~Epilogue~
( Three years later - July 27)
It’s hot outside.
But not the kind of July heat.
And the kind where you want to go out because you won’t get a headache.
I’m sitting on the deck chair, umbrella over my head, drinking a soda while I watch Evelyn play in the kiddie pool, full of colorful balls and a little water.
Evelyn laughs. A clear laugh, broken into small pieces of warm air as she throws the colorful balls in all directions, as if this were the most important mission in the world.
“No! Not there!” I automatically shout, when one of the balls jumps over the edge.
She stops for a second, looks at me with wide eyes…
and then smiles broadly, exactly the kind of smile that says she’s going to do it ten more times.
“Oops.” she murmurs, without a trace of guilt.
A sigh escapes me, but I don’t get up.
Not because I don’t want to. But because…
I don’t feel the need to control everything anymore.
I just look at her.
And that’s enough.
Light footsteps on the terrace. I don’t have to turn around to know it’s him.
“Have you completely abandoned the role of responsible mother?” Cedric’s voice comes calmly, with that slightly amused tone.
I turn my head slowly.
And I see him.
He’s standing in the doorway, his shirt slightly clinging to his skin, his hair a little messy…
and with her in his arms.
My breath stops for a second.
Melissa.
She’s so small and frail that she seems to disappear in his arms. But she doesn’t. Because it’s impossible not to see her.
The light, dark hair, soft, almost golden in the light. The features… clear. The lines of her face. The fine jaw. The small nose.
Cedric.
Again.
I narrow my eyes. “Really?” I murmur.
He raises an eyebrow.
“What?”
I slowly rise from the chaise, moving closer.
I cross my arms and stare at the child.
Then at him.
Then back at the child.
“Explain to me.” I dryly say.
Cedric looks at me for a few seconds, completely lost. “Explain what?”
I point at Melissa.
“That.”
He looks down at her. Then back at me.
“…our child?” he says slowly.
I roll my eyes. “No. The fact that… again…” I point between him and her “…you copied and pasted.”
Evelyn laughs from the pool, not fully understanding, but enough to get the tone.
Cedric sighs slightly, but the corner of his mouth lifts.
“It’s not my fault.”
“It is!” I insist, moving even closer.
“I carried two children. TWO. And neither of them look like me.”
I put a hand on my chest, dramatically offended.
“Where are my eyelashes, Cedric?”
He stares for a few seconds.
Seriously.
Then… he smiles.
That dangerous kind of smile.
“I saved them for the important stuff.”
I blink. “What does that mean?”
He doesn’t answer right away. He just takes a step closer.
Too close.
Melissa makes a small sound, shifting slightly in his arms. Cedric adjusts her instinctively, but his gaze doesn’t leave me.
“Evelyn has the way you feel,” he says softly.
“And she…” he looks down at the baby for a second “…she’s going to have it.
”
My breathing changes a little.
It’s not the answer I was expecting.
I bite my lip lightly. “That can’t be seen,” he murmurs.
“Not everything that matters needs to be seen,” he replies simply.
Silence.
A short one. But a full one.
I slowly lower my arms.
“I still wish at least one looked like me,” I say, more quietly this time.
Cedric takes another step. He reaches my face.
“You don’t want that,” he murmurs.
I look up.
“Why?”
He leans down slightly, just enough to be at my level.
“Because if she looked exactly like you…” his voice trails off “…I could never say no to her.”
I laugh a little. “So you can now?”
He looks over at Evelyn, who’s trying to throw two balls at once. One lands on her head.
“…not really,” he admits.
I laugh.
And then… something changes in the air. Not suddenly. Not dramatically.
He just… sits down.
He holds out his hands to Melissa. “Give it to me.”
Cedric doesn’t hesitate. He carefully moves her into my arms.
She’s warm.
Small. Her breathing is quiet.
I look down at her.
And for a second… everything disappears.
The noise. The heat. Everything.
“Hi…” I whisper.
Her eyes open a little. Green.
Like his.
I sigh softly. “Little traitor…” I murmur.
Cedric laughs softly next to me.
He places his hand on my back, warm, steady.
Evelyn screams from the pool: “Mommy! Daddy! Look at me!”
I look up.
She’s standing there, completely wet, her balls around her like a crown.
