Last time on 234's lifelines;

After finding out the real reason Lexis sued Hera for custody, she has a falling out with Jess. Hera, E and Lexis meet at the daycare where Shakespeare is where we find out from Maeve that the real reason he got into an accident was because of her brother. Maeve tries to convince Hera to return to Lexis. Lexis bribes Shakespeare with Ice-cream to convince Hera to come over to his place with Shakespeare. Hera agrees to have Shakespeare spend the night with him but decides against showing up, only to appear at his office the last minute.

Song: Mercy - Shawn Mendes

****

"You... came," He says in surprise.

"I came," Hera replies breaking into a half unsure smile.

"Why?"Lexis asks.

"E,"  Hera calls out to Ethan. A few minutes after they'd driven out of the daycare leaving Shakespeare behind with Lexis.

"Mhmm?" He answers.

"It's not my fault," She says to which E's face creases not understanding.

"What's not your fault?" He asks.

"Alexander's accident. E it's not my fault," She says closing her lips with her two hands as her eyes well up with tears.

"It's not my fault," She says half laughing, half crying.

E places his hands against her hair and strokes it.

"What made you finally realize that?" He asks causing Hera to cry with more fervor, remembering all the years she'd spent blaming herself.

Sighing E draws her to his chest and strokes her hair to calm her down.

After she calms down and narrates her story to him, E smiles.

"So even if I didn't make that call that day, as long as those two were on the same paths at that time it would still have happened. I didn't cause his accident. E I really didn't cause his accident," She says.

"You really didn't," He confirms a smile on his face.

"I didn't," She says smiling.

"Does that make you feel better?" He asks.

She nods finally fully accepting it.

"So what do you plan on doing?"

"Huh?" She asks confused.

"You said you are not to blame for his accident. And know he doesn't blame you for your sons death but instead wants you back. So what do you plan on doing?" 

E had asked and somehow she had found herself asking him to bring her to Lexis' office, hence why she was currently here.

"Ice-Cweams!" Shakespeare screams in glee from inside the car a huge grin on her face as she jumps on the seat.

She knocks against the window reminding Lexis she was locked in.

He turns around and glances at her. He opens the door, she hurries down running to hug her mum.

"Where's E?" She asks looking around.

"Not here,"

"Why? Did you leave him alone? mummy that's not nice," Shakespeare says.

"Oh so now you know it's not nice yet you abandoned him for your father," Hera says grinning.

"Nooo I wanted E to come but daddy..."

"Shakespeare!" Lexis calls her cutting her off. She looks up at him in question.

"What type of Ice-cream would you like?" He asks. Hera looks at him suspiciously as Shakespeare's face lights up but stays quiet.

"Cookies and cweams!" She exclaims.

"Maeve, do grab some on your way would you?" Lexis says to which Maeve nods.

He gets Shakespeare's backpack out of the car along with a few documents and shuts the door.

As Maeve takes off, he leads them to the elevator to head to his office/studio apartment behind it.

They get into the elevator and head up to his office. He opens the door to his studio via the mirror and leads them in.

"What are we doing today?" Shakespeare asks.

"I'm not sure," Lexis answers.

"You weren't sure and you brought a kid over to your place?" Hera says suddenly glad she came by.

"What do you suggest we do?" He asks.

"What do you want to do? Why did you bring her over?"

"I wanted to spend time with her, and get to know her," Lexis says.

"Then do that,"Hera replies as the Elevator doors open.

They walk into his office and his phone rings.

"I'll just answer this and be with you shortly,"He says to which Hera nods and walks into the room on the other side of the office with Shakespeare as he opens the door.

He then walks over to answer the phone on his desk.

                  After two hours, that consisted of Maeve returning with the Ice-cream for Shakespeare and the documents for Lexis from MIXX, Lexis was still cooped up behind his desk making calls and looking over documents.

After three hours with no sign of Lexis, an angry Hera walks into the office and looks at Lexis who was busy reading through documents and shooting orders to Maeve. She stands still glaring at him.

Finally, she takes out her phone and makes a call.

'E, can you come pick us up?" Hera says to which Lexis raises his head and glances or rather glares at her.

"We've been here for over two hours and he has been on the phone all day, the little girl is bored out of her mind and I'm getting tempted to commit an assault,"

Hera says turning her back to Lexis.

"Yes, same place you dropped me off. We'll be down..." She says but her phone is snatched from her hands.

"What do you think you're doing?" Hera says turning to glare at Lexis who now had the phone in his hands.

"No need to come, he's done working," Lexis says to the phone and turns it off placing it into his pockets.

"I'm busy for a minute and you call your husband?"

