Alpha's Twins Chapter 82

I couldn't figure out whether to believe what this little girl was telling me. She seemed totally clueless about what was really going on. But then again, how could Natalia possibly keep the truth from her own kids? And how could Eric not claim these children as his own? What kind of guy was he, anyway?

I let out a heavy sigh and shook my head. "Didn't Eric go to your parent-teacher conference?"

She nodded slightly. "Yeah, but only because Mommy had a test that day. Uncle Eric told her not to worry about it, and he went with us instead."

"She had a test? She's in school?"

"Mommy just graduated. Don't you know that?"

No, I had no idea. Natalia went back to school? She actually finished her degree?

That's when it hit me—she'd dropped out of college to marry me. Her adoptive father had told me back then that she'd decided to quit school. I figured she just wasn't cut out for it, so I never bothered asking.

While I was lost in thought, I caught Aria mumbling something.

"Uncle Eric told us once that we could call him dad. But Mommy shushed us real quick and said we shouldn't call another man dad. She said he just loves us a lot, that's why he said it, but we shouldn't take it seriously."

Her words hit me like a truck. I looked down at her and asked, "So who is your dad?"

Tears started forming in her eyes as she looked up at me. "He's not here anymore. He's gone."

I was floored. "What?"

"Mommy said our dad is gone. She told us never to talk about him. So Noah and I never do."

"He's gone?" I repeated, barely believing what I was hearing.

I sat up straight, my mind racing. If Eric really was their father, Natalia would never tell her kids something like that. No way would she trash their dad's image if he was still around and involved in their lives.

Something heavy lifted off my chest. I couldn't explain why, but hearing that their father wasn't alive left me feeling... weird.

"Tell me more about your dad," I said.

She shook her head. "No. Mommy said we can't talk about him."

I rubbed my forehead, trying to process everything. This was all so confusing. Aria looked sad again.

I got out of the car and walked around to her side, opening the door and scooping her up.

"Come on, let's get some ice cream. Don't be sad."

She wrapped her arms around my neck, holding on tight. She was scared of getting lost again. I held her close, trying to make her feel safe.

Everyone stared at us when I walked into the ice cream shop. I ignored them and headed straight for the counter.

"Pick whatever you want."

She chose vanilla and chocolate, grabbing the cone when the worker handed it over.

"You want to eat here or in the car?"

She looked around and said, "It's pretty in here. Can we stay?"

I found us a table in the back and helped her into a chair, then sat across from her.

Her face lit up as she started eating her ice cream. She was adorable. She reminded me so much of her mother.

Looking at her made me wonder—had her mom been this carefree when she was little? I remembered that Natalia had grown up as an orphan. Did she live in poverty, or did she have it good? From what I remembered, Gamma Jeremy hadn't adopted her when she was this young.

"How's your mom?" I asked out of nowhere.

She looked at me and said, "She's the best mom in the world."

"And?"

"She wants us to be happy. So Noah and I want her to be happy too."

"How?"

She leaned closer to me, like she was about to share a secret.

"I heard Grandma tell Grandpa that Mommy is all alone and needs a husband to protect her."

That caught me off guard. I looked away and asked, "What else does your grandma say?"

"She said Mommy cries by herself a lot. But she never lets us see her sad."

My heart clenched. Why was she crying? Wasn't she happy with her boyfriend?

"Is Uncle Eric her boyfriend?"

Her eyes went wide. "Is he?"

"I'm asking you."

God, what was wrong with me? Why was I interrogating a little kid about her mother's love life? Why did I even care?

"Never mind," I muttered.

"Uncle Eric is Uncle Jason's friend. He's really nice. Noah and I like him a lot."

Hearing her praise Eric made my blood boil.

"You done?" I asked, standing up.

She looked at her ice cream and shook her head.

I sighed and sat back down. I kept my mouth shut and let her finish eating in peace.

That's when my phone rang. The number looked familiar.

For some reason, my mood lifted. I glanced at Aria and answered.

"Where is my daughter?"

Natalia's voice came through, and I could hear her panicked breathing even though I didn't say anything.

"Why aren't you answering me? Where is she?" she screamed.

"She's with me," I said coldly.

"Give me my daughter back! Why did you kidnap her? She's just a child! How could you sink so low, Adrian? Have you no shame?"

Her words didn't make me angry. I listened calmly.

I wondered what Patric had told her. Did he say I kidnapped her daughter? Like I had nothing better to do with my time.

"Do you want me to give back your projects? Just tell me, Adrian. What do you want?"

"The truth."

"W-What?"

I looked at Aria, who was grinning at me. I gave her a small smile back, but my voice stayed ice-cold when I answered her mother.

"I want to know the truth about your children's father. I'm sending you an address. Come pick up your daughter. But you're not leaving today without telling me the truth."