My Billionaire Ex Beg For A Second Chance-Chapter 185: The Garden at Night

The mansion was wrapped in stillness, touched only by the distant rustle of leaves and the soft hum of cicadas in the night. Moonlight spilled across the garden paths like a silver thread weaving through the shadows, and the air carried the faint scent of jasmine from somewhere near the hedges.

Katherine quietly closed the door to the room where the children were fast asleep. She stood there for a moment, her hand still resting on the doorknob, eyes lingering on the gentle rise and fall of their chests. Maya had sprawled herself across half the mattress, her arm thrown across Nathan’s stomach. Nathan had kicked off his blanket sometime during the night, his small feet now tucked underneath Julio’s side. Julio, on the other hand, slept on his back, arms behind his head like he owned the world.

She smiled faintly and reached down to pull a blanket up over Nathan and Maya. Her fingers lingered for a second on Maya’s hair before she stepped back, smoothing her dress down as she quietly left the room. She closed the door with a soft click.

Her own room felt too big. Too quiet. The mattress too stiff. The sheets too tucked in. Katherine sat at the edge of the bed for a few moments, staring at the moonlight crawling in through the window. Her chest ached with the kind of nostalgia that didn’t belong to her. This house held pieces of someone else’s life. And yet, tonight, she was part of it.

She slipped on a light cardigan and stepped out barefoot into the hallway, her footsteps muted against the thick carpet. The air was cooler now, the night breeze soft against her skin as she pushed open the door to the garden.

It was beautiful in a quiet, old-world kind of way. The trees were tall and shadowed, their leaves rustling like whispered secrets. She had always liked gardens at night. They made her feel like time slowed down.

And then, she saw him.

Leonard was seated on the edge of a stone bench beneath the gazebo. His sleeves rolled up, shirt slightly unbuttoned at the top. He didn’t notice her right away. His gaze was fixed on the ground, elbow resting on his knee, fingers absently rubbing together as if working through something in his head.

Katherine hesitated for a moment, then slowly made her way over. Gravel crunched gently under her feet.

Leonard looked up at the sound and straightened slightly. "Hey," he said, voice low.

"Hey," she returned, settling down on the other end of the bench. A polite distance between them.

They sat like that for a moment. Quiet. Breathing in the night air, not rushing to fill the silence.

"Couldn’t sleep?" Leonard finally asked, turning his head just enough to glance at her.

Katherine shook her head. "Not really. I just... wanted some air."

Leonard gave a small nod, his eyes drifting toward the dark windows of the house. "How are the children?"

Katherine followed his gaze and smiled faintly. "They’re sleeping soundly. Out like a light."

"That’s great," Leonard murmured, a quiet sigh of relief leaving him. "I was worried they’d be too excited to rest."

"They were,"

Another pause. Then Leonard turned his gaze forward again. "Thanks for coming today. For letting them come."

Katherine didn’t look at him. She picked at a thread on the hem of her cardigan, voice even. "I didn’t do it for you."

He nodded slowly, taking the words without flinching. "I know."

"I did it for Winston. And for them," she added, gesturing toward the mansion. "They deserved to know where they came from. Who loved them before they were even born."

Leonard’s throat worked as he swallowed. He leaned back slightly, hands clasped together loosely between his knees.

Katherine lowered her gaze, her fingers idly tracing the edge of the bench. "To be honest," she said after a pause, "I was conflicted. I didn’t know if I should come at all."

"I know it wasn’t easy," he went on. "I can’t imagine how many thoughts were running through your head. But you still came." He let out a breath. "That’s why I’m so grateful to you, Katherine."

She looked away, blinking at the garden ahead. "I didn’t come for thanks." 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"I know," he said. "But you deserve it anyway."

"Do you think," he asked quietly, "my father would’ve forgiven me?"

Katherine finally turned her head to look at him. Her expression wasn’t cold. Just calm. Honest.

"Maybe. But he would’ve made you earn it. He believed in second chances, but not free ones."

A breath escaped Leonard, half a sigh, half a laugh. "Yeah. That sounds like him."

Silence fell again. This time heavier. More fragile.

Leonard tilted his head back to look up at the sky. "I’m trying," he said, almost to himself. "Every day now. I don’t know if it’ll ever be enough, but... I am."

Katherine leaned back too, resting against the wooden railing behind the bench. Her arms crossed loosely over her chest.

"It’s not just about trying, Leonard," she said, her voice softer now. "It’s about staying. You used to run."

The words weren’t laced with bitterness, but they struck him all the same.

He didn’t argue. Couldn’t. Instead, he lowered his head and nodded slowly.

"I did."

She turned her face toward him, watching the way his shoulders had folded in a little, how his hands gripped each other tighter than before.

"You can’t fix everything in one day," she continued. "But you can stop disappearing every time something feels too big."

Leonard finally met her eyes. "I’m not going anywhere. Not again."

Katherine held his gaze, searching it. She didn’t answer. But she didn’t look away either.

The crickets filled the silence again. Somewhere far off, a frog croaked. And overhead, the stars blinked quietly.

Leonard turned his eyes back to the night sky and made a quiet vow to himself, one he didn’t speak out loud.

He would not run again.

Not from Katherine, the twins, or anything.