Divorced Ex-Luna Returns With Triplets
Chapter THIRTY EIGHT: Refusing The Birthday Gift

Maurene'S

POV

Pearl beads. Kai had once said he wanted something like that. I thought he was just saying it casually. Pearl beads were expensive, especially this one. It is the one of its sort and I did not need to be told this would be worth millions. Tony can never buy the minimum. He always would buy luxurious things.

Kai stared at the gift in my hand like he had been expecting it. Actually, Liam had jokingly said he would get it for him when he saw it. I thought he was bluffing. I did moy know he still had it in mind to get it for him.

"No, I don't think you should gift him this." I disagreed completely. He rose to his feet, his figure towering over me as he arched his brows.

"Maurene?"

I looked up to him, shaking my head. "This... This is too expensive for a young boy. I don't want them wearing things that would attract rubbish." I told him.

He glanced at the kids before taking me by the hand and leading me out. He closed the door and Diana took that chance to engage the kids even though I could feel Kai's attention on us.

"Maurene for gods' sake. I just got him what he has always wished to get for them. Why are you making this hard for us?" He asked, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"No. I am not saying you cannot get them what they want. All I am saying that when it goes above what I can afford, I do not want it for them." I stated.

I want them to learn to be contented with things. The more he stays on the fact that he is satisfying their wishes, the lore they make wishes that even I won't be able to fulfill them. I had checked the price of the pearl beads out of the curiosity. When I saw the price, I had always decided that my kids would not use such an expensive jewelry. I can make him necklace with beads if that is what he wants but this... I won't accept it from him.

"Maurene, you keep making this hard. It is their day. I can get them anything and besides, I have been getting them thing and you have never complained so why is it different this time?"

"Because it is way too expensive to spend on someone who is not even your child." I snorted. His left arched, taken aback.

"They are my kids too, Maurene." He whispered.

I shook my head. "That is not what I mean. What I meant to say is that-"

"I am more of a good father to them than their biological father who does not even know that they exist. Don't you think your kids are suffering?"

I whirled around in shock at the words he spat.

"Don't you think that they also want their own father? Like they never craved to meet their father? And here I am trying to fill that void for them and you are holding me back. I see it in Kai's eyes, he longs for a fatherly love and that is just what I am trying to do here." He said all in one breath and I could do nothing but watch him throw my past into my face with just this quick summary.

"Liam," I did not know what else to say. He...

"Maurene, you should cut yourself some slack. You keep telling not to do this for the kids. Not to do that for the kids. You are not even motivating me. I feel like most times you just don't want me involved in your life. You feel like I am not worthy enough to do it. Like-"

"I have never thought." I whispered.

He snorted. "You have, Maurene. Then tell me why I can't get things I want for the kids. I see them like my kids too. I do things I will do for my kids to them. But no, you want to bear the burden all by yourself. Let me help you, Maurene." He moved closer but I held my hand out to him.

His jaw hardened, a muscle ticking. "You still want him. You still wish that he knew about the kids. You wish that he was the one doing all of these for the kids. That is why. That is the reason you don't want me to do it. You still want Nathaniel back!" I did not know how it happened. The only thing I knew was that his words were pushing that part of me that I had buried years ago back into the surface. My hands were visibly trembling. In a flash, my palms stuck to the flesh of his cheek, his head swiveled to the side. I retracted my hand like his skin burnt me.

"Get out! Get out now, Liam!" I gritted out at him, grinding my jaw.

His eyes hardened as he stared at me, gripping the sides of the kids.

"I said get out of my house!" I pointed to the entrance. He was seething. He clenched his fist and turned on his feet, maintaining a relaxed composure for the kids. I watched him through the transparent glass. He picked up his phone and was about to leave when Kylie reached for him, smiling innocently up at him. I entered the living room and marched toward them.

"Where are you going, Uncle Liam?" She asked him.

A shadow crossed Liam's face as he looked down on her. He opened his mouth to answer but glanced at me and did not say anything.

"Uncle Liam has to leave. He has some work to do." I offered her a smile that didn't reach my face. If only they knew the chaos that was rolling within me. I clenched my fist to stop myself from lashing out at her. She pouted sadly. "Why? Today is our birthday and you want to leave? You hurt me, Uncle Liam. Please stay, please please." She begged him and he turned to me for permission.

Just as I opened my mouth to speak, Diana's voice cut through. "Of course, Uncle Liam can stay. You can spend your day with him today." She smiled at the young girl who didn't know what was happening.

I glanced at her and she offered me a smile before moving forward to tell Kyle something. As I turned to leave, Kyle grabbed me and said, "Mommy, stay with us."

I tilted my head to the side. "Do you know you still have to take your bath so that you can cut the cake?" I said.

Kylie gasped. "There is a cake?"

That alone brought a smile to my face. I bobbed my head in response. She quickly rushed off with Diana, ruffling Kyle's hair. It was just Liam and I that remained in the living room. None of us attempted to say anything to each other and I was okay with that. I went upstairs to my room to have my bath also.

By the time we were all done, we returned to the living room and Liam was still there, typing away on his phone.

Diana went ahead to bring the cake out from where we hid it. I overheard Kylie telling Liam how she thought that there would not be cake for them today. I felt sad for a brief moment. Why would she think that?

Liam just offered her a tight smile. I knew he did not like the fact that we were in the same space right now. I did not like it too but I had to tolerate his presence for the sake of my kids. What was I thinking when I told him to leave? And he also wanted to leave.

I need to stop thinking about Liam and focus on my kids' big day. Wide grins appeared on Kyle's and Kylie's lips as they clapped their hands in anticipation.

Diana shook her head at the playfulness. Placing the knife in place on the cake, I went to set up the camera so that we would capture the moment.

I tried to fix it on the stand but it seemed too tight for it to set in. Why was it doing this? This was not the first time I would be using it with this stand.

Did someone touch it? I wanted to ask but I felt his presence behind me even before I turned to him. He collected it from me and I let him. I could not do it does not mean I would be stubborn and force myself to.