Chapter 139

Serena's POV

Milo pressed his face against the glass, his excitement barely contained, while Stella sat quietly beside me, her small hand tucked in mine.

"Look, Mommy! We can see the whole city from here!" Milo exclaimed, his breath fogging up the glass. His enthusiasm reminded me of another little girl who once pressed her face against this same window, marveling at the lights below with her mother.

I felt Stella's grip tighten slightly. When I looked down, her grey eyes were studying my face with that uncanny perception of hers. "Mommy, your eyes are getting red," she said softly, reaching into her little packbag for a handkerchief.

"It's because Mommy's too happy," I managed, pulling both of them closer. "Having two such wonderful children makes me the luckiest person in the world."

"We'll always protect Mommy!" Milo declared, temporarily abandoning his window vigil to wrap his arms around mine. Stella nodded in agreement, though I caught a shadow of worry cross her delicate features.

"Mommy," she began hesitantly, "do you know that Godmother comes to see Daddy a lot when we're abroad?" The sudden shift in topic caught me off guard. Before I could respond, Milo jumped in eagerly.

"Yeah! But Daddy's always super cold to her. Not like how he looks at you-" He was cut off by Stella's gentle but firm squeeze of his hand, her eyes warning him not to continue.

"I know what Rachel was trying to do," Stella said, her voice quiet but clear. "She always does that - tries to make it seem like she's our mother. But she's not. You are."

I felt my heart catch in my throat. "Stella..."

"It's true," Milo turned from the window, his expression serious. "She visits sometimes and brings presents and tries to hug us, but it doesn't feel right. Not like with you."

I shook my head slightly, more at the complexities of adult relationships than at their observations. "Some things are for grown-ups to figure out," I said carefully, running my fingers through Milo's hair. "What matters is that I love you both very much, and that will never change."

"We know," Stella whispered, leaning her head against my shoulder. "You're the best mommy in the world." The simple statement, delivered with such conviction, brought fresh tears to my eyes.

The cabin reached its apex, suspended between earth and sky. In this moment, with one child curled trustingly against each side, I felt both incredibly strong and achingly vulnerable.

"Do you want to take a picture?" I suggested, trying to lighten the mood. Both children immediately brightened, though in their distinct ways - Milo with an enthusiastic "Yes!" and Stella with a gentle smile as she helped smooth my hair.

As I held up my phone, I caught our reflection in the glass - the three of us framed against the glittering cityscape. Stella was discretely wiping away the last trace of my tears while Milo threw up an exuberant peace sign. The photo captured everything about us: Milo's boundless energy, Stella's quiet devotion, and my own complex mixture of joy and melancholy.

"Perfect!" Milo declared, examining the result. "Can we send it to Daddy?"

Stella's hand found mine again, her grip communicating support. "Maybe we should keep this one just for us," she suggested diplomatically. "It's our special moment."

The cabin began its descent, bringing us back to earth and reality.

"Where should we go next?" I asked as the lights of the carnival grew closer. "We still have time for another ride or some games."

"Can we try the claw machine?" Milo bounced in his seat. "I saw a huge teddy bear earlier!"

"You already have three," Stella reminded him, though her tone was more amused than chiding.

"But this one's different! It's wearing a bowtie!" His earnest explanation made both Stella and me laugh.

Rachel's POV

At the Ferris wheel capsule, I studied Lucas's reflection in the glass. The setting sun painted golden stripes across his sharp profile, highlighting that familiar jawline I'd traced countless times in my dreams. He stood perfectly still, maintaining a careful distance between us in the enclosed space.

"Manhattan's grown so impressive," I said, keeping my voice light and nostalgic. "Remember when grandfather used to bring me to visit? The skyline wasn't nearly this magnificent back then."

"Mm." Lucas's response was barely audible, his gaze fixed on some distant point beyond the glass.

I fought the urge to clench my fists, maintaining the serene smile. The capsule continued its slow ascent, each second of silence between us stretching longer than the last.

"The Harrington's new building really stands out," I tried again, gesturing toward the sleek tower that now dominated the downtown vista. "The architectural design is quite bold."

Lucas responded with a slight nod, still refusing to meet my eyes. The motion sent a sharp pain through my chest.

The memories of our shared past threatened to overwhelm me. How different would things be if I'd chosen to stay instead of chasing my ambitions abroad? The question that had haunted me for years felt especially bitter now, trapped in this glass box with his indifference.

I'd always assumed Lucas would wait for me. The thought of another woman claiming what I'd foolishly taken for granted made my nails dig into my palms.

"The city's changed," I said softly, letting a calculated note of vulnerability enter my voice. "Sometimes I barely recognize it anymore."

The past Rachel might have waited for him to come to her, secure in her position. But that Rachel hadn't noticed the subtle shifts in the social landscape during her absence - hadn't anticipated someone like Serena Sinclair slipping into the spaces she'd left vacant.

Grandfather would be easy enough to convince about the marriage arrangement. He'd always had a soft spot for Lucas, seeing him as the perfect match to stabilize the Thorne family's position. The tricky part would be playing this right - appearing reluctant enough about the arrangement that Lucas wouldn't suspect my hand in it.

"Your grandpa and mine, they were really good friends," I mentioned casually, watching his reflection for any reaction. "It was nice to see them catching up. Almost felt like old times."

Lucas shifted slightly, his shoulders tensing almost imperceptibly. "The past is the past, Rachel."

The words were cold, but at least he was speaking. "Of course," I agreed smoothly, allowing a hint of resignation to color my tone. "We've all grown up, haven't we?"

He didn't respond this time and the suffocating slince began again.

As we stepped away from the Ferris wheel, Lucas's attention had already shifted, his gaze drawn to something - someone - in the distance. I followed his line of sight, my heart clenching when I spotted Serena kneeling to adjust Milo's jacket while Stella waited patiently beside them.

"I added Serena on social media," I said, watching Lucas's face carefully. For the first time since our awkward Ferris wheel ride, his expression shifted - the barest flicker of interest breaking through his careful mask of indifference.

"Should I explain our relationship to her?" I kept my voice light, casual. "Clear up any... misunderstandings?"

"No need." His response was immediate and firm.

"She seems to have misunderstood quite a bit." I persisted, my fingers unconsciously finding the pendant at my throat. "About our history -"

"Then you should stay away from this." Lucas finally turned to look at me, his grey eyes holding a warning I couldn't ignore. "Rachel, don't complicate things."

"I see... I wasn't thinking clearly." I forced a smile. Graceful surrender on the surface, while my mind raced with alternative strategies.

The carnival continued its relentless cheer around us. A child's laughter pierced the air, and I watched as Milo's excitement drew an genuine smile from Serena. It was the kind of natural interaction I'd never quite managed with him, despite years of trying.

I had to admit, even without makeup, Serena possessed the kind of beauty that turned heads. But Lucas wasn't shallow - I knew him better than that. What drew him to her went deeper than appearance, and that realization scared me more than anything else.

The arrangements were already in motion - a marriage alliance between our families that had been "years in the making." The story was perfect: childhood friends, families with strong business ties, a union that made sense on paper.

"Rachel." Lucas's voice pulled me from my thoughts. "Whatever you're planning - don't."

I met his gaze steadily. "I'm not planning anything, Lucas. I just care about you."

He shook his head slightly, and I saw something like pity cross his face.