184 — The end.

My eyes take a while to adjust to the brightness, but slowly, the blur goes away. I move my hands, feeling a weight on one of them.
I blink a few times heavily, looking down carefully because I still feel a little dizzy, and see that Julian is sitting in an armchair next to the bed, holding my hand.
He senses my movements and slowly opens his eyes, looking directly at me, taking a few moments for him to understand that I’m wide awake. When reality hits him hard, Julian’s eyes widen and glisten with tears.
He doesn’t say a single word, just leans in, taking my hand in both of his and enveloping it in his warm palms... something I’ve really missed over the last two weeks. He rests his forehead on our hands, his tense shoulders immediately relaxing.
“You really scared us, you know?” Julian grumbles, then looks up. I can see the deep, dark circles under his eyes. “You’ve been unconscious for two whole days!”
Suddenly, I remember why I’m in this hospital bed and release my hand from Julian’s, touching my belly with both hands, but I don’t feel any movement. Even if I caress it in a way that makes my babies kick, there is nothing.
Pain, misery, sorrow, and every single word of fear take over me, and I shake my head desperately, with tears rolling down my face, falling from my eyes like pearls.
No, it can’t be... why don’t they move? Why aren’t they responding to my touch?
“Jackie, Lizzie...” I call with a choking voice, but there’s nothing... Heavens, they’re not moving-
“Babe, stop it...”
The mere idea that they are no longer here is enough to drive me to the brink of insanity. This damn pain feels like it’s about to destroy my chest! It hurts so much that I want to howl and scream at the top of my lungs.
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… You are killing Julian Adams’ children.
… I swear, you’re going to burn! You and this cursed child!
… It’s your fault-
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No, please, Lord, not my girls-
“Angel...” Julian stands up, leaning over me and holding my hands, but I try to resist his touch, which seems to burn. “Angelee!”
I stop with a startle, letting Julian hold my hands and look straight into my eyes.
“They are fine.” He says, and his words steal my breath away. “Jacklyn and Elizabeth were born safe and sound.”
“But it was still early-” I don’t know if I make sense in this shaky, messy voice, but Julian holds my face, wiping away my tears. “Our daughters...”
“Despite being born at thirty-four weeks, the doctor said they are fine. They had to go straight to the incubator to make sure their lungs were strong and developed enough, but they’re fine now.”
I close my eyes, letting relieved sobs escape between my lips.
Are my daughters really okay?
“I want to see them,” I say firmly, looking at Julian. “Can I see them? Please, Julian, I need to see my babies.”
“Just wait a moment, okay?” Julian places a kiss on my forehead, and I watch him walk away through tears.
Inevitably, my eyes look for the large window that allows sunlight to enter this monochromatic room. From here, I can see the magnificent buildings of the city that became my home seven years ago.
I close my eyes again and breathe deeply, but my chest feels troubled. Laura’s words and Mrs. Smith’s curse come back to haunt me. Thinking about them sends a chill up my spine that settles in my chest…
But all my thoughts are interrupted when I hear the crying that I know belongs to my daughters. My eyes are guided in that direction, and my heart pounds hard when I see Julian and Daddy both holding a baby wrapped in similar blankets, and they look so small in their strong arms.
These thin crying do strange things to my heart. I can’t put into words what I’m feeling... At the same time as it gives me strength, I feel like I could melt. It’s really a powerful feeling, this thing called mother love.
My eyelashes are wet with these intense feelings and emotions that overwhelm me. Still, I stretch my arms, asking to hold them, please, just a little...
Julian gently places one of the babies in my right arm, and Daddy places the second in the left. This feeling is so intense that I can’t stop the tears from flowing with a silly, happy laugh that escapes unintentionally.
Gosh, they are so small... even their delicate nose and lips are too cute for my heart to handle, especially their few blonde hairs. How can they be so adorable? How is it possible for such cuteness to exist in this world?
Maybe because they feel my body heat or scent, they stop crying — which just makes me even more emotional.
“That’s Lizzie.” He touches the blonde hair of the baby on my right arm, stroking it so gently that it seems like he doesn’t touch it. Then, he also caresses the other girl. “And this is Jackie. She was born three minutes and four seconds later.”
