sitting quietly, her attention seemingly absorbed in the pages of a book, though I could see the tension in her posture.

The strange thing was, she wasn't alone.

She is sitting next to someone Blake, the owner of one of the most popular company. They had been the subject of so many rumors, but nobody had ever confirmed anything. For the public eye, they were the perfect couple.

Im here, in a public park, of all places. Were they actually together? Or was it just another one of those staged moments? Blake's arm was casually draped over the back of the bench, a look of comfort and nonchalance on his face. And Jennie, though she didn't seem entirely relaxed, was going through the motions—pretending to be happy, pretending that this wasn't all just for the cameras.

I watched them for a moment, frozen in place. The old feelings I'd buried for so long started bubbling to the surface. Anger, confusion, betrayal. But it wasn't just about me anymore.

Liam was still running ahead, but now his joyful little face was shifting to one of confusion. He was looking in the same direction I had been, his eyes following my gaze. I could tell something had caught his attention, but when I saw him notice Jennie, I felt a knot form in my stomach.

He didn't recognize her. Not yet.

But as Liam slowed down, that split-second realization hit him. His legs froze, and for the first time since we arrived, he seemed uncertain, lost in thought. His wide eyes locked onto Jennie's figure, and the unspoken question was written all over his face.

"Dada?" Liam's voice was soft, but it carried. He was looking up at me, trying to make sense of the sudden shift in my mood. I could hear the hesitation in his voice. He knew something was off.

I hadn't prepared for this moment? for him to see her again. He was just a child when Jennie left, and I had spent so many years protecting him from the wounds of the past. I never imagined this day would come, this unexpected meeting in the middle of a park.

"That's... that's Jennie, your mom" I said quietly, my voice cracking a little more than I intended. I could feel the weight of those wordsl.

Liam looked between me and Jennie, the confusion still in his eyes. "Why is she with someone new and not with Kai?" he asked, his voice edged with a mix of curiosity and concern. He pointed toward Blake, his hand trembling slightly.

I could hear the unspoken question behind his words. Why was Jennie with someone else? What had happened to the family they once had? I could see it in his eyes, he wanted answers, but the timing wasn't right.

Before I could offer any kind of response, Jennie looked up, her gaze meeting mine from across the park. There was a brief moment of
recognition between us, but it was like staring at a ghost of what we had once shared. The warmth I had once felt when I looked at her had long faded, replaced by something colder, something harder.

And then Blake spoke. "Jane," he said, his voice carrying just enough for me to hear. "Do you want to go for a walk? I think it might be a good time for a change of scenery."

She nodded, gathering her things with a little more haste than I had expected. There was something in the way she moved that suggested she wasn't completely comfortable with being seen with him in public. I could see her eyes flicker toward Liam, but she didn't move, didn't approach. She stayed where she was.

Liam glanced at me, his expression full of questions. "Why is she with him, Dada ? Is she...?"

The question hung in the air. He wanted to know if Kai betrayed her, if there was any trace of the woman who had once been so much to him. But I didn't know how to answer that. The truth was complicated, messy, and painful.

We stood there, watching Jane and Blake walk away together, their backs turned to us as they strolled off across the park. I could feel Liam's gaze on me, but I didn't know what else to say.

It was as if all the year and half between us, the year and half of trying to protect him from the pain of our separation, had evaporated in that one moment.

"I don't get it, Dada" Liam said, his voice barely a whisper.

"I know," I replied, my throat tight. "I know, Liam."

For a few moments, neither of us spoke. We just stood there, letting the weight of the encounter settle around us. It was one of those moments in life when time seemed to stretch, when everything became painfully clear and yet confusing all at once.

"Do you want to go home?" I asked after a while.

Liam nodded, his expression somber.

"Yeah. I think so."

I put my arm around his shoulders, guiding him away from the park. The walk back felt longer than it should have, as if we were carrying the weight of the past between us. Neither of us spoke about Jane or Blake, but I knew that conversation would come later.

For now, we just kept walking, and I hoped that maybe, with time, Liam would understand that this wasn't as simple as a reunion.

It wasn't just about Jane, Kai even her new partner or anything that happened years ago. It was about us, our little family, the one that had managed to stay intact despite everything. And maybe, in the end, that was enough.