“I’m queen!” she declares proudly.
Cedric rests his chin on my shoulder.
“That must be from you,” he murmurs.
I smile.
“Of course.”
I look between them.
Evelyn. Melissa.
And for a moment… I feel that emptiness again.
But not like before.
Not painful.
Full.
An emptiness that has made room for everything.
I rest my head lightly on Cedric’s.
“Still…” I murmur.
“Hm?”
“The next one looks like me.”
He pauses for a second.
Then he laughs. “Ah, so we’re doing another one? ”
I turn my head to him, raising an eyebrow.
“Don’t rush.”
“I’m not rushing,” he says calmly. “I’m planning.”
I give him a gentle nudge.
Melissa shifts in my arms. Evelyn laughs again.
And the world… is exactly where it needs to be.
I start walking towards the chaise longue and sit down carefully, without disturbing Melissa.
She puts her hands in her mouth, and I lean over to take the bottle that Cedric gave me.
"Thanks, love," I say and take the bottle.
I lean back on the chaise longue and hold Melissa in my arms, close enough to feel her warm breath on my skin.
She's quiet. Too quiet for how small she is.
"Come on, little one..." I murmur softly, bringing the bottle to her lips.
For a second she doesn't react. Then, instinctively, she latches on. Slowly at first, then more surely. As if she knows exactly what she's doing, even though she's only been in the world for 8 months.
I smile involuntarily.
It's such a simple gesture. So... normal. And yet it squeezes my chest in the strangest way.
Cedric moves next to me, but says nothing. He sits on the edge of the chaise longue, close enough to touch my knee with his.
I feel him there. His presence is constant. Like an anchor.
“She’s eating well…” I murmur, more to myself.
“She’s my daughter,” he answers calmly.
I raise an eyebrow. “Oh, so when something’s good, it’s yours, right?”
“Exactly,” he says without blinking.
I nudge her lightly with my elbow, but I can’t help but smile.
My gaze falls on Melissa again. The way her little fingers instinctively close on the material of my T-shirt. The way her forehead wrinkles slightly as she eats.
So small. So… dependent on me.
And, don’t scare me.
In the past, this feeling would have overwhelmed me.
Responsibility. The constant need to be there.
Now… I just sit. And hold her. And that’s enough.
“Mommy!” Evelyn’s voice snaps me out of my thoughts.
I look up. She’s now on the edge of the pool, completely wet, her hair stuck to her forehead and her eyes shining.
“Look at me!” she screams, then jumps straight into the balls and water, splashing everywhere.
“…ok, this is really from you.” she murmurs.
Cedric laughs softly next to me. “I said.”
I nod, but say nothing.
Because the truth is… I wouldn’t mind if they were all like her.
The sound of a car stopping in front of the house makes us both look up.
Cedric sighs softly. "Oh no..."
I don't get to say anything, because the gate door opens and Samuel's voice immediately rings out.
"My dear children, where are you?
!"
I freeze for a second. Then I burst into a short laugh.
"We're off to a good start..." I mutter.
Evelyn jumps out of the pool instantly. "SAMUEL!!"
She doesn't care that she's wet. She runs straight towards him.
Samuel appears on the terrace just in time to catch her in mid-flight, lifting her into the air effortlessly.
"My queen!" she says theatrically.
"I'm the queen!
" she confirms, serious.
"I know, I know. I came to make sure."
Nathalie appears behind him. Calm. Smiling.
With one hand instinctively resting on her stomach.
I look at her for a few seconds. Two months.
It’s only the beginning… and yet it’s different.
Cedric notices too. He tilts his head slightly toward her.
“How are you feeling?”
“Tired,” she replies simply.
“And hungry.”
“Perfect,” he says. “Just in time for the barbecue.”
“BBQ?!” Samuel almost drops the baby from his arms in excitement.
“Don’t let her go.” I say quickly.
“I don’t let her go.” he confirms, holding her tighter.
My parents come in right after, too, with bags, with food, with that kind of energy that fills the entire space without asking permission.
Mom comes straight towards me. She stops when she sees the baby.
Her eyes soften instantly.
“Can I take her for a bit?” she asks softly.
I nod without hesitation.
I hand Melissa over to her carefully, watching her every move.
Mom treats her like something sacred.
