Living together

Both of them sat quietly in the office, staring in the opposite direction to avoid making eye contact each other.

Then after an hour had passed by, Miya felt her rage completely subsided, and she finally felt a bit like herself again.

"How did it happen?" Miya asked as she gazed at the clock long hand slowly moving around.

"Uh?" Jackson mumbled, awakening from his thoughts.

"I know that I didn't sleep with you, so how did I end up having your kids?"

"Oh, well, there was a mix-up with me and Lucas's sperm at the hospital on the day of your procedure. Chris was the one who found out and I learned the truth after I woke from the coma."

A soft chuckle escaped Miya's lips. Then she burst into laughter only to end up sobbing loudly.

Suddenly she felt a deep ache and shooting pain in her chest, then her vision slowly became blurry as tears swelled up in her eyes.

"Fate is so cruel. He was changing. He had actually become the man that I once fell in love with. This one month has been one of the best months of our marriage. If my babies were his, we could finally be the family that I always wanted." Miya cried while aggressively sniffing her snot up her nostrils.

"Men like Lucas don't easily change. It only takes the first hit for an abuser to continue assaulting his partner, and they have a convincing way of making it look like it's your fault. But you are not to be blame for anything that happened." Jackson said as he turned and stared at her.

When she felt his gaze on her, Miya looked away from the clock and stared into Jackson's eyes.

At this point, every heartbeat sent an anguishing pain to her heart as if her chest were being ripped apart. But she kept it together, feeling too exhausted to have another emotional breakdown.

"How about you? You seemed pretty violent just now." Miya mumbled, sounding a bit judgmental.

"I am only violent for the people that I care about," Jackson said with the utmost seriousness in his tone. Then he took a deep breath and relaxed.

Suddenly, it grew silent between them as they stared deeply into each other's eyes. Then Milo's cry broke the quietness in the room.

"I got him," Jackson said as he reached for Milo and took him out of his seat. Then he stood to his feet and gently rocked his son side to side.

"You are good with them. But I wish it was my husband who was holding his son, and not someone else's husband." Miya frustratingly said.

Those words made her feel trapped and out of breath, yet she couldn't escape the feeling since it was familiar to her even though she hated it.

"I never stopped Lucas from playing his role as a father. He had his chance and he blew it. It had nothing to do with me." Jackson replied while lightly patting Milo's back.

Even though his face expressed anger, he made sure that his tone remained calm because of his son.

"He would have been a great dad if Chris and you were honest with us from the start. Then he wouldn't have to go through the torment of playing a guessing game with my kids." Miya mumbled while doubting every word she had just uttered.

"Here we go again! When will you realize how toxic your relationship with your so-called husband is? Wake up and walk out! That's what I did." Jackson said as his anger swelled up in him.

It got quiet again as Miya stared at Jackson with a look of confusion on her face. Then she hesitated for a moment before asking, " You divorce Jennie?"

"No. We are on separation for the time being." Jackson said.

After his remark, silence took over the room again and it left that way until the office door opened and Doctor Marshall walked inside, then he closed it behind him.

"I have only positive news. Mila's condition has become stable and she's in good health. It's good that her condition wasn't too severe. Once I run you through some stuff, you guys can take her home." Doctor Marshall said.

For a moment, Miya and Jackson lost the frown on their faces and wore a cheerful smile on their lips, feeling grateful that their daughter was okay.

Although they came in the morning, Jackson drove out of the hospital parking lot at nine o'clock with Miya in the front seat and the triplet in the backseat.

The silence in the car was so uncomfortable that Jackson had to turn the radio on to create some distraction.

"At five p.m in the Washburn neighborhood, a drunk man set his house on fire. He's in police custody as I speak. Also, the report from the firefighters stated that everything inside the house was completely touched. However, no one was affected by the fire since his wife and her triplet were at the hospital according to him."

Every other sound got locked out of Miya's ears as the words from the reporter on the radio played on repeat in her head.

"Oh my! He didn't. Please, tell me that he didn't." She softly cried as her hands trembled uncontrollably while tears rushed out of her eyes.

However, what she considered her worst nightmare became her reality when Jackson entered their neighborhood and stopped at the burned-down building that she once called home.

"Who have I been married to all these years?" Miya whispered while staring at the ruins in disbelief.

"My house is open to you and the kids," Jackson mumbled.

However, the only response he got was silence. so he put the car in gear and drove to his place.

When the car came to a stop in his yard, Miya was so emotional and devastated that she got down from the car and headed for the front door, forgetting that she had kids.

However, Jackson pressed the unlock button on his control key, automatically unlocking the mansion door for her.

Then he watched Miya enter the house before opening the back door of the car and taking his kids out of the backseat.

Afterward, he hung their bags on his shoulder, grabbed their car seats, and carried the three of them into the house.

When he didn't see Miya downstairs, he headed upstairs with his kids and knocked one of his guest rooms down.

After the second knock, the door opened and Miya stood at the entrance, staring at him with her teary red eyes.

"Can you handle these three for a moment?" Jackson asked.

"Why? A few minutes as a dad, and you are already tire with them!" Miya aggressively said while trying to get a grip on her anger.

"No. I just need you to look after them while I make dinner. I figured you may be hungry after spending the day at the hospital without putting something in your stomach."

"Oh."

"Are you going to take them?"

"Yeah."

After getting the kids in the room, Jackson turned around to leave, but Miya grabbed his arm and said, "I appreciate everything that you are doing for my kids and me, but once I can stand on my two feet again, we are leaving."