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A home for five

Penulis: Leelee
last update Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-08-08 04:51:33

Layla's POV

The house was too quiet when we returned. For all the noise the world had made—the beeping machines, the cries, the congratulations—the silence in our hallway hit harder than I expected. I hadn't noticed before how much noise we carried around with us. How much life we brought with our footsteps. But now, everything felt still. Too still.

Damian unlocked the door and held it open with a shoulder, his hands full with two hospital bags. His face was soft, but there was a kind of tired wonder in his eyes, like the weight of fatherhood had finally landed. I stepped in slowly, holding a baby carrier in each hand. Our son in one. Our daughter in the other. Two fragile, perfect little pieces of us.

Behind me, Jaden hovered, his backpack still slung over one shoulder like he’d forgotten it was there. He looked like he was trying to shrink into himself, like he wasn’t sure where he belonged in this new version of our lives.

“Do you want to help me set them down?” I asked him, gen
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  • A Love Forged In Ruins    Night on the water

    Layla's POV I was closing my laptop when I heard the front door open. The twins were already asleep upstairs — a small miracle after the chaos of the day — and I’d been looking forward to a quiet shower and bed. But when I turned, Damian was standing in the doorway, his hands in his pockets, that unreadable half-smile on his face.“Put on something nice,” he said.I blinked. “Nice? For what?”He shrugged, stepping inside, his gaze sweeping over me like he was checking if I’d argue. “Something special.”I folded my arms. “Damian, I’m tired. What is this about?”“You’ll see.” His smirk deepened. “I promise, you’ll like it.”I wanted to ask a dozen questions, to remind him we weren’t exactly in the middle of some fairy-tale phase. But there was something in his voice — not playful exactly, but intent — that made me pause.“What about the twins, we can't possibly leave them…” I wasn't done talking when he caught me off, but in a lovely way.“Don't worry about them, I already told Jaden t

  • A Love Forged In Ruins    The weight we carry

    Layla's POV The wind howled against the windows, rattling them as if it wanted to be let in. Rain lashed in sheets, running down the glass like silver rivers. The whole house felt swallowed by the storm, every shadow deeper, every creak of the walls a reminder of how small we were in the middle of it.The twins were fussier than usual. Maybe it was the pressure in the air, maybe the sound of the thunder, or maybe they were simply tired of the same four walls. Whatever the reason, their cries rose and fell like waves crashing against a cliff—unrelenting, wearing me down little by little.I bounced Kieran against my shoulder, my palm patting his tiny back. “Shh, baby, it’s okay,” I murmured, even though my own voice trembled from exhaustion.From the kitchen, I could hear Damian’s footsteps pacing as he tried to settle Amira. The storm had made the whole evening feel heavier. My shirt was already damp from earlier when Kieran had spit up, and now, as I tried to juggle the bottle and ke

  • A Love Forged In Ruins    The distance between us

    Damian’s POVThe morning began like any other lately—quiet, but not peaceful.The twins were in the living room, surrounded by a sea of colorful blocks. From where I sat on the couch, coffee cooling in my hands, I watched them work with the determined chaos only toddlers could pull off. They weren’t building a fortress, not really—they didn’t even know what they were building. But in their world, it was everything. Kieran giggled as he knocked over a tower Amira had been stacking, and she responded with a delighted squeal, grabbing another block and starting over.Sunlight spilled through the tall windows, laying long, golden shapes across the floor. Dust motes floated lazily in the beams. It looked warm and calm, but the air in the house told a different story.Upstairs, Layla’s voice drifted faintly down the hall. Muffled. Controlled. She was on the phone. She had been taking more of her calls in the bedroom lately, door just barely closed. I told myself it was for work—God knows th

  • A Love Forged In Ruins    Still waters

    Damian’s POVThe twins were napping upstairs, their little breaths rising and falling in perfect rhythm. The baby monitor sat on the table between us, its tiny green light glowing like an unblinking eye.Layla was across the room on the sofa, folding baby clothes in slow, careful movements. She didn’t hum like she used to. Didn’t glance up. Just fold, smooth, stack. Repeat.The soft sound of fabric against fabric filled the room. It was the only sound besides the occasional click of my laptop keys.I was at the dining table, pretending to work—typing half-heartedly through an email I’d started an hour ago. Work used to swallow me whole; I’d look up and realize hours had passed. Now, I couldn’t go ten minutes without looking at her.We were in the same room, breathing the same air, but it felt like we were continents apart.“Those onesies are almost too small already,” I said finally, my voice breaking the stillness.She didn’t look at me. “Mm-hmm.”Her hands kept moving—deliberate, pr

  • A Love Forged In Ruins    The call

    Damian's POVI wake up to the sound of quiet, the kind that fills every corner of the house, making everything feel heavier. The twins are asleep in the nursery, their soft breaths just audible through the baby monitor. Layla’s sitting by the window, the pale morning light catching her profile. She’s rocking Kieran gently, but her eyes are distant, staring off into the world beyond the glass. It’s like she’s not really here.I stand in the doorway, watching her for a moment, unsure of what to say. The words feel stuck somewhere between my chest and my throat, like they’re too big for me to speak.“Layla?” I try, my voice coming out softer than I intend.She doesn’t turn immediately, but after a beat, she glances over at me, forcing a smile that doesn’t reach her eyes. “Morning,” she says, though it feels more like an apology than a greeting.I cross the room, trying to ease the weight of the moment. The twins, wrapped in their little blankets, look so small and peaceful. Kieran’s hand

  • A Love Forged In Ruins    The weight of quiet

    Layla’s POVThe house felt wrong.Not loud, not angry—just wrong.It was the kind of quiet that pressed against your ears until you swore you could hear your own pulse. The kind where the hum of the refrigerator sounded like a roar and every creak in the floorboards made you turn your head. Damian had left nearly an hour ago, after slamming the door with a force that rattled the frames on the wall.Now it was just me and the twins.Kieran’s cry sliced through the stillness first—thin, urgent, and wet with frustration. I moved on instinct, crossing the living room in a few quick steps before scooping him from the bassinet. His tiny fists balled in protest as I rocked him against my shoulder.“Shh, baby, it’s okay. Mama’s here.” My voice was barely a whisper, but it was all I had.I could still hear Damian’s voice in my head, sharp and deliberate, echoing over the sound of my own heartbeat."It’s an opportunity I can’t just walk away from, Layla."I’d wanted to tell him that I wasn’t as

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