MasukThe ninety-five-year-old great-grandmother Wendy BURST inside like a stampede. Eliana shrieked. “OH MY GOD SHE—CLAIMING IT NOW MOVE! ""Oh my gracious baby,"Wendy said with smile on her face.Sabrina burst into tears. “She’s beautiful—oh, sweetie, you did so good Clarisse, darling” Benedict laid a trembling hand on Saben’s shoulder. “You're a father now, son.” “I know… and I'm terrified.” Teresa Thompson pinched his cheek. “You'll be fine. You've always had a good heart.” Leila Auburn kissed Clarisse’s forehead. “You've given this family a blessing, anak. Thank you.” And finally Wendy Taylor was wheeled forward. Frailer now. Softer. “Let me see my great-granddaughter.” Saben gently laid the baby in Wendy's waiting arms.Wendy smiled small, trembling, full of grace. A tear fell. “And she's an Auburn. And she's a Taylor.”“And she is loved. More than she will ever know.” Then Wendy whispered: "Welcome to the world, little one." You were born into a family of fire… and love. She
Nine….Eight…The air felt electric.Seven…Six…Eliana was already crying.TwoSaben and Clarisse popped the balloon together.A cloud of shimmering pink exploded into the air.Time stood still.A girl.A daughter.A little princess.Saben fell to his knees, his face in his hands as he openly sobbed-unrestrained, overwhelmed.“A… a girl,” he choked, laughing through tears. “My daughter…”She knelt before him and took his face between her hands. “You’re going to be such a good father, my love.”He kissed her-desperate, full of wonder.Eliana screamed so loudly that Isla copied her.“A GIRL! A GIRL! OH MY GOD—CLARISSE, YOU'RE HAVING A MINI YOU!!!”Everything was perfect.She even cried because Saben breathed “too loudly.”But Saben?Saben became a soldier.He banned heels, banned stress, banned cold drinks, and banned anything with "even a millimeter of danger", as Eliana described it.He even glared at an inoffensive office chair because it "looked unstable."“It has wheels,” Saben sa
"I love you, Clarisse."She smiled, her eyes shining with tears.“And this baby,” he added, his voice shaking a little, “is the best gift you’ve ever given me.”She wrapped her arms around him and let her tears fall.And for the first time since she took the test…She wasn't afraid anymore.Not with Saben holding her.Not with their family cheering them on.Not with a new life growing between them.Tomorrow would be different.Tomorrow they would start their journey of becoming parents.A week later, Clarisse lay on the bed in the clinic, cold gel on her belly sending shivers up her spine.Saben refused to sit.He stood right beside her, holding her hand with both of his, as if letting go for even a second might put her in danger.“Ready?”Clarisse nodded, her breath trembling.The wand slid across her stomachA second later, a soft rapid thump-thump-thump-thump filled the room.Clarisse gasped.Saben's hand spasmed in hers.The doctor flipped the screen.Time froze.There-on the scre
Saben lowered his forehead to hers.“You're everything,” he whispered.“You and this baby… you're everything.”Clarisse cupped his jaw, her thumb stroking the stubble she adored.“We are going to be parents.”His breath shuddered, half a laugh, half incredulity.“We are.”Then he kissed her.Not the hungry, desperate kind they shared in private.But slow. Reverent.A promise sealed with warmth, trembling joy.Their baby.Their dawn.Their forever.And quietly, in a voice only she could hear, he said:"Our family starts now."Clarisse put both hands over her mouth, crying silently, as he rose and wrapped his arms around her.She nodded, wiping away her tears.“Yes. Let’s go home.”The family gathered together in the living room:Sabrina, classy and radiantBenedict crossed his arms, but as he watched his kids, he softened.Eliana, bouncing baby Isla on her kneeDamian Wolfe, empathetic husband alwaysLeila Auburn, the ever supportive grandmaTeresa Thompson, the hyper active grandma.T
The day had been ordinary. Meetings. Emails. Coffee.But Clarisse felt… off.A strange flutter in her stomach.Lightheadedness when she stood too quickly.A sensitivity to perfume she normally loved.At first she brushed it off.Jet lag.The first week back at work.Too many late nights with my husband.But as she sat at her desk, hand pressed over her abdomen, a sudden wave of dizziness washed through her soft but unmistakable. The world steadied a second later, yet something inside her didn’t.Zina walked past her office and paused.“You okay, Mrs. Thompson? You look a little pale.”Clarisse forced a smile. “Just tired.”Zina nodded and left, but the comment stayed with her.Clarisse touched her stomach again.Tired…Yes. But… also… different.A nervous pulse flickered through her chest.Her period.Late.Her hands trembled.“Oh my god…”She stood quickly, almost knocking over her chair, grabbed her bag, and rushed to the restroom. She locked herself inside the last stall and sat do
They finally reached the car, and as they drove away from the airport, the familiar sights of Los Angeles welcomed them back. Saben glanced at Clarisse as she looked out the window, a reflective expression on her face, almost wistful.She turned toward him, a soft but real smile on her lips. "It feels like we've been gone for months, not just a week."He chuckled. "Time does feel different when you're with me."Clarisse's heart fluttered as she leaned to softly kiss him. "I missed you," she whispered, her hand gingerly rested against his thigh. "I missed us, just the two of us."His eyes softened as he looked at her. "I missed you too. But now we're home. For real."They entered the gates of the Thompson estate, the sprawling property sitting in front of them like a beacon of everything they'd built, everything they'd fought for.As the car finally came to a stop in front of the house, a feeling of contentment washed over Clarisse. She wasn't nervous. She wasn't anxious about stepping







