CHAPTER 25
MIA
The sweet scent of sugar wakes me before I even feel the soft touch on my lips.
Slowly, I open my eyes to find Zane leaning over me, holding a vanilla cupcake topped with a small frosting heart. His eyes are soft, though he looks slightly uncomfortable with the sheer sweetness of the gesture, as if he's still deciding whether he should be doing this.
"Happy birthday," he murmurs, pressing a light kiss to my face.
I smile, lazy and still half-asleep, before flopping back onto the bed and pulling the blanket over my head.
"Five more minutes."
"Mia."
"Zane."
He sighs, effortlessly pulling the blanket away, exposing my face to the real world again. I narrow my eyes at him, and he returns a patient look, the cupcake still in his hand.
"If you don’t get up, I’ll eat it."
I sit up instantly, snatching the cupcake from his grasp and taking a bite before he even has time to blink. The sweet flavor explodes in my mouth, and I let out a satisfied moan.
"Oh, that’s good. That’s really good. Did you make it?"
"No. Laura did."
"Then you don’t get points for effort."
Zane rolls his eyes, but there’s a flicker of amusement there. He waits patiently as I finish devouring the cupcake, and when I realize he’s still watching me, I raise an eyebrow.
"What’s the plan, husband?"
"Taking you somewhere. No worries, no problems. Today, there’s no past or future—only now."
I blink.
"Are you planning to kill me?"
He exhales a quiet laugh.
"If I were, you wouldn’t have gotten a cupcake first."
The park is a chaotic mix of flashing lights, the scent of cotton candy, and excited screams, all blending with the sound of music. It's the kind of place that feels as though it exists outside of time. As soon as we enter, my eyes light up.
“I want to do it all,” I declare, spinning on my heels to take in every detail around me.
"You can do anything," Zane replies, his hands in his pockets, watching my excitement with a half-smile.
First destination: bumper cars.
Zane drives like he's navigating real traffic, dodging the other cars, while I slam my foot on the gas with a battle cry and crash into him.
"Mia."
"That's the purpose of the game!"
Zane lets out a resigned sigh, but the next round, he joins in, hitting me hard enough to spin me around. I yelp, then burst into laughter.
We head for the roller coaster, and I nearly lose my voice from all the screaming. Zane holds my hand the entire time, his eyes fixed on me more than the tracks ahead. When we get off, my legs are still a little shaky, and he steadies me by the waist.
"You survived," he taunts.
"I'm invincible," I retort.
Halfway through the tour, I discover corn dogs, and they quickly become my new obsession. The vendor gives me a look of disbelief when I order my fourth.
"This is not recommended for excessive consumption," he warns.
"I live on the edge," I reply, flashing him a victorious smile as I eat the dough.
Zane just nods beside me, but doesn’t try to stop me.
"If you throw up, don't come crying to me."
"I won't throw up. I have an iron stomach."
Zane doesn’t seem convinced.
The last stop of the night is the shooting gallery, where you have to aim water at little cars to make them move. Zane gives me a confident look. I glance at the boy next to us, probably our opponent, and his mother, who smiles kindly at me. I return the gesture.
"Do you want to win a prize?"
I narrow my eyes, suspicious.
"Yes."
"Then stop being nice to the enemy and pick your prize. We're winning this."
My gaze drifts to the hanging prizes—stuffed bears, bunnies, dragons. And then I spot it.
"I want that one."
Zane follows my gaze and frowns.
"The bear with a knife?"
"He's perfect."
Zane doesn’t argue. He just pays for the round and raises the water pistol, his eyes sharpening in a way that sends a shiver down my spine. The boy doesn't stand a chance—at least he'll learn early that you can't always get what you want.
“I want to do it, let me do it,” I say before Zane shoots, and he nods. The man at the stall smiles wide, encouraging the exchange.
I snatch up the water pistol, and in a heartbeat I blast every target dead–on—my little car skidding past the others in a triumphant splash as I cross the finish line first. The boy stares at his mother with a tearful expression, while she shoots us dirty looks as if we were somehow supposed to let her son win just because he’s a child.
Well, ma’am, that wasn’t me playing— that was my inner child, and she really needed that plushie.
“It’s my birthday,” I call out, trying to soften the guilt that weighs on me. She has the audacity to flip me off.
