Chapter Thirty-five
Serena
The last days have been both exhausting and breathtaking in equal measure.
Having twins is nothing like I imagined. It is relentless and beautiful and overwhelming all at once. There is no pause button. No silence that lasts long enough to gather your thoughts. And yet, somehow, I would not trade a single second of it.
Lorenzo has been my anchor through all of it.
He has been here every day. Every night.
Steady. Present. He has not moved back in yet, and I catch myself wanting to ask him to.
The words sit heavy on my tongue, waiting.
But I stop myself every time. It feels like something that should come after a conversation we still haven’t had.
One that defines us. What we are. What we are choosing to be now.
So I wait.
He is in Las Vegas at the moment. Business, he said. Which, in Lorenzo’s world, almost certainly means Luciano. I do not know where their agreement stands, or if it still stands at all. The thought of him being forced into marrying Aurora still makes my stomach knot.
Before, it hurt.
Now, it enrages me.
After seeing what our life could look like together.
After holding our children. After waking up next to him and seeing him with them.
The idea of another woman being tied to him feels intolerable.
There are moments when my mind goes dark and irrational, and I briefly consider how easy it would be to solve everything with one clean decision.
Then I blink and remind myself that I have clearly spent too much time around Lev, because the intrusive thoughts are getting bold.
I still look over my shoulder.
What my mother told me carved itself deep under my skin. I feel it in quiet moments. In reflections. In the way my body stiffens at unfamiliar sounds. But we have security. I am never alone. Every outing is planned. Public. Controlled. Surrounded by guards.
If this is not safety, I do not know what is.
Still, I refuse to live in fear.
To my surprise, my mother has remained a constant presence since she came back. She helps with the babies. She shows up. We spend time together, quiet and ordinary moments I never thought I would have with her.
And part of me dares to hope.
That this time is real.
That she will not disappear again.
It feels strange to admit, but it is comforting to share these moments with someone who shares my blood. Even after everything. Even after all the damage.
“Are you sure this is everything you need?” my mother asks, hovering over the bag for the twins, carefully checking it like we are about to leave the country instead of stepping out for coffee.
“Yes,” I say gently. “We’re just going for a coffee. We don’t need half of this.”
She hesitates, then nods, still adjusting something that does not need adjusting.
And for a moment, watching her there, fussing over my children, I allow myself to believe that some things can be rebuilt. Slowly. Carefully.
She goes to Celeste, which I think it’s her favorite. “You’re a copy of Serena, aren’t you? Like a precious diamond.” she tells her and I feel a knot in my throat. I push the thought away. Celeste smiles at her.
Maddox is with Bianca in the kitchen, they’ve been inseparable. I can’t help but laugh at how both of them have choose their favorites. My mother chose Celeste because she looks like me, and Bianca choose Maddox because he looks like Lorenzo when he was a baby.
“Alright then,” my mother goes. “I’ll let you guys go and enjoy your time with your friends.
” She gives another kiss to Celeste “Grandma loves you!” and then Bianca comes with Maddox on her arms “Grandma loves you too, you little trouble maker!” she tickles him and he laughs.
I wish if the bad world could just go away so we can be a big happy family.
“Thank you, mom.” I tell her sincerely.
She takes my hand in hers “It’s nothing, Serena. I just helped you with the bag.” She tells me and smile softly.
“I mean, thank you for helping me with the babies and being part of their lives.” I tell her “It means a lot.”
She gives me a soft smile. “I want to be part of your life too.” She tells me softly “Not just part of the babies’ lives,” she goes on “Thank you for forgiving me and giving me a chance to be here.”
“I think we can give us another chance.” I tell her meaning it. I really wish this could be true.
She looks into my eyes her eyes glassy “I know I said things that hurted you, Serena.” She goes on “I’m not making any excuses, I’ve been a terrible mother.
I’ve treated you unfairly just because I was so unhappy with my life.
” She goes on “Even if now I cannot make up for all the times I hurted you, I hope I could just be a present and good grandmother,” she goes on “At least this I can do.”
My heart hurts and I don’t want to tell her but I’ve never forgiven her.
Not for what she put me through when I was a child, not for what she told me when my father forced the engagement and not when she hit me.
But I’m not going to tell her that, I’m trying to forget, not forgive, because I cannot forgive her.
“I’m sure we can heal from all of this.” I tell her and I don’t know if I believe what I’m saying.
