A multimillionaire was waiting for an Uber when he spotted his exsomeone he hadnt seen in six yearsholding hands with two children who looked exactly like him. He wasnt ready for what happened next.
They stood on the pavement outside a bookshop in the city centre, messing about with matching navy-blue caps and laughing at some private joke. Both had the same sandy-blond hair, the same little dimple on their left cheeks, and the same restless energy hed had at their age. They looked about five or sixstill young enough to skip instead of walk.
Michaels Uber app said his driver would arrive in three minutes. He checked the map on his phone, then glanced back at the kids.
Thats when she stepped out of the bookshop.
Emily.
For a second, Michael thought his eyes were playing tricks. He hadnt seen her since that cold November morning six years ago when theyd broken up. She wore a cream jumper and dark jeans, her hair slightly shorter but still that soft brown he remembered. She looked older, but in a good waycalmer, more settled.
When she reached for the childrens hands, something twisted in Michaels chest.
The Uber pinged. Two minutes.
He couldve left. Got in the car, gone to his meeting, and pretended this never happened. But his feet stayed rooted to the spot.
Emily noticed him as she adjusted the younger boys backpack strap. Her eyes widenednot exactly in surprise, more like recognition mixed with hesitation.
“Michael,” she said carefully.
“Emily.” His throat went dry. “Hi.”
The kids stared at him, curious. The older one tilted his head. “Whos that, Mum?”
*Mum.*
The word hit him harder than hed expected.
“This is an old friend,” Emily said after a pause. “Michael, meet my sons, Oliver and Jack.”
Both gave him a little wave. Oliver, the older one, had Michaels exact eye colourgrey with a thin green ring. Jack had his nose. Michael told himself he was imagining it, but the resemblance was too strong to ignore.
“They seem like great kids,” he said, sounding more confident than he felt.
“Thanks.” Emily smiled, but it didnt reach her eyes.
A silence settledlong enough for the air between them to fill with six years of unspoken words.
“So you live around here?” Michael asked, more to keep her there than out of real curiosity.
“Not far. We moved back about a year ago.”
The Uber icon showed the driver turning onto the street.
Michael hesitated. He wanted to ask about the kids, about their father. But the last time theyd spoken, *he* was the one whod ended things. Back then, hed been too focused on building his business, too convinced love and ambition couldnt mix. Now, a multimillionaire with a luxury flat but no one to come home to, that choice didnt seem so clear.
The boys got distracted by a passing dog, giving Michael a moment alone with Emily.
“They seem” He trailed off. “Happy. Thats good.”
“They are,” she said softly. “Weve managed.”
He nodded, though part of him burned to ask more.
The Uber pulled up. The driver rolled down the window. “Michael?”
He glanced at the car, then back at Emily. She was holding the boys hands again, ready to leave.
“Good seeing you,” he said.
“You too.” She tightened her grip on her phone.
He got in the Uber, but as they drove off, he turned to look back. The boys were watching the car, and for a moment, Jacks little smirkidentical to the one in Michaels childhood photosmade his chest ache.
He had no idea that brief encounter would unravel a truth capable of rewriting the last six years of his life.
**Part Two The Truth**
Michael hadnt planned on seeing Emily again. But life, messy and unpredictable, doesnt care much for plans.
Three days later, he was leaving a café when he heard someone call his name. Emily stood across the street, a shopping bag in hand. The boys werent with her.
“Got a minute?” she asked.
They ended up on a bench in the park, no small talk this time.
“I owe you an explanation,” she began. “About the boys.”
Michael braced himself. “Emily, you dont have to”
“Theyre yours, Michael.”
The words hit like a punch. For a moment, all he heard was the distant hum of traffic.
He blinked. “I what?”
“After we split, I found out I was pregnant. I tried calling, but your number had changed. I emailed, but you never replied. I thought youd made it clear you didnt want this kind of life.”
Michael stared. “I didnt get anything. No calls, no emails.”
Her brows furrowed. “I used your old work address.”
“I sold that company a month after we broke up. Changed everything.”
They sat in silence, the weight of six lost years pressing down.
“I didnt know how to find you,” she said quietly. “And I wasnt going to chase someone whod already walked away.”
Michael exhaled sharply, his mind flooded with everything hed missedfirst words, first steps, birthdays. Two whole childhoods he never knew were his.
“Oliver and Jack,” he repeated slowly, savouring the names in a new way. “Theyre my sons.”
Emily nodded.
For the first time since their breakup, she didnt seem guarded. Just tiredlike someone whod carried too much alone for too long.
Michael leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “I want to be part of their lives.”
She studied him. “Its not that simple. They dont know who you are not like that. Andtheyre everything to me.”
“Im not trying to take them,” he said firmly. “I just cant walk away again. Not now.”
Her expression softened slightly, though the uncertainty remained. “Wed have to take it slow.”
“I can do slow,” he said. “But I cant do nothing.”
They talked for another hour, piecing together a fragile plana lunch the following week, for now just as “Mums friend Michael.” No big revelation until the boys were ready.
As they parted, Emily looked at him with something close to relief. “Youve changed,” she said.
“Maybe. Or maybe I finally figured out what actually matters.”
That night, in his penthouse overlooking the city, Michael sat in silence, replaying the day. For years, hed thought success meant building something from nothing. But now he knew the truth: the most important thing hed ever build hadnt even started yettwo children, and a second chance.