Zane laughs, and I shrug, turning to the man to collect my prize.
The stall owner eyes me suspiciously.
"Do you do this often?"
"Perhaps."
I take my prize, a satisfied smile spreading across my face as I hug the teddy bear to my chest.
“You’ve never seen someone so delighted over a plushie,” Zane says, amusement dancing in his eyes as he watches me cradle the bear.
“But look at him!” I gush, hugging the little guy closer. His button eyes glint, his stitched teeth sharp as razors—and in his paw, he holds a tiny, perfectly menacing knife.
“He’s adorable,” I whisper, pressing him to my cheek. “And brave. My fearless, knife-wielding teddy.”
He smiles, not a big one, but a small, genuine one he always tries to hide.
When we head to the car, Zane holds my hand, and I intertwine our fingers, feeling the warmth of his skin against mine. Neither of us says much, but there’s no need."
Today was perfect.
Life with Zane is easy. It's easy to love him. In fact, I think it's the most effortless thing I’ve ever done.
My chest overflows with love, and an idea flashes into my mind.
When I see it, I throw a quick kiss on his cheek, making him turn to me.
“Is this your way of saying thank you for a wonderful day?” he asks with a shy smile.
“No,” I reply, stepping closer and running my hand over the bulge in his pants, feeling it harden under my touch like magic. “This is me thanking you for a wonderful day.”
“You don’t have to do this,” Zane’s voice comes out low and tortured. The desire in his eyes makes my body shiver, and I feel a warm ache between my legs.
I like how he responds to me.
And I like even more how he feels inside me.
The memory makes me want to squeeze my legs together.
“It’s my birthday, and I get to choose what I want,” I say, unbuttoning his pants with practiced precision. “I want you. In my mouth. My favorite taste.”
“Fuck Mia, the things you say should be illegal,” he says, sinking his fingers into my hair as his mouth begs for a kiss and I know his control is gone. I kiss his mouth, his neck, and the hem of his pants. My mouth is watering to have his cock inside it.
I trailed kisses down his strong thighs, savoring the way his muscles tensed beneath my lips. He let out a ragged sigh, his anticipation electrifying the air between us. His skin was intoxicating—but just a preview of the pleasure to come.
As my lips neared Zane's hard cock, all I could hear was my heartbeat echoing through my head. I was so wet, but I didn’t want to rush—I wanted to savor him, to take my time and indulge in every lingering taste, every stolen moment.
I moved up to his balls and gently began kissing and sucking them, trying to be gentle and make sure Zane was experiencing nothing but pleasure.
I pulled away from him and looked up to see his face. It was once again bright red and his head was bobbing back and forth. I lick my way down his shaft, it twitches and pulses in response to my tongue, once I reach the top I use my finger to spread his pre-cum around the head of his cock, soon it is glistening with the light reflecting off of it.
Zane opens his eyes as he feels my hot breath fanning against the head of his cock.
"Fuck Mia… that's… fuck" He curses as he realizes what's about to happen. He watches me open my mouth and slowly lower myself onto his cock. My hands travel over his ass lifting his hips so I can reach the entrance of his hole, I slide my finger over the entrance, working it to pleasure, letting him relax.
I expect Zane to be wary of my exploration, but he gives himself to me, body and soul.
“You’re so mine,” I murmur, sucking on the head of his cock as my fingers work their way up his ass. When I feel him getting comfortable and reaching his limit, I slide my finger in a vibrating motion, bringing him over the edge.
His body trembles and he lets out a huge moan as my mouth swallows the head.
I love the taste of Zane's cock, I could do it all day and not get tired. Because I love the way it hums against my lips, the way his control unravels—how he melts, completely, utterly, just for me.
Hearing Zane's rapid breathing and loud moans keeps me going. My mouth makes its way lower and lower on his cock until my nose hits the base of his shaft. While my fingers work over his asshole intensifying the pleasure.
“Mia,” he murmurs in despair.
At that point, I started to rock up and down applying suction and pressure to the head of his cock. Zane started to slowly move his hips up and down and instinctively thrust his member into my mouth.
I don't choke, I receive every bit of his cock inside my mouth like a gift.
Zane runs his hands through my hair as he continues to shove his shaft into my wet, hungry mouth "I've never felt like this, I... fuck," Zane said between breaths.