She gives me a kiss on my cheek and then goes and kisses the babies again “I’ll see you later, have fun with the girls.”
“I’m sure the girls just invited me out just so they can spend more time with Maddox and Celeste.” I laugh.
She laughs too “Why do you think I’m coming to your house all the time?” she jokes and we both laugh.
She leaves. Leo immediately reaches for the trolley, lifting it before I can protest.
“I can take them,” I tell him automatically.
He shakes his head. “You deserve a break. Besides, I like it.”
I watch as he wheels them out, gentle and careful, and something settles quietly in my chest. The men who guard our home don’t just protect us. They care. They smile when they see the babies. They bring toys. They ask questions.
Somehow, without announcing itself, a family has formed around us.
And despite everything, despite the danger and the shadows that never fully leave, I hold onto that.
Because it matters.
We’re halfway to the car when Sienna calls me.
She sounds breathless, excited. She tells me Kylie and Clara are coming together in Kylie’s car, and that she’s on her own so we can ride with her instead.
A second later, I hear it before I see it.
“Don’t Kill the Party” by Ty Dolla $ign feat Quavo & Juicy J is blasting so loudly it feels like the bass hits my ribs before the car even stops. The vehicle rolls into view, glossy and aggressive.
A Lamborghini Urus.
Definitely not Sienna’s.
Leo shoots me a look. Concerned. Amused. Slightly terrified. The kind of look that silently asks if this is a terrible idea.
“Oh my goooosh!” Sienna jumps out of the car like a firework. “I missed you so much, babies!”
She leans into the trolley, cooing dramatically. The twins answer her with soft laughs, clearly entertained. The music is still thundering behind her.
We secure the babies into their seats and I slide into the passenger side. Within minutes, Maddox and Celeste are out cold, completely unbothered by the noise. Apparently, they share their aunt’s taste in music.
Sienna is singing at the top of her lungs, driving one-handed, forcing me to take pictures and videos of us while she poses dramatically. The twins sleep peacefully in the back, utterly unimpressed.
“Whose car is this?” I ask her, raising my voice over the music.
She doesn’t even look at me. “Knox’s.”
I lift an eyebrow.
She sighs dramatically. “My car was too small to fit you and the babies. So I borrowed his.” She smirks. “Relax.”
“How are things going?” I ask carefully.
She flips her long caramel hair over her shoulder and puts the song on repeat. Again. I’m pretty sure this is the third time. “I think. . . we’re good?”
“That sounded like a question,” I laugh.
“Well,” she says, rolling her eyes, “we’re not seeing each other much right now.”
“Why?”
She exhales. “Since his bitch of a stepsister moved in, I stopped going over there. She’s unbearable. And he’s been. . . distant.” She shrugs. “He says things are stressful at home. Whatever the hell that means.”
I give her a soft smile. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out.” Then, firmer, “And you’ll choose what’s best for you.”
Because Knox is not what she needs. And frankly, I couldn’t care less what Knox needs. Sienna is everything a man could ever wish for.
We pull into the parking lot. The babies are still asleep, perfectly content. Kylie and Clara are already seated, drinks in hand, mid-conversation.
“I swear it should be illegal for babies to be this beautiful,” Kylie says immediately, leaning in. She hugs me tightly and I smile into her shoulder.
“You look amazing, Serena,” Clara says, eyes warm. Her gaze flicks from me to the babies. “I hope you’re coping well.” She smiles again. “They’re breathtaking. But of course they are. Look at their mother.”
I blush.
“Girls,” I laugh, “you’re going to inflate my ego.”
Kylie grins. “Lorenzo might be serious competition there.”
She’s not wrong. Complimenting me has become his daily ritual.
We sit, and Kylie can’t stop looking at the babies, taking photos, whispering to them like they understand every word.
My chest tightens.
She’s told us so many times how badly she wants a family. Children. A life full of noise and love. Watching her hold that longing so quietly makes something ache inside me.
A part of me feels guilty for being the first. For living the dream she’s been holding onto for years. Even though I know it isn’t selfish.
Still.
I watch her smile at my children, and I hope with everything in me that one day, she gets this too.
“Anyone who starts talking about a man that annoys her life has to pay the bill,” Sienna announces, grinning.
Well. I guess I’m safe. I don’t really have anything to complain about when it comes to Lorenzo.