{TRIGGER WARNING! EXPLICIT CONTENT! DO NOT READ IF YOU CAN'T HANDLE IT, THANK YOU! Otherwise, enjoy!}



'Can one of you explain why you thought this was going to be a good idea?' Tiago asks, staring down at us as we sit across from him and Marco.

Ever since we had to sit down, Marco has been staring at Isabelle.

'Leya needed to blow off some steam.' Isa answers, trying to keep herself from staring at Marco in return.

'And killing Hunter-' 'Yes.' I reply, making Tiago inhale slowly, 'She needed to kill him.'

'You know how much trouble this will get us in, right?' I nod and look at the door on their right, waiting for Leya to come back into the hall and tell me what's going on with Rio.

'You could've gotten taken on your way back.' Tiago repeats, stepping into my vision, and grasping all of my attention again.

'But we didn't.' Isa says, making him glare at her for a split second.

I don't believe he cares about her getting taken by anyone and that's unfair.

'We're safe.' I say, taking his hand in mine and pulling him closer, 'We're all safe.'

I don't want him to think about what could've happened, because it didn't.

We're all safe and everyone's good. For now...

Because I don't think it will take long for someone to attack now that we're weak.

Rafael is down and he will need some time to heal.

'So what happens now?' I ask as I turn to Marco since Tiago is still slightly losing his mind.

'You guys will go to Leya's house near her family and take some time off.' You guys...

'And where are you going?' Isa asks before I can even form a sentence. 'Marco and I are going to deal with some shit, see if Marcello has any leads before this gets too far again.'

My body tenses at the thought of us having to separate again and I can't control the sigh rolling through me.

I get up and walk towards a window, desperately needing air for some reason.

'Neveah...' Tiago's arms wrap around my waist and I soon feel his lips against my shoulder, leaving soft kisses everywhere, 'What's wrong?'

'Can't Marco go on his own?' I know it's not the wisest shit to do, but I don't care about being wise right now. 'Do you want him to die?'

I shake my head and turn around, looking at his face.

He has a cut running up his lip because of what happened earlier, and I hate the fact that it will probably stay there for a while.

'I want you both to stay, but if one of you has to go it will be him.'

He shakes his head, a soft smile playing on his lips, and leans closer, 'Why don't you want me going?'

'Because the last time you left me, you were dead for a long time.' My heart starts racing and I can feel my body tense even though he's this close.

As if he's dead all over again. As if the pain was just lurking around the corner for a moment like this.

One where I would be weak and desperate for him again.

'I'm not dying any time soon, cara.' He whispers as his hands reach for my face.

'You don't know that.' I admit, hating that I'm losing this battle to panic.

It feels like the ceiling is falling down, ready to crush me even though he's this close.

He's here, standing right in front of me, but it feels like I'm losing him all over again.

'Neveah, I will be fine.' I don't get why I'm freaking out like this, there's no reason, but I can't help it, 'I'll call you every day and get back to you as soon as I can, okay?'

I nod, slowly trying to get my thoughts to disappear for just a few seconds.

A door opens behind us and I turn to see who it is.

Leya steps out of the room and smiles at me, before nodding at Isabelle. 'You guys should go to my mom and get settled at the house.'

Isa nods and gets up from her chair, ready to head out, but I shake my head and turn to Leya.

'What about you?' She missed her mom too. She should come with us.

Unless... 'Is everything okay with Rio?'

'He'll make it, we just need to talk about some stuff before he gets discharged, and then we'll head over too.' She explains as she moves closer to me.

'Are you sure?' I ask a little worried.

Something just feels off about all of this.

'Yes, go tell them to stop worrying for just a few more hours. We'll be there tonight.' I nod and watch as Isa moves over to us.

I turn around and kiss Tiago, before wrapping my arms around him and taking in his scent.

'I love you.' I whisper with a lump in my throat.

He smiles and kisses my neck a few times, three to be exact, 'I love you, cara.'

I follow Isa out of the hospital and head to the car Brandon is standing at. As soon as we get in, he starts asking questions about Leya killing Hunter.

Isa goes quiet, but I answer since I'm glad it's finally over with him.

'Can we talk about something else?' She asks after almost an hour of hearing us talk about her dead ex-best friend.

'No need,' Brandon chimes as he drives around the neighborhood for a parking spot, 'We're here.'

As soon as we find a good spot, we all get out and head to Ariana's house.

She opens the gate and smiles as I almost run into her arms. 'I thought I sensed you.'

I hold onto her for a long time, trying to let the panic settle in the back of my mind so that I can focus on her for now.

'How have you been? How's chemo? How is everyone, where are they?' She greets Brandon and Isa with a warm hug as well, 'I'm good, chemo is tiring and everyone is at work or school, so they'll be here later, now where are the twins?'

I playfully roll my eyes and check my phone, trying to see if Celine texted about something going on at the house, but nothing so far.

'I can't see my grandchildren? They're almost three months old already!' She yells as she leads us inside. Grandchildren...