I continued to suck him, free from guilt or shame, the only thing I wanted was Zane and he felt the same way about me.
His cock began to leak more pre-cum which I happily swallowed and licked up.
"Mia, I'm getting close to cumming." Zane said trying to warn me.
I swirl my fingers around a specific spot on his back as he wraps his arms around my head and starts thrusting into my wet mouth as fast as he can.
"Oh my God, don't stop! Don't stop." Zane screamed as he arched his body back and shuddered in pleasure in the seat of his car.
Zane's mouth fell open as he let out a deep groan.
I kept sucking and felt his cock throb in my mouth.
Zane's body began to shake and spasm as his screams echoed through the bench.
Soon a jet of hot cum hit the back of my throat.
I continued sucking as Zane shot more and more ropes which I eagerly accepted in my mouth.
I wanted to savor every bit of him.
The moment his orgasm subsides he doesn't give me much time to think, with one hand he grabs my waist and with the other, he slides the seat adjustment until it goes down completely, he slides my panties to the side, and runs his warm tongue into my pussy, making me cum pathetically quickly.
He continues to pleasure me until another orgasm ripples through me, and when we're both sated, I collapse next to the seat.
"Fuck, Mia, where did you learn to do that"
"Do you really want to know?" I ask with a raised eyebrow, and he quickly looks away, blushing.
"I'm so full. I think corndogs are definitely my second favorite food."
"Tired?" he asks with a smile, starting the car and turning away from Nico’s direction.
"A little. Did you have something else in mind?"
He smiles but doesn't respond. I lean back in the seat and let him take me wherever he wants. The trust I have in Zane is unreal—he could break me completely... and he could put me back together.
"Now, I'll show you the last surprise of the night," Zane says, parking outside my sister’s house. After a quiet walk, I ask,
"Why are we at Laura’s house?"
“She wanted to give you a hug. A birthday thing. It’s your choice, Mia. Do you want to celebrate with your family, or do you want to turn around?"
My chest fills with unexpected happiness, and without another thought, I jump out of the car and head toward the door.
My smile widens even more when I see the other birthday boy.
I knew she had something planned, but seeing Seth here? That completely takes me by surprise. I didn’t think he’d come. I didn’t know how much I wanted this until now.
I open the door without knocking, eager to enter, but I’m immediately stopped by a scream.
"Surprise!"
Before I can react, Seth appears like an uncontrolled missile, running toward me. For a moment, I’m confused, my instinct screaming to run away, but my legs don’t react in time.
"No, no, no!"
I spin on my heel, trying to escape, but it’s too late. Seth grabs me, lifting me off the ground as if I weigh nothing, spinning me around in his arms while he laughs like a madman.
"One! Let me down!" I laugh, but he holds me tighter.
"No, I’ll let you suffer up there for a while. One second for each year of your birthday."
"Ogre!"
He spins me around one more time before finally setting me back down.
When I open my eyes again, everything’s a little dizzy, but I can still see Laura sitting on the couch, a book on her lap, watching us with her usual neutral expression.
“Happy birthday, Mia,” she says, looking up from her book to give me a gentle smile.
"I didn't get a happy birthday."
"You would’ve gotten one if you hadn’t pissed off Pietro the moment you arrived and made me distract you two from trying to kill each other."
“Stop being a pain in the ass with Pietro. He’s cool,” I say, hitting Seth in the chest. He has the audacity to stick his tongue out at me like a child.
“Crybaby,” I snap.
“You’re my crybaby now, sis,” he retorts, ruffling my hair. “Even Laura’s more composed than you.”
“Laura doesn’t count. She has genius genes,” I muse. “Of course, she’ll be a composed person.”
“She got you there, Seth.”
Zane walks in soon after, stopping by the door and crossing his arms.
He watches everything without getting involved, then starts drawing something on his hand. I turn to Seth, who’s oddly in a good mood today. It’s good to see him like this.
Only then do I notice something strange on Seth’s face. I frown and step closer, holding his chin with my fingers.
"You’ve got blue glitter on your face."
"I don’t."
"Yes, you do."
"This is a false accusation, and I demand proof."
Laura sighs, not even looking up from her book.
"He fell face-first into the cake."
