Chapter 46 EPILOGUE: What We Kept
Chapter 46 EPILOGUE: What We Kept
POV: Valeria Cruz
The house is loud.
Not chaotic.
Not overwhelming.
Just…
full.
The kind of full that settles into your bones.
Voices overlapping from the kitchen.
Music playing low in the background.
Laughter breaking through every few seconds like no one here knows how to be quiet for long.
I stand in the doorway for a moment.
Just watching.
Because this—
this is my favorite part.
Not the big moments.
Not the milestones.
Not the things people post about or celebrate loudly.
This.
The in-between.
The normal.
The life we built after everything.
“You’re burning it.”
I don’t even turn around.
“I’m not burning it.”
“You’re definitely burning it.”
Now I turn.
Rafe is standing behind me, arms crossed, watching the stove like it personally offended him.
“You’re dramatic,” I say.
“I’m right.”
I glance at the pan.
Okay.
Maybe a little.
Before I can fix it, he steps in, reaching around me to lower the heat.
Effortless.
Familiar.
The kind of movement that comes from years of being in the same space.
“You’re lucky I’m here,” he mutters.
I smile.
“I know.”
That hasn’t changed.
Not the way he shows up.
Not the way he stays.
Some things don’t.
The twins—no, not twins anymore—storm into the kitchen mid-argument.
“Tell her she can’t take the car,” Mateo says immediately.
“I can take the car,” Sofia fires back.
“You cannot take the car.”
“I literally asked.”
“You informed.”
“That counts!”
“It does not!”
I lean against the counter, crossing my arms.
“Neither of you are taking the car if you don’t lower your voices.”
They both freeze.
Look at each other.
Then at me.
And immediately start talking quieter.
Not calmer.
Just quieter.
Rafe snorts under his breath.
“Power move,” he mutters.
“I’ve learned from the best,” I reply.
Mateo runs a hand through his hair.
“We just need it for like an hour.”
“You said that last time,” Sofia cuts in.
“And we were gone for three.”
“Traffic.”
“You went to get ice cream.”
“That’s still traffic.”
“It is not traffic.”
I hold up a hand.
“Enough.”
They both stop.
Still glaring at each other.
But quiet.
Progress.
“You can take the car,” I say finally.
Mateo grins.
“But—”
He groans.
“There’s always a but.”
“There is when it comes to you,” I say.
Sofia laughs.
“Fair.”
“You’re back in an hour,” I continue. “And you text me when you get there.”
“We always text you,” Mateo says.
“You forgot last time.”
“That was one time.”
“That was enough.”
They exchange a look.
Then nod.
“Fine,” Sofia says.
“Fine,” Mateo echoes.
They grab the keys and head for the door, still arguing—just quieter now.
The door shuts behind them.
Silence.
Brief.
Rare.
I exhale slowly.
Rafe steps closer.
“Still think you’re not burning dinner?”
I glance at the stove again.
“…it’s fine.”
“It’s not fine.”
“Relax.”
He reaches past me again, turning it off completely this time.
“You’re banned from cooking unsupervised.”
“That’s rude.”
“That’s accurate.”
I elbow him lightly.
He doesn’t move.
He never really does.
That steadiness—
it still gets to me.
In ways I don’t think it ever won’t.
The front door opens again.
More voices.
Louder.
Familiar.
“Elena, I’m telling you, that was not my fault!”
“It was entirely your fault!”
Nico and Elena walk in mid-argument like nothing has changed.
Like time didn’t move forward.
Like we’re still those same people—
just older.
“Tell her I’m right,” Nico says immediately.
“You’re not,” Elena snaps.
“You didn’t even hear the story!”
“I don’t need to!”
I laugh.
Because some things never change.
Maya and Sofia follow behind them.
Different paths.
Different cities.
Different lives.
Still here.
Still showing up.
Still part of this.
Always.
We gather around the table like we always do.
No planning.
No structure.
It just… happens.
Food passed around.
Conversations overlapping.
Stories interrupting stories.
Laughter breaking through everything.
I sit back for a second.
Take it all in.
Because I remember what it felt like before this.
Before the noise.
Before the safety.
Before I knew what it meant to be surrounded by people who chose you.
I look at Mateo and Sofia.
Arguing again.
Laughing this time.
Safe.
Not looking over their shoulders.
Not waiting for something to go wrong.
I look at Maya and Sofia.
Talking about work.
About life.
About plans.
Still here.
Still mine.
I look at Nico and Elena.
Still loud.
Still impossible.
Still exactly who they’ve always been.
And then—
I look at Rafe.
He’s already looking at me.
Like he always does.
Like he always will.
“You good?” he asks quietly.
That question.
Still the same.
Always the same.
I smile.
“Yeah.”
And this time—
it’s not just true.
It’s permanent.
Because we made it.
Not perfectly.
Not easily.
But we made it.
We didn’t lose everything.
We didn’t fall apart.
We didn’t let the past decide what we deserved.
We kept what mattered.
And we built the rest.
One choice at a time.
One day at a time.
And in the end—
that’s what stayed.
THE END ✨