All Chapters of MINE TO CLAIM : Chapter 121 - Chapter 130

“I wasn’t sure you would come.” The voice carried across the garden like a prayer answered, deep and familiar and so impossibly real that Ava’s knees buckled. Dario stood with his back to her near the center of the illuminated space, his shoulders broader than she remembered, his dark hair longer than he had ever worn it. He turned slowly, as if giving her time to prepare for what she was about to see. But nothing could have prepared her for the reality of his face, thinner than before, marked by a scar along his left temple that spoke of violence survived and recovery earned through sheer determination.“Dario,” she breathed. Her legs gave out completely. She stumbled backward, her hands reaching out blindly as shock and recognition crashed over her in waves. The months of dreams, of hoping, of preparing herself for either miracle or final acceptance, none of it had prepared her for the simple fact of him standing there alive and whole and looking at her with eyes that held t

“Stop fussing with my veil, Ava. You’re making me more nervous than I already am.” Camilia stood in front of the full-length mirror in the bridal suite at St. Catherine’s Cathedral, her hands smoothing the elegant silk of her wedding dress while Ava adjusted the delicate lace that cascaded from her hair. The morning light streaming through stained glass windows cast everything in jewel tones that made the scene feel like something from a fairy tale. “I’m not fussing, I’m perfecting. There’s a difference.” Ava stepped back to admire her work, one hand resting on her rounded belly that had grown considerably in the three months since Dario’s return. “Besides, someone has to make sure you look absolutely stunning when you walk down that aisle.”“I look like I’m about to throw up.”“You look like a woman in love who’s about to marry her best friend. The throwing up part is just wedding day nerves.” Cara appeared in the doorway with Rosa, both women dressed in their elegant mother-

“It’s a boy!” Dr. Rachel’s voice filled the delivery room with joy as she lifted the second baby, his cries joining his sister’s in a symphony of new life. Ava collapsed back against the pillows, exhausted but radiant, while Dario stared in wonder at this second miracle they hadn’t expected.“Two babies,” Ava whispered, tears streaming down her face. “We have two babies, Dario.”He leaned down and kissed her softly, his own eyes wet with emotion. “You incredible woman. You gave us twins. I don’t know how I got so lucky.”“We got lucky,” she corrected, reaching up to touch his face. “Our family just doubled in size.” The delivery room doors burst open, and Cara rushed in with Owen close behind, both still wearing their wedding reception attire. Cara didn’t even glance at the babies being cleaned and weighed by the nurses. Her focus was entirely on her daughter.“Ava, sweetheart, are you alright?” Cara moved directly to the bedside, gathering her exhausted daughter into her arms.

“Stop moving your head or I will never get these pearls straight.” The hairstylist’s gentle scolding made Ava smile as she sat in front of the mirror in the bridal suite of St. Catherine’s Cathedral. Two years had passed since Devera and Diego’s dramatic entrance into the world, and today she was finally marrying their father in the ceremony they had dreamed of but never quite managed to have.“I can’t help it. I’m nervous and excited and completely overwhelmed,” Ava replied, watching her reflection transform under the skilled hands of the makeup artist and hairstylist Rosa had insisted on hiring.“You have nothing to be nervous about, mija,” Cara said from her position overseeing the entire process. “This time, no one’s going to interrupt your wedding with guns or kidnapping attempts. Just a man who loves you waiting at the altar.”“That’s what makes it perfect and terrifying at the same time.”The makeup artist stepped back to admire her work. “There. You look like a queen.” Ava

“Tell us the story about how you and Daddy met.” Devera’s request came as Ava tucked her into bed on a quiet Sunday evening, three months after her fifth birthday. Diego had already fallen asleep in the next room, exhausted from a day of soccer practice and playground adventures.“You have heard that story a hundred times, sweetheart.”“But I like it. It’s like a fairy tale, but real.”Ava smiled, settling into the chair beside Devera’s bed. The bedtime story ritual had evolved over the years, but their daughter’s fascination with her parents’ love story never seemed to fade.“Once upon a time, there was a nurse who worked very hard to help sick people get better.”“That’s you, Mama.”“That’s me. And one night, a very hurt man came to her hospital, and she had to work extra hard to save his life.”“That’s Daddy.”“That’s Daddy. And even though she didn’t know anything about him except that he needed help, she refused to give up on him.” Devera pulled her blanket up to her chin, her