"A minute? Lexis do you realize we've been here for hours and you've paid no attention to Shakespeare? You said you wanted to get to know her, you wanted to spend time with her,"

"I did,"

"Then do that instead of spending time with your work!" Hera says furious.

"But you were with her,"

"I've been with her for five years Lexis, she wants to be with you for a few hours and you can't give that to her?"

"You speak like that's my fault,"

"No it's not your fault that you missed out five years of her life. But if you don't start paying attention to your daughter instead of your work you might miss out on more than five years and that Lexis will be no one's fault but yours,"

"What do you mean? Are you threatening to take her away?" 

"No lexis, I don't need to threaten anything because your work is already doing a good job of that," Hera says.

She shuts her eyes and breathes out heavily telling herself to calm down, her daughter was next door, fighting with Lexis in front of her was not a good idea.

"Don't you see? You're acting just like your father," She says.

"Don't compare me to that monster," Lexis says coldly.

"See, that disgust and hate you feel for Peter ? Remember it well. Remember how you hate Peter who only uses you for his goals?" She says opening her eyes.

"How you can't stand your father for that and have no relationship with him? How he only need you when he needs you? Well If you don't reorganize your priorities Shakespeare will grow to feel the same way about you," Hera says turning around to leave the office, returning to the room, internally wishing there was a door in between she could bang. Yet, remembering the presence of Shakespeare and being grateful for its nonexistence.

Lexis balls his hands into fists staring at the divider between his office and the studio.

"She's right," Maeve says picking up a couple of files.

"Thanks for the unwanted opinion Maeve," Lexis says walking to his desk to sit down. 

"If that's all I'll leave," She says gathering her things, she turns and leaves.

Lexis places his face in his palms sighing. After a while, he gets up and walks into the room where Shakespeare was laying in Hera's arms.

"Are you hungry?" He asks.

Shakespeare stays quiet as does Hera who all but fools her eyes.

Lexis walks over and notices the child pouting.

"Are you mad?" Lexis asks her.

She nods vigorously.

"I'm sorry, forgive me?" He says. 

Shakespeare raises her head to peak at him.

He stretches his hands out to Shakespeare. 

"Peace?" He asks.

Smiling she reaches out to him. 

"Peace," She says opening her arms to be carried by him.

Hera loosens her hold on her allowing him to carry Shakespeare into his arms, seating her against his thighs.

He glances at Hera.

"I'll make more of an effort from now on," He says to Hera who rolls her eyes and turns her head.

"Shakespeare it seems your mum is still mad at me,"

"Mummy forgive daddy, I forgave him," Shakespeare says.

"Just because you forgave him doesn't mean I have to," Hera replies.

"But mummy you said to always forgive people who ask for it," Shakespeare says to which Lexis chuckles.

"She did now didn't she?" He says earning a glare from Hera.

Pretending to zip his mouth, he turns to Shakespeare.

"Are you hungry? What would you like to eat?" He asks.

"mhmmm," Shakespeare says in thought.

"What do you like eating?" He asks realizing asking a child such a broad question might not be the best idea.

"Pizza!"

"What type?"

"The type mummy buys,"

"Hera what type of pizza Is that?" He asks but she stays silent.

"Hawaiian," Shakespeare answers.

Grinning, he nods and uses his free hand to make a call.

"Maeve can you please have two boxes of Hawaiian..."

"Two boxes!" Hera says from the side cutting him off.

Lexis raises his eyebrow.

"We can't finish two boxes," Hera says.

"Daddy mummy is talking to you now!" Shakespeare says in glee.

"That she is, you're no longer mad at me?" Lexis asks smiling.

"Just order one medium sized Hawaiian," Hera says getting up with a cold tone.

Lexis glances at Shakespeare, they both chuckle.

Hera glances back at the two of them, eyes shooting daggers.

Shakespeare quickly covers her moth with her left hand and covers Lexis' with her right.

Shaking her head Hera turns back around and walks away towards the inner room.

Once she's gone, Lexis and Shakespeare giggle quietly.

***

Hey everyone, sorry it took so long to update, many things have been going on in my life. I won't bore you with all off them but I'll share one;

I rewatched the K-DRAMA W. It's about a romance takes place between Kang Chul (Lee Jong-Suk), who is super rich and exists in the webtoon "W," and Oh Yeon-Joo (Han Hyo-Joo) who is a surgeon in the real world.

I remember the first time I watched it, it didn't have any major effect on me apart from my loving it but this time, I watched it while writing and those who've watched it will get me when I say it messed with me as an author and almost made me stop writing. Thinking what if in some crazy mysterious way my characters existed in another world and I was controlling and messing up their lives. Let's just say it made me reflect deeply as a writer. It's a great watch as long as you're not currently writing a book while watching it lol.