Jey had barely slept.

The entire night, Isa's words circled his mind like a storm, clashing with the image of his kids running to everyone but him. No matter how much he tried to justify his actions, make excuses for why he had pulled away, the truth sat like a heavy weight on his chest.

He had chosen this.

And now, he was seeing the consequences firsthand.

The next day, still in Miami for SmackDown, Jey sat in the locker room, staring at his phone. Sofia and Mateo's contact information stared back at him, the last texts from them over a week old. He hadn't replied to the last message Sofia had sent.

"Daddy, when can we see you?"

He had meant to respond. Had told himself he'd call when he had time. But then Carmen had dropped her pregnancy bombshell, and everything else had faded into the background.

Now, he wondered if he had already let too much time slip away.

A knock at the door broke his thoughts.

Jimmy.

Jey sighed, already knowing what was coming.

"You just gonna sit here all day?" Jimmy leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. "Ma took the kids out for lunch, but they'll be back soon."

Jey ran a hand over his face. "Man, I don't even know if they wanna see me."

Jimmy scoffed. "They're kids, Uce. Of course they wanna see you. But you keep acting like they ain't important, they'll stop waiting for you."

Jey's jaw tightened. "I ain't trying to-"

"You are, though." Jimmy cut him off, shaking his head. "You let Carmen get in your head so bad, you forgot about the two people who should come first."

Jey stayed silent, guilt creeping in like a slow burn.

Jimmy sighed, stepping further inside. "I ain't here to fight with you, Uce. Just saying-fix it before it's too late."

Jey exhaled slowly, nodding. "Yeah... yeah, I know."

Jimmy gave him a pointed look before backing toward the door. "Good. 'Cause they deserve better."

The words stung, but Jey didn't argue.

Because deep down, he knew Jimmy was right.

Later that evening, Jey stood near the catering area, waiting as his mother returned with Sofia and Mateo.

His pulse hammered as he saw them approach. Mateo was holding his grandma's hand while Sofia walked slightly ahead, chatting excitedly about something.

Then, she spotted him.

Her smile faltered.

Jey's stomach twisted.

Mateo's grip on their grandmother's hand tightened, his eyes flicking toward Jey with uncertainty. The excitement he had seen in his son's face yesterday with Roman was nowhere to be found now.

Jey forced a smile, trying to mask the anxiety bubbling inside him. "Hey, babies."

Sofia and Mateo exchanged a quick glance before hesitantly stepping closer.

Sofia spoke first. "Hi, Daddy."

It was polite. Reserved. Not the warm, enthusiastic greeting he was used to.

Jey crouched to their level. "Y'all have fun today?"

Mateo nodded, looking at his sister as if waiting for her to answer first.

Sofia shrugged. "Yeah. We went to the beach."

Jey smiled. "That's cool. Bet y'all had fun."

Sofia nodded but didn't add anything else.

Jey hesitated before saying, "I-I missed you guys."

Sofia looked at him for a long moment. Then, in a voice far too mature for a child, she asked, "Then why don't you call us anymore?"

Jey's breath caught in his throat.

Mateo frowned, looking up at his sister, then back at Jey. "Did we do something bad?"

Jey felt like he had been punched in the gut.

"No, no," he rushed to say, shaking his head. "You didn't do nothing wrong. Daddy's just been..." He trailed off, realizing there was no good excuse.

Sofia crossed her arms. "Too busy?"

Jey swallowed hard. "Yeah... but that ain't fair to y'all. And I'm sorry."

Sofia studied him for a second before giving a small nod. "Okay."

But there was still hesitation in her eyes.

Jey turned to Mateo, gently reaching for his small hand. "And you, little man? You mad at Daddy?"

Mateo looked at their joined hands, then up at Jey. His lip wobbled slightly. "I just missed you."

Jey's heart cracked right down the middle.

He pulled Mateo into a tight hug, pressing a kiss to his son's curly hair. "I missed you too, buddy."

After a moment, he held out his other arm for Sofia. She hesitated but eventually stepped into the embrace.

Jey closed his eyes, holding them both tightly, silently promising himself that he wouldn't let them feel this way again.

He had been so caught up in Carmen, in her pregnancy, in trying to figure out what came next, that he had forgotten the two people who should have always come first.

And he was done letting them down.

Across the hallway, Isa watched from a distance, arms crossed as she observed the interaction.

She had heard everything.

And while she wasn't sure if Jey would truly follow through on his unspoken promise, for the first time in a long time... she hoped he would.