The sun poured gently through the tall windows of Romero, spilling across the marble floors and catching the laughter that now lived in its halls.
Chris stood in the living room, his tie loose, as Jessy toddled unsteadily toward him, arms wide. "Dada!" the little boy squealed, his four tiny teeth flashing in a crooked smile.
Chris crouched low, catching his son in his arms and lifting him high into the air until Jessy giggled uncontrollably. Arabella clapped from the sofa, her schoolbooks scattered beside her.
"Again, Daddy!" she urged, her violet eyes dancing with joy.
Bella leaned against the doorway, smiling as she watched them. It was a sight she had once only dreamed of Chris, relaxed and laughing with their children. For years she had feared peace was impossible. Now it was here, right in front of her.
"Careful," Bella teased, stepping into the room. "If you keep throwing him that high, he'll never want to come down."
Chris turned, one eyebrow raised, still holding Jessy in his arms. "Then I'll just have to keep him with me forever." His words, playful on the surface, carried a weight Bella felt deep in her chest.
She crossed to him, brushing Jessy's hair back before pressing a kiss to her son's cheek. "He's growing too fast," she whispered.
"And so is she," Chris said, nodding toward Arabella, who was bent over her homework, tongue sticking out in concentration. "Year four already. Where did the time go?"
Bella's smile softened. "We missed too much, Chris. But I'm grateful for what we have now."
Later that week, Chris surprised them with a family trip a quiet villa by the coast. No bodyguards hovering too close, no endless phone calls dragging him back into boardrooms, just them.
Arabella raced along the beach, her laughter carried by the wind, while Jessy toddled in the sand, Bella close by, keeping him steady. Chris stood behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist as he watched their children play.
"This," Bella murmured, leaning back into his chest, "is all I ever wanted."
Chris kissed her shoulder, his voice low. "It's all I'll ever need."
That night, when the children were asleep, they sat on the terrace with wine glasses half-forgotten between them. The sea murmured softly in the distance. Chris reached across, taking Bella's hand.
"Do you ever think about how close we came to losing this?" he asked.
Bella met his gaze, her heart aching at the memory. "Every day. But maybe that's why it feels so precious now."
He leaned in, brushing his lips against hers slow, deliberate, a kiss not of hunger but of homecoming. When he pulled back, his forehead rested against hers.
"No more storms," he whispered. "Not for us. Not again."
Bella smiled, tears glimmering at the edges of her eyes. "No more storms."
And for the first time in years, they both believed it.
The morning air smelled of flowers and frosting. Bella adjusted the ribbons on the arch in the garden, her hands moving quickly, her heart beating with excitement. This wasn't just any gathering this was her chance to give Bianca something she'd missed before.
She still remembered the guilt of not being there for her best friend's first baby shower. That had been during the darkest chapter of her life, when she'd been lost in scandal and exile. But now, with Jessy babbling happily beside her and Arabella carefully laying out tiny gift bags, Bella was determined to make it right.
By noon, the Walters, Hampsons, cousins, and friends were arriving. Balloons floated in pastel blues, pinks, and yellows. Tables overflowed with food, a cake shaped like a cradle gleamed under sunlight, and the garden rang with music and laughter.
Bianca arrived with her husband, wide-eyed as she stepped through the decorated arch. "What is all this?"
Bella stepped forward, grinning. "A promise kept."
Tears filled Bianca's eyes as she hugged her best friend tightly, her bump pressing between them. "You didn't..."
"I did," Bella whispered. "I wasn't there last time. But I'm here now. Always."
Alexis squealed as she darted forward, hugging both of them.
Out by the tables, Chris was pouring drinks with Andrew and Austin who had just flown back into London. Austin clapped Chris on the back. "Trust you to turn a baby shower into a family summit," he teased, nodding at the crowd.
Chris smirked. "Bella doesn't do anything halfway."
The games began soon after guessing the baby's due date, decorating bibs, and passing around baby name suggestions that made Bianca laugh until she cried. Even Ademide(Bianca's dad), normally so composed, was coaxed into holding a pink balloon while Tatiana teased him about his "granddad glow."
Jessy toddled across the lawn with frosting on his cheeks, shouting "Mama! Cake!" while Arabella tried to keep him from knocking over a stack of presents. Hailey's daughter joined in, giggling, and soon all the cousins were chasing each other between the tables, squeals ringing through the air.
As the sun dipped lower, Bella slipped away to check on the cake one last time. Chris found her there, his hand brushing hers as he leaned close. "You've given her something she'll never forget."
Bella looked back at Bianca, who was laughing with Alexis and Raquel, surrounded by love. Her eyes softened. "I owed her this. I owed myself this too. Proof that we survived and still get to celebrate life."
Chris kissed her temple, his voice low. "And now we build new memories. Happier ones."
When the cake was finally cut and the gifts opened, Bianca stood, tears streaming. "I don't have words. But Bella thank you. You've always been my sister, not just my friend. And this... this healed something in me."
Bella's throat tightened as she hugged her again. Around them, the family clapped, cheered, and laughed.
For the first time in a long time, joy didn't feel borrowed. It felt like it belonged to them.