We follow her into the kitchen and take a seat around the round table, updating her on everything that has been going on lately.

'That still doesn't answer my question, where are the twins?' She asks playfully, making me smile. 'I'll go get them if you want?'

'That's what I've been trying to hint at for the past thirty minutes, Veah.'

I nod and get up from my seat, before heading to Leya's house at the top of the hill, leaving Brandon and Isa with Ariana.

When I get to the house, I notice Carlos and Victoria playing soccer on the side of the house.

I hesitate to call out to her but notice her trying to focus so she'll win and head inside instead.

Just as I'm about to ring the bell, Kai opens the door and his eyes widen when he sees me at the door.

'You're here?' I nod and frown at his shocked face, wondering what's going on as I try to peek around him.

He steps aside, allowing me inside the house, and follows me back inside.

'Are the twins awake?' He nods and looks at his watch, before turning back to me, 'Aren't you a bit early?' What is he talking about?

'What do you mean?' I ask as I try to listen for voices around the house.

But I hear absolutely nothing.

Kai stays silent and keeps looking at his watch, as if he's waiting for something... Or someone?

'What did you do?' I ask, feeling my body tense the more he stays silent. 'Nothing.'

He looks away ashamed, making my heart race. Where's Celine? The twins? Leroy?

'Celine!' I shout as I walk to the living room first. She's not there or in the kitchen either, but Kai is right behind me, still not saying a thing. 'Where is she?'

I know he wouldn't hurt her, but that doesn't mean others wouldn't. No...

He would never let anything happen to her or their child.

'They're fine.' He says, making me stop in the middle of the hall, and I slowly turn to face him.

'That's not what I asked.' He nods and inhales slowly, before smiling at me. 'We wanted to surprise you.'

I turn to Celine's voice and let go of the breath I was holding, my eyes widening when I see her holding the twins who are wearing costumes.

Two brown bears.

'Surprise.' Kai says, awkwardly throwing his arms around.

I slowly move closer, staring at my babies who are looking more adorable than ever, and reach out to them.

Emiliano starts cooing instantly, his hand reaching out to mine, and Domenico simply stares at me as if this is normal for him.

I've only been away from them for a few hours, but it feels like years.

'I bought them these when we arrived.' I take Emiliano from her and sway him from side to side, before grabbing Domenico's tiny hand.

'You really didn't have to.' I say as I look back at her. She frowns at me and points at my babies, 'Look at them, I had to.'

I smile and shake my head, before turning around to see Kai staring at us. 'It was my idea, to be fair.'

'Thank you,' I say as I take a deep breath, 'And I'm sorry if-' 'It's fine.' Kai intervenes, smiling at me.

'No, it's not. I know you wouldn't-' 'You had every right to be a bit skeptical, Neveah. It's all good.' He continues, making my guilt melt with his sweet smile.

'Let's go to Ariana before she decides to walk all the way up the hill.' Celine chimes as she heads for the door.

I follow her and watch as Kai stays inside, making me wonder if he has met Ariana and the other family members yet.

When we get to Ariana's place, she's already waiting by the gate again.

She takes both twins and slowly makes her way back inside, not once letting go of either of them.

As if she's trying to make up for the time she missed. Afraid she'll run out of time soon.

'So is chemo helping so far?' I ask curiously since we haven't really been able to talk about her disease yet.

She stiffens and slowly looks back at me, peeling her eyes off of the twins.

'It has, it's just...' Just what?

I don't know why I asked her right now, while we were having a nice moment with the twins, but I didn't want to take too long.

Because I was hoping to hear something good.

But by the looks of it, it's going to go downhill.

'There's a lot that we need to talk about, but we'll talk about it when Leya's here.' Dear lord... No.

'Okay.' I answer, despite wanting to cry already. Because I'm far from ready to think about Ariana dying, let alone talk about it.

'Can the twins stay with me tonight?' She asks all of a sudden, making me frown at her. 'What?' 'I want to spend time with them, I already have everything prepared!'

My frown deepens because there's a lot she'll need to take care of them and it might be too much since she's tired.

'What are you talking about?' I ask as she heads up the stairs and waits in front of one of the bedroom doors.

Celine and I follow her toward the door and slowly open it.

Inside is a room perfect for the twins.

Two beds, two changing tables, two hanging chairs, two closets, two bookshelves, and two huge dinosaur plushies almost as big as me.

'You didn't-' She smiles proudly and nods, 'You're right, I didn't. I picked it all out and made the men do all the work.'

My mouth drops and I stare around the room one more time.

The walls are painted, and a bunch of wild animals on the ceiling to tie it all in.

It's a kid's biggest dream to have a room like this, but they probably won't remember all of this.

'Ariana, this is too much.' She shakes her head and slowly lowers the twins into their cribs, 'It's never too much for my grandchildren.' Again... Grandchildren...

'You can take a night off, I'll take care of them.' She chimes as she steps in front of me.

I shake my head and try to walk around her, but she makes sure I won't be able to get back to my children. 'Ariana, it's too much for you.'