Fragile. Important.
"It's perfect, Evelyn.
.." he whispers.
"I know." he murmurs.
Cedric is already up and starting to organize things outside. The grill. The table. Everything.
Samuel is next to him in two seconds, obviously without really helping.
"I'm supervising." he declares.
"You shut up." Cedric replies.
I laugh.
The sounds mix. Voices. Footsteps. Laughter.
The house fills up.
And, strangely… I don't feel overwhelmed.
After a while, when the sun starts to slowly go down, another car appears.
I don't get up. But I know.
Footsteps.
Slower. More calculated.
And then I see him.
Theodore.
He stands in the doorway for a second, analyzing everything.
The group. The noise. The family.
He's the same as last time.
Brown hair. Green eyes, attentive. Too attentive.
But something is different.
He doesn't seem… outside anymore.
He looks at Cedric. A second. Maybe two.
Cedric looks up from the grill. Their eyes meet.
Neither one says anything.
But there’s no longer that stiff tension.
Not completely.
Theodore finally enters.
He approaches me. He stops by the lounge chair.
His gaze falls on Melissa. Then on me.
“Did you do another one while I was gone?” he says simply.
My eyes narrow. “
Brilliant observation.”
The corner of his mouth lifts slightly.
“He looks like him,” he continues.
“I KNOW,” I reply immediately.
He looks back at the child. Then at Evelyn, who is now trying to convince Nathalie to get in the pool.
“…but she’s quiet.” he adds.
“For now.” I say.
He nods.
And then, without saying anything, he sits down on the chair next to him.
He stays.
And that’s enough.
The sun goes down even lower. The light becomes softer.
Cedric comes to me again, wiping his hands.
He looks at everything. At everyone.
Then at me.
“It’s a lot.” he says quietly.
I look around. At Evelyn. At Melissa.
At everyone here.
Then I look at him.
I rest my head lightly on his shoulder.
“No.” I murmur. Pause. I take a deep breath.
“It’s just right.”
Cedric doesn’t answer right away.
He just stays there, next to me, his shoulder pressed against mine and his gaze lost for a second in everything that’s happening around him.
Samuel laughs too hard at something Dad says.
Evelyn splashes water on Nathalie, who protests without conviction.
Mom is still holding Melissa, rocking her gently.
Noise. Life. Everything.
And then…
Cedric straightens up slightly.
Not suddenly.
Not theatrically.
Just… something changes in his posture.
He takes a deep breath. He runs a hand through his hair.
A small gesture. But I know him well enough to know.
Something is coming.
I frown slightly and look at him.
“What?”” I ask quietly.
He doesn’t answer.
Instead, he takes a step forward.
“Walden,” he says calmly.
His voice isn’t raised. But it’s enough.
Everyone stops.
Not immediately. But enough to create an awkward pause.
Samuel turns first, still holding Evelyn in his arms. “Yes?”
Cedric doesn’t look at him.
He looks at me.
Just me.
And for a second… I feel something in my chest. The kind of feeling that comes before something important. Something that changes everything.
“What are you doing…?” he murmurs.
He inhales.
And then, he drops to his knees.
All the air disappears from my lungs.
“…no.” I whisper automatically, eyes wide.
Not in the sense of refusal.
In the sense of…
I can’t believe it.
Around us, the silence falls differently this time.
There’s no more chaos. There’s no more laughter.
It’s… attention.
Samuel is silent. Nathalie puts her hand to her mouth.
Mom remains still, with Melissa in her arms.
Even Evelyn…
stops for a moment, but then continues playing.
Cedric looks up at me.
His eyes are clear.
Firm. But… different.
More open than I’ve ever seen them.
“I’m not going to make a long speech. ” he says softly.
Typical.
My lip trembles.
“Because I don’t need to.
” he continues. “You already know.” I swallow hard.
“You know I love you.”
My breath catches slightly.
“You know I’m not leaving.”
I feel my eyes burning.
“You know that… everything I have now…” he makes a small gesture toward the house, toward the people, toward the children “…is because you chose to stay.”
I can’t speak anymore.
I just look at him.
Because… I know.
I know exactly what he’s referring to.
To everything. To then. To the decision that changed everything.
He reaches into his pocket.
He pulls out a small box.
Simple.
He opens it.
