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Chapter 131: BREATHS BETWEEN HEARTBEATS
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2025-12-11 01:14:09Life didn’t return to normal after the baby came.
It reshaped itself. Days blurred together in a rhythm of soft cries, whispered conversations, half-finished cups of tea, and laughter that came unexpectedly—usually when exhaustion made everything slightly ridiculous. The house moved differently now, like it was constantly adjusting to a new heartbeat at its center. Adrian barely slept. He hovered. Over the bassinet. Over his wife. Over every sound, every breath, every flicker of light in the room. I’d catch him standing perfectly still in the doorway at night, listening, counting seconds between breaths like the world might end if he missed one. “You’re allowed to rest,” I told him one morning as he swayed gently with the baby in his arms. He looked down at her, then back at me. “I know. I just… don’t want to miss anything.” I smiled softly. “You won’t. But you’ll miss yourself if you don’t stop guarding every second.” That gave him pause. Lucian had taken to early mornings with the children, letting Adrian and his wife sleep when they could. Aria helped instinctively—fetching blankets, humming when the baby fussed. Arianna observed everything with quiet focus, less interested in data now and more in understanding why the baby responded to certain emotions. Arian adjusted charms and wards gently, careful never to interfere, only to protect. Cassian, surprisingly, became the night-shift entertainer. “I am emotionally unqualified,” he’d whisper to the baby at three in the morning, pacing slowly. “But behold—I offer you dramatic monologues and unconditional loyalty.” And somehow… it worked. The baby calmed fastest with him. That alone felt like magic. It happened on the fifth night. Nothing dramatic. No alarms. No sudden surge. Just a moment. I was sitting in the armchair near the bassinet, watching Adrian’s wife sleep, her face finally peaceful. Lucian had stepped out to check on the kids. The house was quiet—too quiet. Then the air shifted. Not sharply. Not violently. Just enough for me to feel it. The baby stirred, tiny fingers curling, her brow furrowing as if she were dreaming. A soft glow flickered around her—barely visible, like moonlight through fog. I stood slowly. “Hey,” I whispered, more instinct than thought. “It’s okay.” The glow pulsed once. A memory—not mine—brushed against my senses. Warmth. Safety. Arms holding her. Voices murmuring love. Emotion. Her magic wasn’t reacting to fear. It was responding to connection. Adrian appeared in the doorway, eyes widening. “Sophie…?” “I see it,” I said calmly. “She’s not in danger.” He stepped closer, heart pounding so loudly I could almost hear it. “What do I do?” I smiled gently. “What you’ve been doing since she arrived.” I placed his hand over hers. The glow softened instantly. The baby sighed in her sleep. Adrian exhaled like he’d been holding his breath for days. “She felt me.” “Yes,” I said quietly. “And she trusted it.” Lucian returned just in time to witness the light fade completely. He looked at me, then at Adrian, understanding passing between us without words. “That’s new,” he said softly. “It’s growth,” I replied. Later that night, after the house settled again, I found Lucian on the back porch, staring up at the stars. “You felt it too,” he said. “I did.” He took my hand. “The watcher’s gone. But magic like this… it doesn’t disappear. It evolves.” I leaned into him. “So do families.” Inside, the baby slept peacefully. The children dreamed in their rooms. Adrian finally rested beside his wife, one hand never leaving their daughter’s tiny back. Cassian snored dramatically on the couch. And for the first time since the vacation, since the watcher, since the birth— Everything felt still. Not finished. Just… steady. I closed my eyes, breathing in the quiet. Whatever came next wouldn’t announce itself with chaos or fear. It would arrive softly. Like a breath between heartbeats.
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