ANMELDEN~Sienna~The morning sun spills into the kitchen, bright and unforgiving, but for the first time in months, the weight on my chest feels a little lighter. I move around the counter, flipping pancakes and brewing a pot of coffee while the familiar, chaotic sounds of three six-month-olds fill the house.Nova is already in the thick of it. She is obsessed. She has been up since dawn, hovering over the cribs like a protective hawk. When I try to reach in to pick up Noah, she playfully swats my hand away."I’ve got him, Sienna. You go make the coffee. I need my quality time with my siblings," she says, her eyes bright with a brand of joy I haven't seen in her for a long time.I really wish she can have her own bay real soon too. She’s going to be a great mom. I can see that already. I watch her as she expertly balances Nyomi on her hip while tickling Noah’s tummy. She looks at them with so much wonder, as if she is seeing them in a whole new, much softer light. We manage to get them chang
~Sienna~I stand in the hallway, my hand trembling as I reach for the nursery door. My heart is beating so wildly like a trapped bird, against the cage of my ribs. The sight of those expensive shoes and that familiar wool jacket in the living room has already told me the truth, but my brain is still trying to reject it.I push the door open, the hinges giving a tiny, familiar groan.The nightlight casts a soft, amber glow over the room. At first, all I can see are the three cribs, lined up side by side. Then, my eyes drop to the floor.Norman.He is sprawled out on the rug, his long legs bent awkwardly. A small, blue nursery pillow is tucked under his head. His eyes are closed, his face softer and younger in sleep than I have seen it in years. A few feet away, Nova is curled up on the small nursing couch in the corner, her head resting on her hand, completely dead to the world.I stand frozen. I don’t know whether to scream, to cry, or to turn around and run back out into the night. A
~Sienna~The silence of the third-floor waiting room is the kind that eats at your nerves, a thick, sterile quiet broken only by the soft squeak of a janitor’s cart somewhere in the distance. I sit on the edge of a hard plastic chair, my fingers digging into my palms so hard I can feel my pulse thrumming in my fingertips. Every time the double doors hiss open, my breath hitches, my heart performing a violent, rough dance against my ribs.Finally, the doors swing wide, and a man in pale blue scrubs emerges. I spring up so fast the room tilts for a second, my vision swimming with black spots."Family of Jane Davis?" he asks, pulling his mask down to his chin."I’m her daughter. Sienna," I say, my voice coming out in a breathless rush. "Please, tell me she’s okay."The doctor offers a small, tired smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes, but it is enough to let the air back into my lungs. "She’s a very lucky woman, Sienna. The impact is significant, the car is definitely over the speed l
~Sienna~A prickle of unease starts at the base of my spine. I wait ten minutes and try again. Still nothing. My heart starts a slow, heavy drumbeat against my ribs. "Maybe she’s just in a checkout line," I whisper, trying to soothe the rising panic.I return my focus to the babies, clearing off any negativity from my mind. Suddenly, my phone vibrates in my hand. It’s my mother’s caller ID."Mom! Where are you? I was getting worried," I say, the words rushing out.There’s a beat of silence. It’s not the sound of the mall. It’s a sterile, humming quiet, broken by the distant, beep of a monitor.I think I’m getting too much ahead of myself with these crazy thoughts. “Mom,” I call, softly. "Hello? Is this the daughter of Jane Davis?"The voice is male. Professional. Calm in a way that makes my blood turn to ice."Yes. This is Sienna. Who is this? Where is my mother?""Ms. Davis, my name is Dr. Oliver. I’m calling from the City Hospital emergency department. Your mother was involved in
~Sienna~The lunch rush at the small restaurant three blocks from the office is a deafening. Hums of clinking silverware and chatter, but Elias and I sit in a secluded booth in the far corner, where the world feels pin-drop silent. I’ve spent so long guarding the truth like a physical weight in my chest that now, as I prepare to let it spill, my hands are trembling so hard I have to tuck them under the table.Elias watches me, his expression patient but etched with a deep, lingering concern. "Sienna," he says softly, "you’re shaking. Whatever it is, you don’t have to force it. I don’t mind you not telling me."My hands tremble more. His blind trust in me is just too strong. It’s the more reason why I can’t continue to keep I’m in the dark. I take a deep breath, the scent of toasted bread and coffee suddenly making me lightheaded. "I had an affair with him, Elias. Years ago, when I was just a junior assistant at Gray Stone Luxury Real Estate and Hospitality."Elias doesn't blink, he b
~Sienna~Ever since Nova has got to know about the triplets, there’s hardly a day she doesn’t come over to the house. Most afternoons, after work at the studio, Nova’s sleek car pulls into the gravel driveway. She doesn't come empty-handed, she brings bags of organic purees, high-end wooden toys, and soft, cotton dresses that probably cost more than my first car.My mother was wary at first. She’s spent a year being the only gatekeeper to this world, but Nova’s sheer, relentless enthusiasm has worn her down."She has his hands," Nova whispers today, sitting cross-legged on the nursery rug with Nyomi. She’s holding a tiny bottle, her designer dress forgotten as she focuses entirely on the infant in her arms. "Look at the way she curls her fingers around the glass. This pinky finger is just like my father’s, Sienna. I could swear she’s even scowling like him."I lean against the doorframe, a basket of laundry balanced on my hip, and I can't help but smile. Seeing Nova here, getting alon
~Sienna~The moment we step into the kids’ store, the air changes.Bright colors, soft lullabies humming from little speakers, and shelves lined with tiny clothes, clothes so small they barely even look real.Everything feels unreal. It’s like I’m operating on an automated command as I move through
~Sienna~I smile with tears in my eyes as we walk out of another doctor’s appointment. Elias’s hand clenches around mine, tugging me forward, out of the hospital.The sharp, bitter smell of antiseptic, blood, and pills lingers in the air but I didn’t even notice. My heart soars to the brim, I’m too
~Sienna~ Tears run down my face as I stand by the door, I don’t bother stopping it. My hands tremble as I wrap them around my stomach, hugging my babies. It feels like a dream. I still can’t believe I’ll be able to meet them soon. In three weeks, they will be here. I’ll bring them home. To this be
~Sienna~I gasp.My eyes go wide and my lips part as I stare at the figure before me, walking toward my bed.Norman.He looks just as handsome and strong as I’ve known him to be. It’s like those months apart didn’t happen.Like it hasn’t been that long since I last saw him.His three-piece suit hug