I giggle, “They have your hair... and your lips.”
“And they have your nose,” Julian says proudly, with a smile that also brightens my own countenance. After a long moment of silence, Julian admires them and caresses their hair. Then he says, “I was scared of losing you... all of you.”
I look at my daughters and feel a pang of guilt... so big and painful that it seems to devour me inside. We could have lost them. If things had gone wrong... I wouldn’t bear it. Even the mere thought hurts like a shot.
That’s why I can’t help but blame myself for this. If I hadn’t listened to Laura, we wouldn’t have gone through any of this.
What she did... the way she pushed me and smiled in satisfaction knowing that she could hurt my daughters... Laura really is evil; she proved that. I’m sure there isn’t a shred of humanity in her heart. She doesn’t care about anyone, or maybe her hatred for me is so deep that she’s willing to hurt other people, hurt me.
At this point, I believe there is no going back. Laura really is a danger.
That’s why I need to say. I need to tell them what Laura did and what really happened.
Even though the words are stuck in my throat, I need to say...
“About that day, I…”
“Don’t worry.” Julian interrupts me, looking at our daughters. “What matters is that you are okay.”
“But Laura-”
The intensity in Julian’s eyes tells me enough. I look at my father, hoping he will encourage me, but he also seems stern about this.
I see... they already know.
“Just focus on you and your children... There’s no reason for you to worry about anything else.” Daddy says, giving me a subtle smile.
I lower my eyes, taking a deep breath.
Somehow, I understand what they’re worrying about. Laura wanted to drive fear into my soul, and perhaps she succeeded. Maybe it will take a while for me to forget her words or the feeling of helplessness.
That moment probably will be marked in my head.
But as Daddy told me, I need to focus on my twins.
Yes, that’s right... what really matters is that they’re safe in my arms.
If I had lost them...
I nod, snuggling a little closer, feeling their warmth, their soft baby scent that soothes my heart. I close my eyes, letting this love fill every inch of my chest until I am overflowing with it.
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… I will haunt you for the rest of your life…
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No, you won’t, Laura... I won’t let you ruin my life. I won’t give you the power you want. It doesn’t matter what happens to you — whether you will be happy or end up alone in a gutter, I don’t care. I won’t hold on to any feelings about you... From now on, my family is the only thing that matters.
I feel a hand on my head, and I open my eyes to see my father’s worried face. There are also many emotions in his eyes, but no other words are necessary.
We just feel.
And that’s enough.
“We heard you woke up, and we came running!” Cathy appears at the door, next to Tyler, holding a bouquet of white roses. I don’t know when they became so close to coming up together like this, but it’s good to see that they’re getting along well.
Cathy walks over with Tyler, and while he arranges the flowers next to the bed, she sits on the edge of my bed, close to the feet, stroking through the sheets as she smiles.
“Awww, look at these cuties... they look like Julian! But I really wish to see little Angelees following this godmother around the house!”
“Are you already trying to steal my daughters?” Julian retorts, still stroking their smooth little hair. “Make kids for yourself.”
“Oh, yeah, that’s a great idea! If I have boys, they can marry your girls in the future!” She teases Julian, making him frown.
“No fucking way.”
“You have two baby girls now.” Cathy teases, and Daddy laughs. “Just wait eighteen years, and you’ll find out the true challenge of being a girl’s dad!”
“Welcome to the club,” Dad says, teasing and patting Julian on the back.
Julian opens his lips to say something, slightly pale, and I can’t help my own giggle.
“Angel!” I hear Jessica’s voice, and she runs to the bed. “Aww, look at my nieces… They look so much like me!”
“They look like me.” Julian corrects, and she shrugs.
“Same thing.” She sticks out her tongue, peeking into my daughters’ faces.
Mr. Adams, Liliana, and all of Julian’s brothers also enter the room. They’re all talking, laughing, teasing themselves... and that makes me think...
I’m surrounded by people who truly love me, don’t I?
Despite the twists and turns, I achieved everything I ever wanted — a good job, friends, love, a big family... I’m really lucky. And everything happened because, just like an angel… I had fallen for my Daddy’s friend.
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— The end.