She looks tired and I know taking care of twins can be hard, so this will be too much for her.

'Neveah, I'll be fine.' She says, trying to mimic me.

I shake my head and cross my arms, feeling like a mother all of a sudden. 'You can keep them until I'll head home, but they won't be sleeping here.'

'Why not?' She asks, sounding offended by my statement.

'Because you'll stay by their bed the entire night even though you'll need rest.'

She sighs deeply and looks at the cribs, before picking Emiliano back up.

He reaches out to her and yelps, before looking around, afraid of his own voice.

'You can spend time with them for now.' I say as I watch her glow, my heart warming at the sight of her holding my babies.

Ariana is like a mother to me. She'll always be like a mother to me, but this is something new.

I never expected her to act like this toward my children.

As if they're her actual grandchildren. By blood.

But then again, it's not like she has ever treated me differently.

'So give me some alone time with them, or it won't count.' She says, staring at me as she waits for us to leave again.

Celine laughs and pulls me out of the room, before closing the door and turning back to face me.

'You should take a nap, while I try to find Brandon and Isabelle.' I shake my head and head down the stairs, followed by her. 'I can help.'

'I know you can, but right now you need to rest a bit.' She says, grabbing me by my shoulders, 'What happened is hard to digest, so get some rest and we'll deal with everything else when the others get here.'

I sigh deeply and let her push me out of the house, making me go back to Leya's house where Carlos and Victoria are still playing soccer in the garden.

'Neveah!' She shouts when she sees me slipping to the front door. 'Hello, Victoria!'

She rushes into my arms and hugs me tightly, smelling like grass and lemonade. 'You're back!'

'I am.' I chime as I hug her back, smiling at Carlos who waves at me as well. 'Do you want to play with us?' She asks after a few seconds of hugging.

I shake my head and can't help but feel warm by simply being near her, 'I'm going to take a nap otherwise Celine will be very mad at me, but maybe after?'

She giggles, before nodding and running back to Carlos who's not ready for her sudden burst of energy and misses her shot at his goal.

I keep a smile on my face as I head to one of the bedrooms and quickly get changed.

I climb onto the bed and lay down for what feels like hours, unable to fall asleep even if I close my eyes.

Because I can't stop thinking about Tiago and Marco being somewhere else, all alone.

And about Leya having to deal with Rio's anger since she killed Hunter without talking to him about it first.

Maybe he's not that angry? He didn't sound angry when we got to the hospital, just concerned.

Brandon said that he was asking for Leya when he woke up and since she wasn't at the hospital, he started panicking.

I take a deep breath and roll onto my side, trying to find the right position, but nothing seems to help.

Someone walks down the hall and I stare at the door, waiting for it to open.

So when that doesn't happen, I climb out of bed and go to the door.

Kai is holding Leroy as he slowly makes his way to the stairs.

'You should be sleeping.' He says, not even looking at me as he speaks.

'I can't really sleep right now.' I say, closing the bedroom door. 'Too bright?'

'Too much going on.' He nods and turns to look over his shoulder, holding little Leroy in his arms.

He smiles at me and tilts his head to the side, almost falling out of Kai's arms.

'Want to go for a walk?' He asks, trying to keep Leroy still in his arms.

Celine said I should rest... But a walk sounds great right now. Maybe it will get my mind off of things?

'Give me five minutes.' I say as I head back into the bedroom to change.

I get into a simple dress and slip grab a bag with my phone and the keys I found somewhere in the closet, before heading back into the hall.

Kai is still standing at the top of the stairs and smiles when I get closer.

'Where do you want to go?' He asks as we walk down the stairs.

There's a stroller waiting in the hall and he slowly places Leroy in there, making sure everything is secure for the walk.

'Just around the block?' I ask as he rolls Leroy through the front door. I follow them and lock the door, quickly glancing at where Victoria and Carlos were playing soccer not so long ago.

Victoria grabs the ball and rushes over to us, proudly showing Leroy the ball, before turning to me, 'Didn't aunty Celine tell you to go to bed?'

'She did, but I'm not tired so we're going for a walk.' She furrows her brows and points her finger at me, 'You should listen to aunt Celine before you get sick again.'

I almost laugh at her strict tone and feel my heart warm all over again.

'I promise to sleep very long tonight so that I won't get sick.' I say as I keep my pinky out. She hooks her tiny pinky around mine and kisses her thumb, before rushing back to Carlos with the ball.

'I will tell aunt Celine if you don't!' Kai chuckles as he follows me through the gates, being very careful not to bump into anything with the stroller.

'He's getting big.' I chime as I look at little Leroy, who's staring around as if the world is completely new to him.

'Are you fat-shaming my child?' He asks, making me roll my eyes, 'Because if you are-' 'I meant, he's growing up quick, you idiot.'

He smiles and nods, before walking around a corner, 'I hate it.'

'Why?' I can imagine not liking it, but hating it is something else. 'It goes by too fast.'

'You know he won't stay small forever.' I joke as he lets others pass us on the sidewalk.

