The Billionaire's Regret { Regret Series #1}

CHAPTER TWELVE

MOMMY WHY DOESN'T DADDY LIVE WITH US?

As the school bell rang, Kathleen stood among the other parents waiting outside the school's gate, her gaze fixed on the entrance. Finally, Lana emerged, her tiny hand clutching a drawing she had made in class today. Kathleen's heart swelled with pride as she watched her daughter skip towards her, her curls bouncing with each step.

"Hi mommy!" Lana exclaimed, her eyes bright with excitement. "Look at what i made today!".

Kathleen smiled warmly, accepting the drawing with a gentle touch. Lana's artwork was always a masterpiece in her eyes, no matter how simple or imperfect it may be. But as she glanced at the drawing, her smile faltered.

"What's wrong, mommy? Don't you like it?", Lana asked, her voice tinged with worry.

"No sweetheart", Kathleen replied, her voice barely above a whisper. "It's lovely".

The picture was a drawing of a family who she labelled mommy, Lana and daddy.

Kathleen s heart sank, realizing that lana had no idea the consequences of her innocent actions. "Nevermind, sweetheart. Let's just go home, okay?".

Lana nodded, her small hand gripping Kathleen's and they walked towards the car without knowing that Lana and Charles had met.

Arriving home, Kathleen guided Lana into the kitchen and settled her into her chair.

"Mommy, why doesn't daddy live with us?" Lana's innocent question sliced through the silence, catching Kathleen off guard.

Taking a deep breath, Kathleen searched for an answer.

"He's... working abroad, sweetheart", Kathleen replied, her voice adorned with forceful cheerfulness. "He has an important job that helps people in far away places".

Lana's gaze fixed on her mother, her gaze brimming with uncertainty. "But mommy, why doesn't he come home? Doesn't he miss us?".

Kathleen's heart shattered at the sincerity of Lana's question. She longed to tell her the truth, but she couldn't, she didn't want to hurt her daughter. Instead, she mustered a smile and said, "he misses us, darling. But he's doing what he needs to do to take care of our family".

Not satisfied with Kathleen's response, Lana pushed her further. "Can we call him? I want to talk to daddy".

Panic surged through Kathleen's veins, but she managed to maintain her composure. "Oh, sweetheart, we can't call him right now. He's in a place with no cellphone service. But when he comes back, we can talk to him, okay?".

Lana gazed at her silently, her eyes studying her mother's every move. Kathleen felt a lump forming in her throat, knowing that Lana was smarter than she let on.

Before Lana could probe further, Kathleen shifted the conversation telling her to quickly eat her dinner so they could both get ready for bed.

Little did Kathleen know, Lana had already seen through her lies. Her daddy wasn't working abroad, she had seen him today and they even had ice cream together, Lana silently thought.

The bedtime story ended and Kathleen tucked Lana into bed, planting a soft kiss on her forehead. As she turned to leave the room, she felt a tiny hand grab her wrist, stopping her in her tracks.

"Mama, i want daddy, you and i to all live together like the rest of my friends families.

Kathleen turned to face her daughter, her eyes brimming with unspoken words and unshed tears. "One day, my precious Lana, one day. Goodnight love". With that she hurriedly left the room.