A Case of Love (COMPLETED)

Chapter XXXIV

It's weekend and it only means one thing to her girls, it's frolic day. No matter how hectic her work can get, she always makes her weekend disengaged from it. It's just the three of them and she doesn't want her kids to feel the missing part in their life.

Lea, sitted on the four- seater vacant table, is watching her children standing in a queue of kids. They go to an ice cream parlor after her kids done frolicking. Her first days in motherhood run back to her mind. Time flew rapidly that they are in preschool now. They slowly are outgrowing her lap. She widely smiles upon seeing her kids running towards her.

"Momma, your favorite" Isabelle hands her a vanilla ice cream as she sits on the stool fronting Lea.

"Thank you, sweety" she reached for it.

The kids, sitting next to each other, enjoy eating and licking their ice creams. Isabelle takes out her newly bought toy from its container. Nathalia watches the girl about her age sitting next to their table while talking to her dad.

"Momma, do we also have a daddy?" she shifted her attention to her mom.

Lea paused and stares at her kid's curious face. Isabelle placed her toy next to her ice cream cup and stares at her mom, too. Her heart melts down watching her two kids waiting for an answer.

"Ahm. Your daddy is .... uhmm ... he lives .... far. Far away"

"When would he visit us, Mom?" Nathalia on her follow up question. Her curiousity is giving her mom a chill out of her knowledge.

"Or can we visit him? Momma, please" Isabelle with her clasped hands, begging.

"Girls, you listen to momma, 'kay? There are things that momma can't tell you for now. You are still babies to understand it. Someday, momma would tell you about it"

"When we turn six?" Nathalia showing off her six fingers.

"Nope" Lea shakes her head.

"Seven, momma?" Isabelle showing off her seven fingers.

Lea smiles at her kids. They're so innocent to know her dark past. Their childhood is not the perfect time for it, she thinks.

"Mmmm..." she strokes her chin, thinking in pretence. ".... eighteen. When you, two, turn eighteen"

The girls count with their little fingers, pouting.

"Mom? What's next to 10 again? I'm running out of fingers" the grumpy Nathalia scratches her head.

Lea laughed at her child's grumpiness. She pinched her cheek telling them to finish eating. If only her past shouldn't have to meddle with her present. If only she could have a restart to choose the best dad for them. If only life hasn't been cruel to her. Probably her kids aren't longing for a father's care. They must've been happier growing up in a complete family. She never imagined in her whole life to raise kids all by herself. It's the kind of life she grew up in but history repeats itself through her children. She couldn't help but put blame on herself.

She carries Nathalia in her arms while Isabelle is carried by their nanny. They both are asleep on their way home after almost entire day of playing.

She kisses her kids good night on their beds when Isabelle woke up, rubbing her eyes. "Momma?"

"Sweety, go back to sleep now. It's almost past your bed time" she covers Isabelle with her blanket.

"You'll sleep beside me, momma?" with her droopy eyes.

"If you want me to, dear" she snuggled up against the sleepy Isabelle. Her little arm wrapped around Lea.

Lea hums a lullaby to put back her little girl to sleep. She combs her hair through fingers. Isabelle gets sleepy easily everytime her mom does it.

It's somehow fulfilling to see her kids happy despite the absence of a father.

It's Monday morning and after dropping the kids off at school she headed to her intelligence agency.

Mr. Smith, a CEO of wine company, asked for help as his wife was assassinated by a member of a criminal organization. The culprit has a number of crimes committed but managed to escape for countless times. The said culprit staged his death last month to elude the criminal cases awaiting to be filed against him. Unlucky to him, he bumped a wealthy and high profile CEO. She assigned the best people for this mission. In a remote area is where her formed team found his safe house. The plan is to take the culprit alive and let him face all of his criminal charges.

Lea is working on her Macbook when her assigned head of the team came in.

"Good morning, attorney" she greeted Lea.

"Good morning. How's the mission going?" she paused from what she's doing.

"Apology, attorney. We failed the mission"

She took her red-rimmed glasses off, agitated. "Damn it! How!? You're all equipped with upgraded weapons!"

"The safe house was attacked with other group. We were on the verge of assailing when a man, probably the leader, blew up our planted devices. Few of our members got injured. We rushed them to the nearby hospital. According to our source, the culprit was sent to jail" the assigned head trembles from the stern look of Lea.

Failed mission is inevitable but not for this case. It's akin to previous cases they handled throughout the agency's existence. And, the culprit was on the list of most wanted fugitive in the city. It would've been another milestone to them.

Lea rose, pointing finger on the air. "Find that man! Gather all informations you can and I want to know what agency he's working on!"

"I was able to track his name, attorney. And, his agency as well" she placed the piece of information on Lea's table.

A moment of silence wrapped her office right after she asked her member to leave.

She paused, trying to sink in everything. Her heart beats the familiar rhythm once again. Her chest felt that same tightness back to the day she once knew his betrayal. She assessed her heart, it remains the same - fragmented. She trembles to sit back, hoping it is just a nightmare.

Destiny is leading her back to the road she longs to never cross again .....

... where their paths meet one more time.