'I want him to be small forever though.' He mumbles, sounding like a sad boy. 'Oh shut up, he'll grow up and still be your kid, you know?'

'It will be different though.' He states as he turns to me since we have to wait for a red light, 'I probably won't be able to pick him up when he grows up, and he'll probably be stronger than me.'

'Maybe.' I chime as I think about the future.

The twins will grow up too. They won't be so small anymore and they'll probably be much bigger than me when they're teens. God...

I shake off the thought and turn to Kai again, 'You still have time, so make it count.'

He looks at Leroy, not realizing that the light already turned green, and stays on the sidewalk as I cross the road and look back at them, 'Are you going to move, or-'

He rushes across the street, making it just in time before the light turns red and the cars start driving again.

'How are things with you and Leon?' He asks, making me frown since we never talked about my relationship with Tiago before, 'He was all over the place when he called earlier and sounded kind of pissed.'

'We're fine, he was just worried about us leaving without telling anyone.' I hope...

'How are you and Celine?' I ask in return, wondering how they've been doing since I've barely talked to either of them.

'She's nauseous most of the time, which makes her pretty grumpy, but apart from that, I think we're good.' He explains, turning another corner.

'Or she just doesn't like you.' I joke, making him roll his eyes.

I take a look around, letting the sun warm my skin for as long as I can since it's almost about to go under, and look at the road ahead.

'Do you think she's still angry with me?' The question was on the tip of his tongue for a while. As if he's been aching to know.

'I don't know.' I answer honestly, following him back to the house, 'I think she forgave you a long time ago since she's pregnant again.'

'But?' He asks curiously, waiting for the next red light. 'But nothing, you should ask her about this because I have no clue.'

I don't think she's still angry at him for what he did, but I know she's not fully over it yet. She'll never fully trust him again, that's for sure, but she's able to move on and love him for who he is.

'Can't you help me out here?' He asks, practically begging him to give anything away.

'First of all, I don't know anything about her feeling when it comes to you and what happened, second, even if I did, I wouldn't tell you.'

He sighs deeply and stops in the middle of the sidewalk, right outside Leya's house.

'I wanted to propose,' He mumbles, shyly looking at the ground, 'But I don't know if I should if she's still mad at me for what I did.'

I can't help but get a little excited about him proposing since she certainly deserves all the good things that come with a wedding, but I don't know what to do or say.

'I already have a ring and everything, I just-' 'Talk to her and tell her how you feel, see if she's still mad.' I say, getting excited by all of this.

'Or you could just ask and risk it?' He smiles and shakes his head as he continues to stroll ahead.

'Where are you going?' He stops and turns to look at me, 'I figured we were going to Ariana's place to hang with the others.'

Right. I nod and follow his lead, walking to Ariana's place as we talk some more about Kai's proposal.

'Don't tell her, okay?' He asks as we enter the gates to her house. 'I won't, I promise.'

Just as we turn to the house, Leya runs into my arms and hugs me tightly. 'You're back!'

'I was about to call you, but what won't you do?' She asks curiously looking at me, before lifting Leroy out of the stroller and hugging him.

'Nothing.' Kai answers in my stead, looking at me with a slightly panicked look.

Leya looks between Kai and I, before frowning, 'If you say so.'

'How's Rio?' I ask, desperately wanting to change the subject in order to not leak Kai's secret already.

'He's resting at the house, I told him I'll be home after dinner since I wanted to see my mom.' I nod and let her drag me toward the house. 'That's good to hear.'

Kai follows and stays close to me as if he's afraid I'll tell Leya right here and now.

'Any news from Marco and Leon?' Kai asks as he closes the front door. 'They arrived at Marcello and are following his lead, for now, they already caught some of the men involved, but not all of them.'

Okay... So far so good...

'They'll be alright.' Leya says, looking at me as Kai takes Leroy back and heads toward the living room.

I can hear Celine and Isabelle in the distance but focus on Leya who's standing right in front of me.

'The last time he left, he didn't come back for a few months and-' She places her hand on mine and draws my attention back to her by taking a deep breath.

'They have each other.' But what if they both die?

No. Stop it.

'You're right.' I mumble, pulling her into my arms.

She's not wearing the smudged dress anymore, just a simple tank top with shorts underneath.

'Mom won't stop talking about the twins and I'm starting to feel like they like her more than they like me, which doesn't make any sense.' I chuckle at her statement and shrug, 'It might be true?'

'What do you mean?! I bought them everything they pointed at while we were shopping online!' She exclaims, making it sound like an absolute disaster if the twins like her mother more than her.

'And the fact that they've never met her before hurts even more.' She pouts and wraps her arm around mine, before dragging me into the living room.

Everyone is sitting around the table, playing a game of cards, 'What are you playing and who's winning?'

'I'm winning, of course.' Brandon chimes, holding up four cards while the others have at least ten to fifteen cards each.

'Not so fast, Barsetti.' Isa puts down a card, followed by Celine, making Brandon roll his eyes before he takes ten cards off the stack. 'I hate you both.'

