CHAPTER 120

CHAPTER 120
POV NOAH

For the first time in a long time…

My life was at peace.

And it wasn’t a superficial kind of peace.

It wasn’t the absence of problems.

It was something deeper.

Stronger.

A peace that came from within… built after the chaos.

I was lying on the couch, a bowl of popcorn resting on my lap, the sweet smell of brigadeiro still lingering in the air, while Isis was leaning against one of my shoulders and Isabela against the other.

The weight of them there…

Was comforting.

Almost symbolic.

As if, finally, everything had fallen into place.

On the coffee table, the brigadeiro pot was already halfway — mostly Isis’s fault—and three glasses of soda sat forgotten, the ice slowly melting.

On the TV, a romance movie played.

Cliché.

Predictable.

The kind I always said I would never watch.

And, ironically…

Now I did.

Every Saturday.

Without fail.

It had become a tradition.

A routine.

It had become… ours.

Our Saturday.

Our moment.

Our little ritual.

And I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Absolutely anything.

On the screen, the protagonists were arguing over some ridiculous misunderstanding “as always,” and Isabela let out a soft, almost muffled laugh.

Beside me, Isis rolled her eyes.

“He’s an idiot…” she muttered, annoyed.

I let out a light chuckle.

“I agree.”

Isabela turned to look at us, amused.

“You two are very critical today.”

“No…” Isis insisted, crossing her arms, “He really is an idiot.”

“Completely,” I added, serious.

Isabela laughed.

That light laugh.

Easy.

The kind that warmed any space.

And in that moment…

I felt it.

Truly.

Something I had never felt before.

Belonging.

Family.

Home.

I glanced at Isis.

She was completely focused on the movie, eyes attentive, her brow slightly furrowed as if she were personally offended by the character’s decisions.

I smiled.

But a few minutes later…

I noticed the change.

Her eyes started blinking more slowly.

Her breathing grew deeper.

Her head began to tilt gently.

Until…

She simply drifted off.

Leaning against me.

As always.

I smiled automatically.

“She never changes…” Isabela whispered, watching the scene with affection.

I shook my head.

“Not at all.”

Carefully, I shifted my arm to settle Isis more comfortably on the couch. I grabbed the blanket lying nearby and covered her gently, pulling it up to her shoulders.

She murmured something unintelligible, still asleep.

And curled in closer.

Snuggling.

My chest tightened.

But not with pain.

With something good.

Very good.

Something I was still learning how to handle.

I pulled Isabela closer.

She didn’t resist.

She simply fit against me.

Her head resting on my shoulder, her body relaxing into mine.

We stayed in silence.

The TV was still on.

But I wasn’t paying attention anymore.

My mind was elsewhere.

Running through everything.

Every moment.

Every memory.

Every pain.

The first time I saw her.

The chemistry we had.

Her refusing a second round with me, and me insisting…

Then, not able to stay away from each other anymore.

The accident.

The hospital.

The shot.

The blood.

The overwhelming fear of losing Isis.

The feeling that everything was falling apart.

And then…

The beginning again.

The proposal.

Isabela’s smile.

Isis’s change.

The small victories.

The small gestures.

And I realized…

All of it…

Was worth it.

Every second.

Every tear.

Every fight.

Because, in the end…

I had them.

And that was everything.

“Thank you…” I murmured, almost without noticing.

Isabela shifted slightly.

Turned her face toward me.

“For what?”

I smiled.

A small smile.

But real.

“For everything.”

I took her hand.

Interlacing our fingers.

“For being who you are… for coming into my life… for not giving up… not on me… not on us.”

Her eyes began to shine.

“Noah…”

I shook my head slowly.

“I love Isis…” I continued, my voice lower, “I know that technically, I’m nothing to her… and that everything happened so fast…”

I looked at the girl sleeping beside me.

“But I love her like she’s my daughter.”

My throat tightened.

“And I’m going to take care of her… protect her… support her… be there… for everything.”

I looked back at Isabela.

“And I love you… more than I ever thought I could love someone.”

Her hand tightened around mine.

As if answering without words.

“You are my family…” I murmured, “My home… my safe place.”

The silence that followed wasn’t empty.

It was full.

Full of meaning.

Full of feeling.

“I want to spend the rest of my life with you…” I continued, “Building… making mistakes… getting things right… growing together…”

I let out a soft smile.

“And maybe… give Isis a few siblings.”

Isabela let out a soft laugh, still emotional.

“A few?”

I shrugged, pretending to be casual.

“One… two… three… We’ll see.”

She laughed for real now.

That light.

Free laugh.

She rested her forehead against mine.

Her eyes were still shining.

“I love you…” she whispered.

I closed my eyes for a second.

Feeling it.

Saving that moment.

“I love you…” I replied.

And then I kissed her.

A calm kiss.

Unhurried.

Without urgency.

But full.

Full of everything we were.

Of everything we had lived.

Of everything still to come.

When we pulled apart, I looked at Isis again.

Sleeping peacefully.

Safe.

Protected.

I smiled.

My family.

My life.

My future.

And in that moment…

I knew.

Our story had been through the worst.

Through judgment.

Through pain.

Through chaos.

Through fear.

But now…

We were finally living the best part.

And for the first time…

I wasn’t afraid of what came next.

Because I knew.

We would face it together.

And that…

Was all that mattered.

Because this wasn’t the end.

It was just the beginning.

THE END!