The door lock cracked. The twin's faces lit up in excitement, they were filled with energy and couldn't wait to hear all about Angela's day and the surprise she talked about in the morning. Unfortunately, it wasn't what they expected. Angela stumbled into the house, her mind clouded with a mix of alcohol and heartbreak. She had tried to forget the pain Antonio had left her with, but instead, it had only pushed her deeper into despair. Getting herself drunk wasn't in any way helpful, either. As she entered the living room, the twins, Lia and Liya, looked at her in shock at the sight of her in such a state. That will be the first they've seen someone drunk and not to talk of the person being Angela. "I am so done with it all! I am so done!" Angela cried, staggering up the staircase. The twins exchanged questionable gaze with worried expressions on their faces. "Mummy!" Junior shouted in excitement with his hands stretched out to get Angela's attention, but she ignored him completely. Little Junior sensed something was wrong and clung to Lia's side. "Mom, are you okay?" Lia asked, her voice trembling as she tried to understand Angela's strange behavior. "She's staggering". Her twin Liya whispered. The sudden smell of alcohol filled the room. It was really nothing like the other time she came home and locked herself in her room. This time she was drunk, looked terrible and a wet map on her neckline downwards like she threw up on herself. They look more confused and shocked. Worse, Angela didn't respond to any of their questions, instead, she made her way past them and collapsed onto the couch. Her body was trembling as the tears she had tried to hold back finally broke free. Liya went and knelt beside her, she reached out and touched Angela's arm. "Mom, please, what's wrong?" she pleaded, her voice filled with fear and confusion. Junior broke down in tears, seeing his mother in tears too. Liya was strong enough to hold him in her arms, consoling him while trying not to break down in tears herself. "Let's give her some space, Lia". She told her twin, but Lia shook her head, crying. "She doesn't look good, we can't leave her alone like this". Angela looked at the kids through tear-filled eyes, her heart started breaking all over again at the sight of their worried and wet faces. She's successfully traumatizing them because of her carelessness. Suddenly, the weight of the secrets she had kept buried for so long and hidden from the kids finally became too much to bear. The pain, the guilt, the years of hiding the truth. It all came crashing down on her, leaving her helpless. "It's my fault," Angela suddenly cried out, her words slurred but filled with pain and agony. "Mom?" Lia sobbed now crying heavily, still kneeling beside her. "It's all my fault... Jace... your Uncle Jace... he's dead because of me. I didn't want to tell you this...he died years ago..., all because of me. I wasn't a good sister to protect him..." Lia and Liya exchanged stunned glances, trying to process what their Angela had just said, tears all over their faces now. Each one crying loudly. Junior's grip on Lia tightened as he sensed the tension in the air. "Uncle Jace is dead?" Lia yelled in grief. "Mom, what are you talking about? I wanted him to spend Christmas with us. I thought he would visit after so many years, mom." Liya cried out, her voice shaking uncontrollably. Angela buried her face in her hands, the guilt eating deep inside her. "No.... Jace... he's not coming back. He's gone... because of me. I made a terrible mistake, and he paid the price. It's all my fault." The twins were horrified, their minds racing as they tried to piece together what Angela was telling them. "So this is why you never gave us an exact answer when we asked if he will visit every Christmas?" Liya asked, still in awe. Angela cried even louder. The realization that their Uncle Jace was dead, and that Angela blaming herself for it, was too much to bear. Lia touched Angela and shook her softly. "Mama, please, it's not your fault," Lia whispered, tears streaming down her face as she tried to comfort Angela. "Whatever happened, we know you didn't mean for it to happen." But Angela was inconsolable, her cries growing louder. "I'm sorry," she kept repeating, the words spilling out like a broken record. "I'm so sorry... I ruined everything. Now...now... I don't have anyone, not Jace not Antonio not grandma.... Antonio chose her over me." The twins exchanged glances, they knew the name was familiar but can't remember. However, seeing Angela in such a state broke their hearts. They had never seen her like this before, so broken and crying loudly in an open space. She started vomiting and they panicked. Like a reflex, Lia immediately stood up from where she was kneeling beside Angela. "Liya call Aunty Yuki!" She instructed her twin and dashed out to get a bowl and water.