'You love us!' Celine chimes, smiling as we head over to them to watch.

After watching them play for what feels like hours since they keep on messing each other up just when one of them is about to win, I start to feel tired.

'You didn't nap, did you?' Celine asks as she shuffles the cards for another round where Kai, Leya, and I will play as well.

I shake my head and try to contain the yawn crawling through my body. 'But I'll be fine.'

'You need to rest more, Veah.' Celine says, sounding like a mother talking to a child. 'The others didn't sleep either.'

'We did though.' Brandon says, leaning in as if that will make it any better, 'We slept when you left us here since Ariana wanted to get everything ready for the twins and told us to get some sleep.'

'Well, Leya didn't.' I turn to her, hoping that I'm right and that they won't make me take a nap, but she smiles sheepishly. Fuck...

'I slept at the hospital and woke up before the doctors came back with the papers.' She explains, making Celine look at me as she hands Isabelle the stack of cards.

'Neveah, go home and sleep.' Celine says, trying to get me off the ground so that I'll head home.

'I'll bring dinner home once we leave, so you won't miss anything.' I sigh and get off the ground, wanting to stay, but needing to rest.

I don't want to worry anyone because of me being tired all the time and I definitely don't want to get stuck in some cycle again.

So I make my way back to the house and close the door behind me, hearing some shuffling in the kitchen.

I sneak closer and peek into the room, seeing a tall man trying to reach for something in the pantry.

Not just any man.

A man who's supposed to rest.

'What are you doing back?' He asks, not even looking at me as he continues to try and grab something.

It's like these men have eyes in the back of their heads.

'They're telling me to take a nap,' I say as I head over to him, trying to see what he's reaching for, 'Why are you out of bed?'

'Doesn't matter, go to bed like they told you to.' He grunts as he stretches out far enough to finally reach a bag of chips on the top shelf.

He groans in pain as he leans on the kitchen counter, making me wonder if I should text Leya since he probably won't listen to me.

'Don't even think about it.' He says, glaring at me even though I haven't said a thing, 'I'm going back to bed, there's no need to worry. I was just hungry.'

'I don't think you should be out of bed yet.' He grabs the bag of chips and stumbles out of the kitchen, 'I don't give a fuck now go and sleep.'

I follow him into the hall and watch as he slowly climbs the steps, wondering if I should help him or if he'll just push me away if I do.

Just as I'm about to turn around to get something to drink, he turns around, 'North.'

'Yes?' I look up at him, seeing his pained face as he leans on the railing and stares down at me.

'Thank you for helping me out of there.' I nod and feel something washing over me but before I can react, he's stumbling into one of the bedrooms already.

Just as I'm about to head up as well, I stop because of someone crying outside.

The door swings open and Victoria rushes into the hall, tears rolling down her face as she runs into my arms.

'What's going on?' I ask, feeling my heart break for whatever reason she's crying for, 'Are you hurt?'

I pull back to take a quick look at her and notice that she's not bleeding anywhere before I pull her back into my arms.

'What happened?' She shakes her head and cries some more, before finally calming down a little, 'Tell me what happened.'

'I won the game.' She sobs, wiping her face with the hem of her shirt.

'You're crying because you won the game?' She shakes her head and tries to form her next sentence, but nothing comes out. 'Calm down first, okay?'

I pick her up and take her to the kitchen, grabbing her a glass of water to try and help calm her down.

It seems to work because she stopped crying, but it looks like she's about to cry again any second now.

'I won and Carlos lost.' She mumbles, trying to keep her tears in, 'And he didn't want to lose and said that I was stupid.' Carlos?

I know Carlos has never been good at losing, but he's much older than her, so why would he talk to her like that?

'Really?' She nods as tears spill from her eyes, 'And he- he said that I have to stop acting as if I belong in this family because I will never truly fit in.'

My blood starts to boil and I feel like running out of here and killing him, but I contain my anger and let her cry out in my arms.

'You are part of the family, do you understand?' She shakes her head against my chest, making my heart hurt. 'He was right, I don't fit in and he will never want to play with me again.'

'Victoria, listen to me.' I lift her chin so that she's looking at me, feeling the tears prick in my eyes as well, 'You fit in perfectly in my family, okay?'

'I do?' She asks a bit uncertain and I nod and pull her back into my arms, giving her a million kisses as she hugs me back. 'You do, you will always fit into my family.'

'So I won't be alone?' Shit... I remember thinking I would always end up alone after my parents died.

I had Leya and Ariana to help me through it and they didn't even really know what really happened.

But they were there.

'You will always have me.' I hold her for as long as she needs and wish that she will never feel like this again, but I know she will.

'Carlos hates me now.' She mumbles as if it's her fault that he can't stand losing. 'He's just a big bully who doesn't like losing, but you beat him fair and square.'

I don't care if she did or didn't, he shouldn't have said those things.

'Okay.' She moves to the side and jumps off the counter, before grabbing my hand and walking up the stairs.

