My Billionaire Ex Beg For A Second Chance-Chapter 234: The Dream He Can’t Escape

The world around him was a blur of gray mist. The air was heavy, damp, clinging to his skin like a wet cloth. Leonard blinked, disoriented, his pulse hammering in his ears. Where was he? His surroundings seemed endless, a space with no walls, no sky, only a pale fog that breathed and shifted like it was alive.

Then, through the haze, a shape emerged.

"Katherine..." his voice cracked, low and hoarse, though he wasn’t even sure he’d spoken out loud.

She was there. She looked the same as always, hair falling softly around her face, her posture tense but graceful, yet there was exhaustion carved into her every movement. Her shoulders slumped under the weight of bags, a backpack hanging from one arm, a shopping bag in the other. One of the twins tugged at her hand, whining, while the other sat on the ground clutching a toy, about to cry.

Leonard’s chest tightened.

She was struggling. He could see it in her trembling hands, in the way her jaw clenched when she bent to pick up the toy, in the sigh that escaped her lips when the other stomped a foot impatiently. He wanted to go to her. He had to.

"Katherine!"

His voice was louder now, desperate, but it seemed to vanish into the mist, swallowed before it could reach her ears. She didn’t turn.

Leonard forced his body forward, but his legs felt as if they were rooted into the ground. He looked down. His feet were bare, heavy, shackled by invisible chains of shadow that snaked out of the fog. He gritted his teeth, muscles straining as he tried to wrench himself free. Nothing. He couldn’t move.

Panic spiked in his chest.

"No... no, not now. Katherine!" he shouted again, louder, his throat burning.

She didn’t hear. Neither did the twins. Their small faces turned toward her, seeking comfort, unaware that he was right there, so close, yet utterly unreachable.

And then he saw him.

Felix.

He emerged like a figure cut out of light, stepping through the fog with the ease of someone who belonged there. His stride was confident, his face calm, eyes warm. He didn’t hesitate. He went straight to Katherine and the twins.

Leonard’s breath caught.

"No..." he whispered, shaking his head violently.

Felix crouched down to the twins’ level, his tall frame folding effortlessly. He smiled, gentle, reassuring. His hand brushed one twin’s hair back, the other’s cheek, and both children instantly quieted, their little bodies leaning into him with trust that stabbed through Leonard like a knife.

"No! That’s not—! They’re mine!"

But his voice cracked, breaking into nothing.

Katherine let out a long breath, her shoulders sinking as if a weight had been lifted. Slowly, almost instinctively, she leaned against Felix. Her body tilted toward his, her head brushing his shoulder. Relief painted her features, softening the exhaustion into something fragile and achingly intimate.

Leonard’s chest caved in.

He thrashed against the invisible weight on his legs, sweat dripping down his temple. His fingers clawed the air, as though he could rip through the fog and reach her.

"Katherine! Look at me! I’m here!"

But she didn’t.

Felix straightened and slipped one arm around her waist, steadying her, holding her up. The twins giggled, their laughter high-pitched and sweet, echoing endlessly through the fog until it turned cruel, mocking.

And then Felix turned his head.

His eyes met Leonard’s.

For one frozen moment, the world stilled.

Leonard’s breath hitched, he could feel it, the weight of that gaze, sharp as a blade pressed against his throat. Felix’s lips curved. Not into a polite smile, not into a neutral acknowledgment. No. It was a smirk.

His hand tightened around Katherine’s waist, pulling her closer, his body shielding hers, his head dipping low as though whispering something only she could hear. The twins reached for him with open arms, their voices overlapping:

"Daddy!"

Leonard’s world shattered.

"No!" he screamed, every muscle in his body straining. The sound tore from his throat raw and desperate. His vision blurred. He tried to tear his feet free, tried to run, to claw his way to them, but the more he struggled, the heavier the chains grew. His chest burned, his ribs ached, and the mist closed in around him like suffocating smoke.

Felix’s smirk lingered in his mind, growing larger, consuming everything. The twins’ laughter turned into hollow echoes, ringing in his skull. Katherine didn’t even glance back.

They were gone.

And he was alone.

—

Leonard jolted awake.

His body shot upright in bed, drenched in cold sweat. His chest heaved, breath tearing through his lungs as if he’d been drowning. His skin was clammy, hair sticking to his forehead. The room around him was pitch dark, silent, but the dream clung to him, thick and suffocating.

"No... no..."

His hand trembled as it raked through his hair. He pressed the heel of his palm to his forehead, but the image wouldn’t leave, Katherine leaning against Felix, the twins laughing, Felix’s smirk.

It was seared into him.

He staggered to his feet, bare soles against the wooden floor, the creak of each step sounding too loud in the silence. His knees felt weak, unsteady, but he couldn’t stay still. He paced. Back and forth, back and forth, his breath ragged, his chest burning with a mix of fear, fury, and despair.

His eyes darted to the window. The city beyond was asleep, streetlights faint against the curtain of night. But inside his head, it wasn’t quiet.

It was chaos.

"They don’t look at me... they don’t see me... he took them... he—"

He slammed his fist down onto the desk. Papers scattered, a pen rolled off and clattered to the floor. His knuckles stung, white with pressure as he gripped the edge of the desk, bowing his head.

The words spilled from him, a whisper at first, then louder, harsher, each repetition edged with madness.

"No. I won’t let Felix have them."

His reflection glared back at him from the dark window, pale face, eyes hollow, hair disheveled, sweat clinging to his temples. He looked like a stranger. A man possessed.

"They’re mine." His lips curled, baring his teeth as if the declaration alone could make it true. His shoulders rose and fell violently with every breath.

"They’re mine."

He slammed his fist down again, harder, the sharp crack ringing through the empty apartment.

"They’re mine!"

The echo of his own voice filled the silence, a vow, a curse, a promise that sank deep into the walls.

His chest heaved, his eyes wide and feverish, sweat dripping down his jaw. He muttered the words over and over, clinging to them like a lifeline, the only thing keeping him from drowning in the nightmare’s echo.

"They’re mine. Mine. Mine."