Chapter: Epilogue MARINA The living room was a mess of Lego pieces, sketchbooks, and the unmistakable sounds of Xavier and Vincent arguing over who had the better superhero. Again.I lay on the couch, my swollen belly proudly rising beneath Alexander’s old university hoodie, which I’d practically stolen as my own. One leg tucked under me, the other stretched, my feet resting on Alexander’s lap. He was absently massaging them with one hand, eyes on a file he was pretending to read.“Vincent, if your brother hits you with that cape again, I will personally turn into Super Mum and confiscate all gadgets for a week,” I warned half-heartedly.“I didn’t even touch him!” Xavier yelled.“I SAW YOU—” Vincent began, but Alexander raised a brow, and somehow silence followed.Victory.“Your children are wild,” I mumbled to Alexander.He chuckled, brushing his thumb along my ankle. “Our children, mia cara. You’re the queen of this madhouse now.”I smiled, letting my head fall back onto the throw pillow. I loved th
最終更新日: 2025-08-09
Chapter: Chapter 58MARINA Pregnancy was nothing like I thought it would be.Some days, I felt like a goddess, glowing skin, hair full and soft, a kind of calm I’d never known settling in my bones. Other days, it was like my body was a battleground. I cried over burnt toast. I fell asleep sitting upright. My back hurt in ways I didn’t think possible, and I swear the baby had chosen my bladder as its personal trampoline.But more than anything, I felt new.Not just because of the tiny life growing inside me, though that was miraculous on its own, but because I was becoming someone else. A mother. A woman loved and wanted so deeply it almost scared me. I used to think love was reckless and selfish. But this? This love, this life Alexander and I were building, it was patient. Intentional.He was there for everything. The nausea, the cravings, and the mood swings made me question if I was losing my mind. He rubbed my feet when they ached, brought me toast at 3 a.m., and learned how to braid my hair when I d
最終更新日: 2025-08-07
Chapter: Chapter 57MARINA I sat in the living room with my phone clutched to my chest, the house quiet, Alexander had taken the boys out for ice cream to “celebrate the heartbeat.” His words, not mine.Kayla peeked her head in. “You gonna tell them now?”I nodded, my stomach fluttering.My parents answered on the second ring.“Mamma, Papa… are you sitting down?”The conversation that followed was laughter, tears, a few dramatic gasps from my mother, and more tears. My father, in his typical quiet voice, simply said, “You’ve always had strength, Marina. I’m proud of you.” That alone nearly broke me.After I hung up, I got another call, this time, video. Katie.“Don’t tell me… you’re glowing, aren’t you?” she grinned, eyeing me suspiciously.I smiled like an idiot and turned the phone to my ultrasound photo sitting on the table.Katie gasped so loudly I had to pull the phone away from my ear.“SHUT. UP.”“I cannot.” I laughed. “I’m pregnant.”By the next morning, Katie was on a flight to Ireland. Sh
最終更新日: 2025-08-07
Chapter: Chapter 56MARINA The hospital was quiet that morning, too quiet for the buzz of emotions tangled inside me. My palms were damp as I sat on the padded bench outside the ultrasound room, trying to control my breathing. Alexander was next to me, his hand wrapped around mine like a grounding wire.He hadn’t let go of me since we left the house.“You okay?” he asked quietly, leaning closer.I nodded, though my stomach was a riot of nerves. “Just… scared.”Alexander turned his hand over and brought mine to his lips. “Whatever it is, we’re in it together. All the way.”The nurse stepped out and called my name.“Marina Torricelli?”I blinked. The name still jarred me. It wasn’t mine. Not legally, not yet. But it was how Alexander had registered me in the hospital system, as if I already belonged to him.My eyes flicked to him as I stood up.“You did that?” I whispered.He looked at me like I was slow for only just noticing. “Of course I did. You’re mine.”Something about the way he said it, not posses
最終更新日: 2025-08-05
Chapter: Chapter 55MARINA Later that week, I resigned from my previous hospital remotely. The weight of that decision was lighter than I expected. I didn’t miss the coldness of it, the impersonal wards, the endless adult cases. My heart had always been with children, their resilience, their honesty, their little fingers wrapping around yours in trust.So, I applied at a small paediatric clinic just ten minutes from the house. It was bright and friendly, and the head doctor remembered me from a conference I once attended. He offered me a place after one meeting, saying they’d been desperate for someone with my experience and gentle nature.My hours were flexible, part-time, to begin with, and I found myself smiling every time I walked through its cheerful walls.It felt like another step forward. Another thread stitching me into this life I never thought I’d have.I don’t know exactly when it started.Maybe it was the third morning in a row I couldn’t get out of bed without the world tilting slightly to
最終更新日: 2025-08-05
Chapter: Chapter 54MARINA Sunlight warmed my bare shoulder before I opened my eyes.I shifted slightly under the soft sheets, the scent of Alexander wrapped around me, amber, cedar, and skin. My head was nestled in the crook of his arm, one of his hands still splayed protectively across my lower back, the other tangled in my hair.His breathing was slow. Peaceful. And for once, so was mine.We had fallen asleep like that, bodies tangled, hearts finally quiet.I smiled to myself, eyes still closed.Then I heard it.A gasp. A soft, surprised one.Another tiny voice whispered, much louder than it probably thought it was.“Vinny, is that mummy?”My eyes flew open.At the door stood Vincent and Xavier, both still in their pyjamas, mouths open, eyes wide, clutching onto each other like they’d just seen a ghost. A very naked ghost.“Oh,God,” I whispered, struggling to sit up as the sheets slipped dangerously. “Alex...Alexander...wake up,”He stirred groggily. “What… what is it?”“They’re here.”“Who’s he—?” H
最終更新日: 2025-08-04
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