She keeps on talking about how much fun she had today, almost as if she has no memory of what she just told me, but it keeps haunting me. I need to talk to Maria...

I get that Carlos is a sore loser, some people just are, but he went too far to belittle Victoria like that.

She takes a quick shower, excited for tomorrow since everyone is back together again. Almost everyone.

'Will Leo sleep with you tonight?' I shake my head and brush through her damp hair, 'Can I sleep with you?'

I nod and braid her hair, before lifting the covers so that she can climb into bed. She's so small and cute, it's breaking my heart just thinking about how much Carlos hurt her.

'I'll be right back, okay?' She frowns at me and sits up, slightly panicking about me leaving. 'Where are you going?'

'I have to go to Maria and talk to her about something.' I say, hoping that she won't put two and two together, which she doesn't.

She drops down on the bed and rolls around, before finally finding the right position and slowly falling asleep.

I rush to Maria's house and think about what I'm going to say, feeling my heart pound in my throat.

'Maria! Are you in here?' I shout as I enter the house.

I don't remember if she was around or not, but I sure hope she's here right now.

'Neveah.' I freeze at the sudden voice coming from my right and slowly turn around.

'Diego.' I didn't think he was going to be here, but why would he not?

His entire family is here.

'I was wondering when I was going to bump into you.' He jokes, walking back into the kitchen.

I don't know why, but I follow him into the kitchen and stay right by the door.

'Well, here I am.' He looks over his shoulder as he stores some of the groceries in the pantry. 'Here you are.'

'Need any help?' I ask as he walks around the counter to grab the last bag.

'No, I'm almost done. What do you need my sister-in-law for?'

What? Oh right.

'I just wanted to talk to her about Carlos, so Berto will be fine too.'

He stops and looks over his shoulder again, a frown on his face, 'Why? What did he do now?'

'Doesn't concern you.' I know he'll deal with Carlos if I tell him, and I don't really think he needs to get involved.

'Well, you might have to wait a couple of hours because they went to church with abuelita, so you might as well tell me.'

He looks at me for a little longer, before continuing to unpack the last groceries.

'He said some mean stuff to Victoria and I just wanted them to talk to him about it.'

His arms stop moving and he takes a deep breath before he continues moving again, 'Cute how you care about her like she's your own.'

'She is.' I say a little defensively.

It sounds weird but good at the same time.

We haven't made it official yet, but I'm never letting go of her.

She belongs in this family, in my family, and everyone loves her like she's one of our own.

'What did he say?' He asks curiously, probably wondering why I'm so defensive about this.

'He said that she will never be a part of the family, simply because she beat him in a game of football.'

He places the last can of beans in the pantry and turns around to face me.

I have never seen Diego mad at anyone, but I think he's angry right now.

Or at least annoyed.

'I told Maria she should teach him some manners.' He says, walking over to the counter and leaning against it. 'Maybe Berto should talk to him?'

'He tried, he's just being difficult.' I almost frown at his response, wondering why this is so important to him.

I know Carlos is his cousin and this family cares about each other a lot, but it seems to affect him more than it should.

'Do you want me to talk to him about it?' I shake my head and make my way to the small table in the corner of the room. 'Why does it bother you so much?'

'Because he's being difficult and that's a hurtful thing to say to a little girl.' My memories flash back to Victoria who just came running to me with tears streaming down her face.

'Is that the only reason?' He seemed tense the moment he saw me and I don't want things to be awkward between us.

We made a mistake that night, and we both regretted it.

That's the only reason he left in such a hurry and it's the only reason I didn't really want to face him until now.

'What's that supposed to mean?' I shrug and quickly look at my phone, trying to see if Leya texted me about anything, but nothing, 'You just seem tense.'

'Since when do you care about me being tense?' He asks as he raises his voice just a tiny bit.

'I overstepped,' I nod and get back on my feet, before slowly making my way to the hall, 'can you tell Maria or Berto that I would like to talk to either of them about this?'

'Neveah, wait...'

He follows me into the hall and reaches for my arm, quickly spinning me around so that I'm facing him.

'It's fine, Diego. I shouldn't have pressed you about it.' I feel his grip on my arm tighten and wonder why he's still holding me.

'Diego?' His eyes stick to my arm and I wonder if he even realizes what he's doing.

'Autumn wants to break up and take Riley with her.' He admits, relief washing over him, 'She said that this family is too much.' What?

'They're not.' Not to me. Not to Rio. Not to Tiago or Celine or Brandon.

They can be wild, yes, but never too much.

'She only has her dad at home, so I get how this can be a bit much for her.' He mumbles, slowly lowering his hand.

I can't imagine not liking a loving family like this one, but then again, I have been in it for almost my entire life.

'I just- I don't fucking know what to do anymore.' He continues, sounding desperate for a way out.

'She shouldn't punish you for it.' Diego loves his daughter. He couldn't stop coddling her the last time we came to visit, and for him to have to go through this seems unfair.

