Chapter 27: The Weight of Truth

The silence between them stretched unbearably. Lani watched Elias, waiting for him to say something—anything—that would give her a clue about what was going on in his head.

Elias exhaled, running a hand through his hair. He looked at her with something unreadable in his dark eyes. "So, what now?"

Lani blinked. "What do you mean?"

Elias let out a dry chuckle. "I mean, what do you expect me to do with this, Lani? You drop this on me, after all this time, and now I have two kids I didn't even know existed." His voice was tight with barely restrained frustration.

Lani felt her stomach twist. "I don't expect anything," she said, forcing her voice to stay even. "I just… I thought you had the right to know."

Elias scoffed, shaking his head. "The right to know? Lani, I have weeks left. Maybe months, if I'm lucky."

Lani's breath caught.

He wasn't just angry.

He was terrified.

The realization hit her like a slap.

For so long, Elias had been a steady force in her home, in her children's lives. Even when he annoyed her, even when they argued, he had always been there. But now, that illusion of stability was cracking.

She felt a lump rise in her throat. "Don't talk like that," she said, softer this time.

Elias exhaled sharply. "I don't have the luxury of pretending, Lani."

Lani gripped the edge of her desk. "Then fight."

Elias' jaw tightened. "You think I haven't been?"

She swallowed hard. "Then fight harder."

He let out a bitter laugh. "For what? A future I might not even have? A relationship with kids who don't even know I'm their father?"

Lani's chest ached at his words. She wanted to tell him he was wrong. That there was hope. But she wasn't sure if he'd believe her.

She wasn't even sure if she believed it.

But before she could say anything else, a knock on the door interrupted them.

"Mom?"

Lani's heart stopped.

Luca.

Elias stiffened as well, his expression shutting down immediately. Lani quickly wiped her face, composing herself before calling out, "Come in."

Luca opened the door, his blue eyes sharp as he looked between them. "Is everything okay?"

Lani forced a smile. "Of course, sweetheart. What do you need?"

Luca glanced at Elias briefly before turning back to his mother. "Lily's waiting for him," he said simply. "She wants to show him something."

Elias' shoulders tensed, but he nodded. "I'll be right there."

Luca hesitated for a moment before giving a small nod and leaving.

The second he was gone, Elias sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "This isn't fair to them."

Lani looked at him, her chest tightening. "They need you, Elias."

Elias met her gaze. "And what happens when I'm gone?"

Lani inhaled sharply.

She had no answer.

Because deep down, she was just as scared as he was.

Lani sat in her office at Lelani Tech, her fingers pressed against her temples. The tension in the room was suffocating, thick with unspoken words and emotions neither of them knew how to handle. Elias stood across from her, arms crossed, his usual stoic expression betraying nothing—but Lani knew better now.

She knew everything.

"Elias," she said finally, breaking the silence. "I—"

"Don't," he cut her off, shaking his head. "Don't say anything unless it's something I need to hear."

Lani's jaw clenched. "You need to hear this."

He let out a sharp breath, turning to look out the floor-to-ceiling window behind her desk. From this height, the city below looked peaceful, like a different world—one that wasn't currently collapsing under the weight of this revelation.

"They're mine," Elias murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. "Aren't they?"

Lani exhaled slowly. "Yes."

His fingers curled into fists, but his expression remained eerily calm. "How long have you known?"

She hesitated. "Days"

Elias let out a short, humorless laugh. "Of course you did."

"I wasn't trying to keep it from you," Lani said quickly. "I was trying to figure out how to tell you without—"

"Without what?" He turned back to face her, his dark eyes searching hers. "Without making me feel like a stranger in my own children's lives?"

Lani flinched.

Elias shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. "I need air," he muttered before striding toward the door.

But before he could leave, a small voice stopped him.

"Elias!"

Both of them turned to see Lily standing in the doorway, clutching a small clay figure in her hands. Luca was behind her, watching quietly, as always.

Elias forced a smile. "Hey, princess. What are you doing here?"

Lily grinned, holding up the figure. "I made this! Look, it's you!"

Elias blinked down at the little sculpture. It was rough, but there was no mistaking it—Lily had tried to shape his wavy hair, his tall frame. She had even drawn tiny dots for his eyes.

Something tightened in his chest.

Luca, who had been silent the whole time, spoke up. "You and Lily look alike," he said casually, though there was something sharp in his gaze. "Leo made a joke about it before, but I noticed it way earlier."

Lani's breath caught.

Elias swallowed hard, glancing between the twins. "Yeah?"

Luca nodded, his expression unreadable. "Yeah."

Lily tugged at Elias's sleeve. "Do you like it?"

Elias crouched down so he was eye level with her. He took the clay figure gently, rolling it between his fingers as if it were the most fragile thing in the world.

"I love it," he said, his voice hoarse.

Lily beamed and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. Elias stiffened for a second before melting into the embrace, his arms wrapping around her small frame.

Luca didn't say anything, but when Elias looked up, their eyes met.

Luca knew.

And Elias could no longer run from it.