24| He hurt you. He hurt us.

"What is it? I'm tired, go to bed, it's too late." I groaned lazily from my sleep when my kids couldn't stop pestering me. I've been trying to rest my head and seek a comfortable place where I'd sleep peacefully, but it was to no avail.

How can I sleep with all those things that happened between him and I yesterday? It was still very hard to put up with the scene and I was tired about it. All I want is get a sleep so my eye bag could get over me.

By now, my eyelids are too weak to remain open for my eyeballs. All I ask for is just few hours of relaxation. This is what I've been telling my kids from my sleeps since. Now that the so-called sleep has come, they don't want me to have it peacefully.

"Go away, I need to rest, please." I slapped the hand that came tapping on my shoulder for the third time.

"Mom, you have to stay awake. We have something important to share with you." Becca is another pain in my ass as she begged.

I smiled, eyes still shut as I made an affirmative sound, nodding my head like I was gonna obey her. Of course she waited and I believed the others did the same too but to no avail, they might hear me snoring soundly.

"Mom?!" My daughter, Bella, slapped my back and I swear that slap entered, reaching down my marrows as it made me jolt out of my sleep instantly.

"What the fuck is up with you, Bella?!" I stormed at her and she jolted backwards on her butt, almost losing her balance on the bed. "And all of you too! Don't you guys sleep for goodness sake?" A huge scowl on my face. Even with those small hands of Bella, how come the slap felt like that of an adult?

Speaking of adults... makes me remember the several slaps I've received as text messages from Leo.

"We have something to discuss with you." Billy's words break. He was probably scared of the way I raised my voice at them.

I took a deep breath, trying not to growl at them in frustration. I facepalm and exhaled, keeping my cool so my inner beast doesn't unleash itself.

I lifted my head, facing them. Only for them to give me a 'Please, mom. Just give us listening ears for a sec,' Look. I roll my eyes, groaning to calm down.

What is so important that these kids has to tell me? I understand I've not been paying too much attention to them lately, especially during homeworks. I'm fond of assuming that they're clever and can do it alone themselves.

Of course my kids are. And that's the only thing I can say they benefited from their father. Leo is a notorious vagabond, but when it comes to intelligence, he is number one.

I usually give myself the credit as the most brilliant person alive but when I met Leo, he was a mastermind in everything and I just seem to be like an intern. That's why it's so difficult to trick him. His brain works in a different dimension. So calculative.

Yeah, yeah, go on and call me useless names, I deserve it. Because you think I prefer my job over my kids but I don't. I'm working to support them, to give them the best future awaiting for them. They're my number one priority and I can't use them to play careless TEMPLE RUN games.

"Just because you guys couldn't get a nap doesn't mean you should bug everyone who could." I rubbed my eyes with the back of my hand, yawning so loud, almost swallowing each of their heads. Their brows creased slightly as they arch themselves backward a bit to avoid the hot air coming from my mouth.

It took them almost forever as they kept quiet, busy looking at each other's faces as they wait for who's to speak first.

I frowned, quizzically?

Really? Is this some kinda joke? "So you guys purposely woke me up in the middle of the night just to stare and blink eyes at me?" What a great silence that greeted me 'WELCOME.' "Do you guys realize how stressed out I was the day that passed into today? Do you guys know how much I've been working out my ass just to end up in bed broken down and exhausted? And all you do is make silly disturbance? If this is a prank, you guys better stop it." I was obviously ranting at them impatiently. This is what I do and how I behave towards my kids when I'm pissed at them.

"Few weeks ago before our school went on holiday....." Billy looked at his fidgeting fingers as he begins. "They brought an offer. It's a scholarship program that can help through out the education sector. There is a prize tag for the lucky winners but the thing was, we have to apply with something huge to get something huge in return. So, I was scared to tell you about it. I wanted to but....I really don't know if you had the money for me to participate, because I really wanted to, so I..."

My neck was moving from pillar to pole as it's eager to hear more of Billy's unfinished sentences. "So? Go on." I urge him, knowing that he wasn't finished yet.

"So I....." Seems like the words are trembling in his mouth like hot food on his tongue. I don't get it, am I that harsh on my kids? Especially these days?

I am running out of patience. I don't want to lose it and end up yelling at him to speak it out. That would only make it worse and I'll never get to hear the remains of the story.

So what did I do?

I pat his shoulders, trying to ease the tension flowing in his veins. "Relax, okay? Momma won't hurt you, just tell me what happened and I'll understand."

His head slowly lifted, looking at me, "Are you sure you won't get mad at us?"