'There has to be something you can do, right?' He looks at me with hope in his eyes, making me wonder what he's thinking about.

'Sadly the system would much rather have a kid growing up with their mother.' I shake my head and reach out for his arm, making him stare at where my fingers grace his skin.

'Go talk to Autumn and try to convince her, set some rules so that she can be comfortable around everyone.'

'I just want Riley to stay though.' What? I pull my hand away, shocked by the emotionless tone he's using.

'You don't want Autumn to stay too?' I ask as I try to read his face, but he looks away and sheepishly shakes his head. 'I just want my daughter with me. In the family she deserves.'

'So fight for her.' He looks down at me again, his face turning softer, 'Give it all you have and make sure you get her back.'

Diego opens his mouth, but words don't come out, and he simply stares at me.

'We're back!' We turn to the door and notice Maria, Berto, Rosalia, and Carlos stumbling into the house.

Carlos instantly runs up the stair, straight to his room, while Rosalia makes her way over to me and jumps into my arms.

'Can we watch a movie and catch up, I missed talking to you.' She mumbles as she almost squeezes me to death.

'Maybe tomorrow, I'm really tired and I have kids waiting for me at home.' She sighs deeply but lets go of me and heads up the stairs herself. 'I'll be expecting you tomorrow! Buenas noches!'

I turn back around to face Maria and Berto, who are smiling at me and Diego.

'Do you need a ride to your place?' I quickly shake my head and step away from Diego, closer to Maria.

'I actually wanted to talk to you two about something Carlos did.' Berto frowns and glances between Diego and me, which makes me feel a bit weirded out.

Do they know about that night?

'What did he do?' Maria asks, placing her hand on my arm, 'Did he get in trouble again?'

'He told Victoria she will never be a part of this family and it really hurt her, so I just wanted to know if you could talk to him about it so it won't happen again.'

Maria's eyes widen and Berto mumbles something as he turns away.

'I told you he was getting out of hand with the nasty remarks.' He grunts, making me wonder if Carlos can hear him from upstairs.

'I didn't mean to snitch on him or anything, I just-' 'Don't feel bad, Neveah. We'll talk to him about it and make sure it won't happen again.' Berto states, his voice stern, leaving no room for discussion.

I feel bad for going straight to Carlos's parents, but I didn't know what else to do. Maybe I should've talked to him first...

'Please tell that sweet little girl that she will always be welcomed into the family and that she should beat his ass the next time he ever says something like that again.' Maria chimes, sounding genuinely sorry for Victoria.

'I will tell her that he's sorry.' But I will not tell her about that last part...

Maria turns to Berto and starts rambling about how disappointed she is, making me wonder how they're going to talk to him about this.

She'll either explode or be cold and distant and I don't know which one is worse.

'Let me walk you home.' Diego says, opening the door for me.

'There's no need, I need to get the twins first.'

He nods and follows me outside, not caring about anything I just said as he follows me across the street.

'I don't mind.' He says as he opens the gate to Ariana's place and lets me go first.

I roll my eyes and turn to the front door, where everyone else is already getting ready to leave.

'You didn't nap, did you?' Leya asks as she hands me Emiliano.

I shake my head and stare at my baby, smiling when he tries to reach for my nose.

'She had to deal with some mother stuff.' Diego answers, making the others frown. 'Mother stuff? While her twins were here?'

'She's also Victoria's mother, you know.' He replies, making Leya smile brightly. 'She is, what happened?'

'Nothing.' I don't want more people knowing since it's best if we just move on from it, 'We should head home.'

I thank Ariana for watching the twins while I spend some alone time, and listen to her ask if they could sleep over.

Even Leya agrees with me when I say it's too much at once, but she won't let us go until I promise that I'll bring the twins to her in the morning.

'I told you, she's obsessed.' Leya says as we walk through the door of her house.

Celine and Kai disappear into their bedrooms, while Leya helps me settle the twins into their cribs.

'Will you be fine like this?' She whispers since Victoria is peacefully sleeping on the bed. 'Yes, thank you.' I say as I nudge her toward the door.

I know she'll stay in here all night if I would let her, but she needs to spend some time with her injured husband.

'Go and check up on Rio, we'll be fine.' She takes a deep breath and nods, before slipping out of the room and leaving me with three sleeping children.

On the way back to the house, the twins were all over the place. I thought we would never get them to sleep, but here they are.

Sleeping oh so peacefully.

I quickly change back into the pajama I was wearing earlier and climb onto the bed, right next to Victoria.

Her braids are already dried up and some strands got out when she moved around, so I brush them out of her face and make sure the covers are covering her entirely.

My phone rings and I quickly pick up before the sound wakes up Victoria or the twins.

'Hello?' I wait for someone to answer, which takes some time.

But when he finally does, my heart skips a beat.

'Cara, please. Hey, were you trying to sleep? Sorry, I'll call you back when you wake up.'

'Tiago, it's okay. I was going to bed, but I can talk. What's going on?' I ask since he sounds all over the place.

'I just wanted to hear your voice again, cara.'