I let go of his face and widen my eyes.
"In the cake?"
"In the cake."
I finally glance at the table and see the two cakes. One of them is clearly mine—fluffy, with whipped cream and little dahlias in turquoise on the sides. The top has a smiling sun. It’s the most perfect cake in the world.
Next to it is the complete opposite—Seth’s cake. Dark, covered in red syrup that drips like blood, with a skull drawn on top.
It looks like something out of a horror movie.
"This is perfect!" I point to my cake.
"Exactly!" Seth points to his.
Laura gives a small, satisfied smile before returning to her usual expression.
"Pietro said we should buy a cake, but I preferred making one for each of you."
It’s only then that I notice Pietro leaning against the wall, watching everything with his arms crossed. He looks... relaxed? Well, relaxed by his standards. Even so, I straighten my posture before speaking.
"Oh, hi, Pietro!"
He studies me for a moment before nodding slightly.
"Happy birthday."
I blink a few times. Did he really just say that? Pietro being... nice?
See, I’m totally his favorite.
Before I can process, Seth points an accusing finger at him.
"To me, he says, 'I’m unhappy to know you’re living another year.' But when it’s to Mia, he says the whole words? With what appears to be a smile? Unacceptable."
Pietro raises an eyebrow, impassive.
"I don’t like you."
"That’s ridiculous. I’m adorable."
Pietro just snorts.
"You literally tried to kill me in my own home."
"It wasn’t personal!"
Laura slams the book shut.
"You tried to kill him twice."
“And both times it was because he was getting in the way of something. You guys are so emotional,” Seth says, biting into a green apple, and I laugh.
Zane looks at Seth like he's a waste of energy, then goes back to drawing. He’s probably thinking Seth tried to do the same to him, but he’s not close enough to Pietro to say it out loud.
“Are you just gonna stay quiet over there? No ‘happy birthday’ for me?” Seth says to Zane, his posture sinister and intimidating.
“Happy birthday,” Zane says without even looking up from his drawing, and I laugh.
“Fucker.”
I roll my eyes, laughing. That’s it. That’s the chaos I love.
“Thanks for the cake, Laura.”
She hesitates for a second before walking over and giving me a quick hug, as if she didn’t want to admit she liked it.
“Don’t get used to it.”
In the middle of the chaos, I don’t even realize Pietro has left the room until he reappears, carrying Edo and Eleonora in his arms as if it’s the most natural thing in the world.
Seth’s eyes widen as soon as he sees Eleonora, and he smiles broadly.
“Hey, babydoll!” Seth’s voice takes on a softness I’ve never heard before. Not even with me.
Eleonora, who was comfortably resting in Pietro’s lap, immediately stretches her little arms toward Seth, wiggling her fingers excitedly. Pietro lets out a long, tired sigh, as if he’d been expecting this, but makes no move to hand her over.
“Seriously?” Pietro grumbles, looking at his daughter. “You don’t even hesitate?”
Eleonora completely ignores her father and keeps reaching for Seth, making an insistent sound that, in her language, probably means, Give him to me now, father.
“You shouldn’t be so excited to see him, Tesoro,” Pietro mutters, but finally hands her over to Seth when she starts showing signs of crying. I suspect Pietro would rather have a knife stuck in his chest than see her cry.
As soon as Seth picks her up, Eleonora snuggles against him, resting her little head on his shoulder with a contented sigh. Seth, of course, grins like an idiot.
“You love me more, don’t you, babydoll? Of course you do. I’m your favorite uncle.”
Pietro crosses his arms and stares at Seth as if he’s calculating the best way to assassinate him without leaving a trace.
“If you encourage this treason, I’ll break your legs.”
Seth laughs, rocking Eleonora lightly in his arms.
“Pietro, Pietro… you need to relax, man. Look at that little face, how could I not want to spend time with her?”
He kisses Eleonora’s forehead exaggeratedly, making a loud kiss noise just to tease Pietro. Eleonora giggles against his shoulder.
Pietro sighs, clearly reconsidering all his life choices.
Meanwhile, Edo remains on his father’s lap, watching everything with that serious look that’s too much for a baby his age. He makes no effort to go to Seth, just follows the scene with an analytical look, as if he’s silently judging the social interactions in front of him.