It’s not something exaggerated.
It’s not garish.
It’s… exactly right.
“I’m not going to ask you if you want a life with me,” he says.
Pause. He holds my gaze. “Because you already have one.”
A small, broken laugh escapes me through my tears.
“I’m just asking if you want to stay in it…
officially.” He tilts his head slightly.
“Idris…” His voice drops. “Do you want to be my husband? ?”
Silence.
But not the empty kind.
The kind that pulsates.
I feel my heart pounding in my throat.
In my ears. Everywhere.
I look at him.
Then around.
At Evelyn. At Melissa.
At my mother. At everyone.
And I realize something.
There’s nothing left to run from. Nothing to fear.
Everything here… is mine.
And I’m theirs.
I put a hand to my mouth, trying to breathe.
"You're..." I laugh through my tears ".
..impossible, baby"
He doesn't smile.
Wait.
For the first time... completely vulnerable.
And then... I nod.
"Yes." My voice comes out broken.
But it's clear. "Yes, you fool."
And at that moment, everything explodes.
Samuel screams, "FINALLY!"
Evelyn: "What's happening, Grandmother?
!"
Nathalie laughs and starts clapping.
Mom cries.
Cedric doesn't wait any longer.
He stands up immediately. He holds my face in both hands.
And kisses me.
Not like before.
Not calm.
Not restrained.
It's... everything.
Everything I didn't say.
Everything I experienced.
Everything that follows.
I feel his hands shaking slightly.
Or maybe they're mine.
It doesn't matter.
Because we're here.
Together.
When he pulls back, he presses his forehead to mine.
We breathe the same air.
"I love you."
I smile through tears.
"I love you more."
Night slowly falls over the house.
Not suddenly. Not forcefully.
Just… quietly.
The last laughs die down one by one, the door closes after the last guests, and the house is left behind with the echo of a full day.
Plates forgotten on the table, the smell of barbecue smoke in the air, toys scattered everywhere.
Life.
Evelyn falls asleep first.
Naturally.
She has used up more energy than all of them combined.
“I am a queen…” she murmurs sleepily, in a low voice, before leaning against the pillow.
I smile.
“I know, love…” I whisper, gently pulling the blanket over her.
Melissa is calmer. I hold her in my arms for a few minutes, rocking her slowly, until her breathing becomes even, calm. Cedric sits next to me, saying nothing, just watching.
As usual.
I carefully place her in the crib and stand there for a second, looking at her. Then… we leave.
The door closes slowly behind us.
And, for the first time all day… it’s quiet again.
Real.
We reach the bedroom without rushing.
No words.
I sit on the edge of the bed, feeling the fatigue in every part of me…
but also something more than that.
Cedric stands for a second.
He looks at me.
I look at him too.
“I didn’t expect…
” I murmur softly.
My voice is low.
Honest.
He raises an eyebrow slightly.
“What?”
A small laugh escapes me. Tired.
“None of that.” I gesture vaguely towards the ring. “To… us. Like this.”
He approaches.
Slowly.
He stops between my legs and puts his hands on my waist.
“I do.” he says simply.
I look at him. “You’re lying.”
The corner of his mouth turns up slightly.
“A little.”
I laugh softly.
And then…
without warning, he pushes me gently back onto the bed.
My breath hitches for a second.
“Cedric…”
I don’t get to finish.
He climbs over me, leaning on his arms, just enough to not put any real weight on me.
But enough to hold me there.
Close.
Too close.
He looks at me.
“What do you think?”” he murmurs, his voice low.
His eyes never leave mine.
I feel my heart in my throat.
“About what?”
He smiles.
The kind of smile that already tells me I’m going to regret it.
“Are we doing a third me?”
I blink.
Once.
Twice.
And then I laugh.
A real laugh. Free.
“You’re crazy…” I murmur, pushing him away slightly.
But not enough to make him leave.
He doesn’t move.
“And?” he insists.
I bite my lip, watching him.
Then I raise an eyebrow.
“Only if this time…” I whisper softly “…he looks like me.”
He laughs.
He leans in.
His lips touch mine, warm, safe, homey.
“I promise nothing.”
I close my eyes and let this moment escalate into… our moment.
THE TRUE ENDING 3
Start: 7 March.
Finished: 17 April