My heart melts and I feel like I'm melting into the mattress.

'I miss you so much.' He continues, making me smile.

'You've barely been gone for a day.' I taunt, peeking down at Victoria to see if she's still asleep.

'So?' I slowly pull down the covers and climb out of bed, before making my way over to the bathroom and closing the door behind me, 'Don't you miss me?' Of course, I do, you idiot...

'More than you'll ever understand.' He sighs deeply and moves around on his side of the phone, making me wonder what he's doing, 'When will you guys get back?'

'We'll be back in a few days, I think.' A hazy breath escapes his lips and I almost drop my phone in shock.

'Tiago? What are- Are you-' 'Keep talking.' He whimpers, making my mouth drop to the floor. 'Are you serious right now?'

'I said I missed you, didn't I?' He groans before breathing into the phone.

My mind starts spiraling and I can't contain my laughter when I hear him breathing some more. 'Tiago-' 'Please don't ruin this for me and just keep talking.'

'You're insane.' I say, shaking my head as I stare at myself in the mirror, my heart racing when I hear him whimpering over the phone. 'You're voice is driving me insane.'

'You called me to jerk off over the phone?' I ask, almost wanting to laugh. 'I wish you were here.'

Something warm rushes through my body and I can't help but feel my body tense a bit, 'I wish you were touching me.' Fuck...

I can't believe he's- we're doing this.

'God. I keep imagining you in front of me.' I look at myself in the mirror and take a deep breath, trying to ground myself.

There's no way we're doing this...

'Touching yourself as you look up at me.' No. I shake my head and look at my feet, trying to focus on something else.

'Or I'm touching you,' He breathes, sounding a lot closer now, 'My hands around your neck as I stroke my-' 'Tiago.'

It should've come out as a warning, but it sounds too desperate to be one.

'Touch yourself, Neveah.' He begs, making my hands ache to do as he says.

But I shake my head again and almost drop my phone, 'I can't.'

'Please.' I like this side of him. The one where he's not afraid to beg for me.

I slowly bring my hand inside my shorts, trying to reach places I only want him to reach, and inhale sharply when I feel how wet I am.

'That's right,' He moans, probably stroking himself slowly, 'Just like that- Fuck.'

When I close my eyes, I see him on his knees, slowly stroking himself as he looks up at me, begging to touch me.

'More.' I moan into the phone as if he's actually in front of me, 'I need more.'

'I will give you everything when we meet again, but for now, this is it- keep touching baby.' Fuck...

I slip another finger in, trying to make myself feel more as I enter myself over and over again, slowly rubbing my thumb across my clit.

'Neveah-' He breathes, making my senses explode for a second.

I'm so close to my orgasm that it's driving me insane.

And just as I'm about to make him beg some more, I can hear footsteps coming from the bedroom.

I pull my hand out of my shorts and try to steady my breathing before I quickly hang up the phone and turn to the door.

It doesn't open, but I can hear a soft knock and take a deep breath.

I quickly open the door and look down at Victoria.

She has tears in her eyes and seems to be crying again. 'What's wrong?'

'I had a nightmare that you died and then you weren't here and I-' I kneel down and hug her tightly, lifting her up to take her back to bed.

'I'm right here.' I whisper as she crawls closer, laying on me with half of her body. 'I'm still here.'

'Okay.' She mumbles, holding onto me as if I'm going to disappear any second now, 'Good.'

I let my hand go up and down her back and wait for her to fall asleep, before slowly falling asleep as well.

When I wake up the next morning, I get the twins ready and make sure Victoria is dressed as well, before I quickly take a shower while Victoria watches a video on youtube about some girl making pink slime.

Once I'm done, we head over to Ariana's place to eat breakfast just like I promised.

But as we enter the house, Isabelle runs out in tears, running right past me.

'Isabelle!' Brandon shouts, rushing out of the house as well.

He stops when he sees me and sighs deeply.

'What happened?' He looks at Victoria, before looking back at me.

Ariana is standing in the doorway and waves at Victoria, before walking over to us. 'You can help me set the table.'

Victoria nods proudly, before running inside.

'I'll deal with the kids.' Ariana chimes proudly, making me roll my eyes since we told her not to force herself too much.

'What happened?' I ask as I turn back to Brandon, wanting to help Ariana and Isabelle at the same time.

'Rio wants to get rid of Isabelle.' That's nothing new... He never wanted her to stay around and he never intended for her to stay around.

'He is got in contact with the Russians who bought her.' What?

'He wants to hand her back to them.' Brandon explains, making my heart race as I turn toward the direction she just ran in.

Her biggest fear come true.

Back to her absolute worst nightmare...

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A/N: I'M NOT POSTING LATE FOR ONCE WOW!

Okay, little update; there will be two more chapters and an epilogue so I'll try to finish the story around the end of the year :( I'll miss this story and you guys so much!

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please let me know what you think in the comments, and don't forget to vote!

I wish you all an amazing day/night and hope to see you in the next chapter my loves <3