Zane, who had been watching from afar, finally comes closer and looks at Edo.
“You look like you’re having fun.”
Edo blinks slowly, as if considering whether the interaction is worth the effort.
“He’s crunching the data and deciding which side to support,” Laura says from the couch, absently flipping through her book. “Probably calculating which of you will be most useful in the future.”
“Smart like uncle!” Seth declares, pointing at Edo, who just stares at him without reacting.
“Like mother,” I correct, and Pietro lets out a weak smile.
Pietro looks at his son and pats him lightly on the back.
“He knows that if he wants to survive in this house, he better not get attached to any of you.”
“You say that, but your daughter has already chosen me,” Seth taunts, still holding Eleonora.
Pietro narrows his eyes.
“She doesn’t know how to speak yet. As soon as she does, I’ll teach her how to curse you.”
Seth laughs and kisses Eleonora’s cheek again.
“Too late, Pietro. The babydoll is mine now.”
Pietro looks at Seth with a deadly expression, making Seth’s smile widen.
Zane just gives me a noncommittal look and goes back to his drawing. I glance at what he’s drawing and blush with realization. It’s my smile. He’s drawing my smile.
“Give me my daughter.”
“No.”
Pietro takes a deep breath, probably counting to ten in his head, before turning to Seth again.
“Laura, take my daughter from him before I kill your brother on his birthday.”
“She’s gonna cry. She loves him,” Laura says, looking at Pietro in amusement. “Just look at her.”
Eleonora is really comfortable in Seth’s arms. It’s weird because everyone sees my brother as scary. But Eleonora looks at him like he’s the cutest unicorn she’s ever seen.
Seth smiles even wider. He’s smiling more.
“Tell your daddy you wanna be with me, babydoll,” Seth instructs, and Eleonora nods, her cheeks forming the cutest smile.
And this seems to melt Pietro, because he gives up on taking his daughter away by force.
“It’s cute to see these alphas being controlled by a little girl without even realizing it.”
“My daughter knows the power she has,” Laura winks. And I look back at Zane, who now looks at me with a smile. I take a lock of his hair.
“Indeed.”
"Thanks for the party idea, Zane, that was so thoughtful of you," Laura says to Zane, and I freeze, my eyes widening.
Wait—he planned this? Zane, who barely says a word most of the time, actually took the time to set this all up for me? A party with my brothers, with everyone here, all of it.
The realization hits me like a wave of warmth, a rush of affection that makes my heart swell to the point of bursting. It’s like I can feel my entire soul light up with love for him. He did this for me. Zane. He’s quieter than most, but when he cares, he shows it in the most unexpected, beautiful ways.
I can’t stop the smile spreading across my face as my chest fills with gratitude, admiration, and something deeper, something that feels like my heart is about to leap out of my ribcage. I want to hug him, kiss him, thank him in every possible way. I could leap into his arms right now and just pour all this love out, if we didn’t have company. I can’t wait to tell him just how much this means—later, when it’s just the two of us.
“Thank you for this. I loved it.”
“Always, baby.”
“Does that mean you like me, man?” Seth retorts, and I lose track of what was said before because I was too busy marveling at Zane and his angelic beauty.
Pietro narrows his eyes.
“That means if you don’t shut up now, your birthday party could end up in a hospital.”
“Laura, your husband is flirting with me,” Seth accuses.
“I’m not the flirting type. I like more direct approaches.”
“Wait until she falls asleep, and we’ll sort this out.”
Laura, without even looking up from her book, mutters:
“At least wait for the cake before you start the violence.”
Zane sighs.
“This is supposed to be a family event. Can we at least pretend there aren’t death threats in the air?”
“Zane,” Pietro looks at him with the most neutral expression possible. “If I can’t threaten Seth, what’s the point of life?”
Seth nods as if it’s a universal truth. “He has a point.”
I roll my eyes, laughing. The cake is still intact, the babies are fine, and no one was actually stabbed.
For a family party, I think this can be considered a success.
The air around the tree is heavy with the weight of unsaid things. As I approach Seth, my mind feels like it’s about to burst with all the thoughts I've been holding back, but the moment I see him, perched on the branch like he’s part of the night itself, it all just quiets. His face is lit by the soft glow of the mansion lights in the distance, and it’s like the years between now and then disappear for a moment.