My brows kinda got knitted. 'Us'? "Oh, it wasn't just you who participated but all three of you?" I chuckled, foolishly. "Wow, so tell me how did it happened?"

Becca helplessly shook her head, "Mom, it's just Billy who participated. Bella and I, have our own different confession to make as well."

I found myself smiling like an idiot when I heard the word CONFESSION. So, it's actually something close to getting provoked, right? But I still don't know what it was or might be. My kids haven't said anything specific yet and am fucking dying to know.

"I'll help Billy out." Bella seems to be the only brave one amongst us. She cleared her throat like a boss lady and continued from where her brother stopped. Meanwhile, Billy was already breaking in cold sweat and Becca was shivering. "The money they asked for was too much for the participation and he didn't want to bother you with anything because you've already done too much for us."

I place one hand on my chest, sighing sweetly. Aww, so nice of you, honey.

"And it turns out that during that period, Becca and I needed some money to fund our account so we could shop online for Christmas....." Now I knew where this is going. All those wrapped fancy things I saw them hiding in the closet the other day where actually ordered. Okay. Go on, someone is about to get whipped. "And also pay for our ballet classes. So instead of meeting you or telling grandma and great-grandma about it, we collided together and walk up to tell Dexter about and he responded instantly within a twinkle of an eye."

"What?!" My eyes grew enormously. I find myself standing up and I believe my hair are doing the same on my head like I just got electrocuted by the highest voltage of power supply. They startled by my sudden reaction. "Why didn't you call your father? Of course he gave you three each smart phones. You have his number, why didn't you reach him and tell him about your level of finance?"

"I hate him!" Of course I got what I wanted to hear. All three of them yelled back at me in unison.

Somehow, I felt good knowing I was not the only person who hates Leo now, but his kids have no room for him in their little hearts.

I place my hands on my hips, scoffing at my little Bella who still had tears welling in her red eyes. "You were the one who literally asked when he was gonna return and now—"

"I faked it, mom." She cried. But that doesn't count. Am still coming for them. Am gonna deal with them personally and mercilessly today. They know me. They know what I can do. "He was the last person I would ever talk about. He hurt you he hurt us. Though he was caring towards us but he wasn't towards you. I only framed to be sad that day because I don't want you to feel lonely."

All the anger in me dissipated at once and my strength of whipping my kids died in me, leaving me with nothing but a bleeding heart.

I never knew until this day that my kids actually felt my pains. I thought they'd choose their father over me especially Isabella who's mostly her father's favorite.

"But, honey, I was with you in the room and Billy and Becca was there too." I reminded her.

But she just wiped her big eyes with the back of her little hands, still trying to hold back her tears which just kept drizzling down her pink chubby cheeks. "I wasn't talking about us. We were all in the room, fine, yes I know, but still, you were all alone in your heart, mom. I faked the bedtime story thing because I wanted a plus one to join us."

Oh.....my God.

This is too much for me and sometimes, I begin to wonder if truly Bella is my child because she doesn't sound like a child to me whenever she talks. She's even smarter and wiser than her older sister, Rebecca. And secondly, she doesn't act like my last baby.

I ran out of words. I still don't know what to say. Everything I wanted to tell them in return of their confession died away from me when I realize how much they care about me than themselves.

Becca stood up, walked into the walk-in closet and came back with a couple of things wrapped in fancy wrappings. When she handed it to me, I asked, trying to hide my expression so they don't know I was tearing up. "What is this?"

"Take it first." She insisted, ignoring my question.

I took it without further questions and went straight to open it. Before my eyes, it was a beautiful red t-shirt with the hashtag I LOVE YOU, MOM written at the front with an heart shape of love drawn in white. Was this actually a bribe or a way of saying sorry for what they did?

I never cared to ask myself that question as tears flow down my cheeks. I sobbed, crying my sorrows out without caring if my kids were there right in front of me. "Why did you do this?" Those are the only words that could come out of me instantly.

They didn't bother answering me as they left where they were seated and come to stay beside me. Billy wiped my tears off, while Bella and Becca rested their heads on my shoulders.

I try to put on a smile on my face even if it has to be the weakest. I wrap my arms around them like a mother hen protecting her chicks underneath her wings. They snuggled and snuggled until there was no space for air to come in between.

Finally they fell asleep, leaving me to watch over them. "Good night, sleepyheads." I whispered, smiling and planting a soft kiss on their foreheads as I cover them with the sheets.

I took a deep breath before picking up the red t-shirt from the bed. It smells good and am gonna wear it for Christmas. I kept it in my wardrobe before deciding on something that made me walk out.