Chapter 3: The Preparation
The next two weeks passed in a blur of planning.
Kesha didn’t just want to attend Christmas dinner.
She wanted Marcus to feel the full weight of everything he had thrown away.
She booked a private helicopter to fly them from Austin to Boulder on Christmas morning. It was expensive, but she didn’t care. The visual impact was worth every dollar.
She also bought new matching holiday outfits for all four children — deep red and white, elegant but still child-friendly. She wanted them to look like the perfect, happy family Marcus had walked away from.
On Christmas Eve, she sat the quadruplets down in the living room.
“Tomorrow,” she told them gently, “we’re going to meet your father’s family.”
Noah, the most outspoken of the four, frowned.
“The one who left before we were born?”
Kesha nodded.
“Yes. But you don’t have to call him anything you’re not comfortable with. We’re only going for a few hours. If anyone makes you uncomfortable, just stay close to me.”
Sophia tilted her head.
“Does he know about us?”
Kesha smiled softly.
“No, sweetheart. He doesn’t.”
Ethan looked excited.
“So we’re going to surprise him?”
Kesha’s smile widened.
“Yes. A very big surprise.”
Olivia, the quietest of the four, simply reached over and held her mother’s hand.
“Will he be nice to us?” she asked.
Kesha’s heart ached a little at the question.
“I don’t know,” she answered honestly. “But no matter what happens, I will be right there with you. Always.”
That night, after the children went to bed, Kesha stood in front of her closet and chose a simple but elegant cream-colored coat and dress. She wanted to look successful, but not flashy. She wanted Marcus to see that she had thrived without him.
As she packed the children’s bags, she felt a strange mix of nervousness and excitement.
Eight years ago, Marcus had left her when she needed him the most.
May you like
Tomorrow, she was going to show him exactly what he had missed.
And she was going to do it in the most unforgettable way possible.