The years when we were just kids—twins who knew each other’s thoughts as if they were our own. I swear I can still feel the echo of those moments when we were both lost in the same silent sadness, when it was just the two of us and the weight of the world outside never touched us.
“This is the first time I’ve actually wanted to celebrate my birthday,” Seth says, breaking the silence with that usual, carefree tone, but I can hear the cracks in it. He’s not fooling anyone—not me, at least.
“Yeah, I get the feeling,” I murmur back, leaning against the tree, the ground cold beneath me. “Part of me still remembers the kids we once were. When Katie would get us cake.”
The words are like glass in my mouth—fragile, sharp with memories I’ve kept locked away. I wonder if Seth feels it too—the same pulse of nostalgia that stings in the back of my throat.
“Yeah,” he says, his voice smaller now, quieter. A flicker of something shifts in his eyes, something I know all too well. “We used to have cake. Used to be just... us.”
His words hang in the air like the ghosts of our past selves. I take a breath and push forward, feeling a sharp pang in my chest as I ask the question I’ve been too afraid to voice.
“She is still alive,” I whisper. I don’t need him to confirm it, but I need to hear him say it.
“I know,” he says, his voice low, weighed down by everything that’s been unsaid between us for too long.
The silence stretches. The words are almost too much to bear, like the fabric of the world is unraveling just a little more with each one. I know what he’s thinking—he’s thinking of her, of Katie, of the life we were supposed to have. I can see it in his eyes.
“Have you seen her?” I ask before my courage can fail me. The tension in my chest is too tight, and the air feels too thick with the weight of what we’ve lost.
Seth nods, the faintest flicker of something—hope, maybe—crossing his face, but it’s gone as quickly as it appeared. He looks away, staring at the darkened horizon, his jaw clenched.
“She’s hidden inside one of Nico’s labs. It was pathetically easy to find,” he says, his voice almost bitter. But the bitter taste is not just about Nico—it’s about everything. About the mess we’ve been forced to live through. “I can take you there if you’d consider seeing her.”
Turns out Zane and I don’t even have to try finding her—Seth already handled the hardest part.
A part of me wants to scream at him. I want to yell that I should’ve been the one to save her.
That I should’ve been there. But I can’t. It’s like my words are trapped in my throat, caught in the tangle of everything I wish I’d done differently.
“Didn’t you try to get her out of there?” I ask, the words almost coming out too harshly, but I can’t stop them. The guilt is a knife, twisting in my gut.
“She doesn’t believe you’re free, so she refused my help,” Seth says, turning to face me now, his eyes full of something—regret, pain, a rawness that only twins can share. "Maybe you could show her."
The weight of it crushes me. Show her? I’m not free. I’m not even close to being free. But if this is what it takes to get Katie out, if it’s what will finally bring her back from that hell, then maybe I’ll do whatever it takes.
I nod, the resolve settling inside me like a stone in my chest. I’m going. Not that I’m free. But I’ll march into that lab and drag her out if I have to.
I step forward and rest my head on Seth’s shoulder. The action is so familiar, so simple, but it carries everything. We aren’t the same kids we used to be. We’ve lost so much along the way, and I can feel the absence of it in every fiber of my being. We are no longer those children who were trapped together in the suffocating silence of loneliness, only having each other to lean on.
“I should go home,” Seth says after a long beat, his voice breaking the moment. I smile softly, because I know where home is for him.
By “home,” he means Audrey. I wonder why he stayed here with me all this time. Maybe it’s because I’m the only family he has left, or maybe it’s because, even now, there’s still something between us, something that calls him to stay. Maybe he still cares.
I understand why he wants to spend the rest of his birthday with her. She’s the one who can give him the peace he’s been craving.
“Happy birthday, bro,” I whisper, my voice soft as I gaze up at the stars, their distant light piercing the sky like little fragments of hope.
“Happy birthday, sis,” Seth murmurs, his voice a little rougher now, but there's warmth in it. A connection that nothing could sever, not even time or distance.
We are twins after all, half of one, half of another. Our hearts beat in sync, bound by a bond only we truly understand. Where one ends, the other begins, and in that space, there's a beauty that's ours alone.
In this moment, it feels like we’re still those children, just a little bit lost—but together again.