The world didn't quiet down all at once.
It softened.
The Night
The room was dim, warm, wrapped in the sound of Rome breathing outside the windows. Estrella sat on the edge of the bed, nine months heavy with life, one hand resting over her stomach as the twins shifted gently beneath her skin.
Thomas knelt in front of her.
Not rushed.
Not desperate.
Just there.
"You okay?" he asked softly, forehead resting against her knee.
She nodded.
"Better than okay."
When he kissed her, it wasn't hunger that led—it was reassurance. Care. The kind of intimacy that didn't need urgency or spectacle. They moved slowly, learning the rhythm of each other again, letting closeness speak where words failed.
Later, tangled in sheets, Thomas's hand stayed where it belonged—protective, present. Estrella traced the lines of his face, memorizing him like someone afraid the world might try to take him away again.
For the first time in a long time, nothing felt stolen.
Damiano's Acceptance
Damiano didn't make a speech.
He stood in the doorway the next morning, watching Thomas help Estrella stand, steady and gentle, like it was instinct.
"Coffee?" Thomas asked.
Damiano nodded.
That was it.
No confrontation.
No warning.
No conditions.
Just acceptance.
Later, when Estrella caught her father alone, she asked quietly, "You're really okay?"
Damiano exhaled, long and honest.
"I stopped fighting what keeps you safe," he said. "That's all."
Estrella hugged him, tighter than she had in years.
Back to the Band
Thomas returned to rehearsal without fanfare.
No dramatic announcement.
No redemption arc demanded.
Ethan clapped him on the shoulder.
Victoria smirked.
Damiano gave a nod that meant I've got this handled.
Music filled the room again—not as an escape, but as something reclaimed.
For the first time, Thomas played without running from anything.
Nine Months
Estrella moved slower now.
Every step deliberate.
Every breath measured.
Nine months meant waiting on the edge of everything.
Aaliyah watched closely—too closely sometimes—but Estrella let her. Fear hadn't disappeared, but it had learned where it wasn't welcome.
The nursery was ready.
Two cribs.
One soft yellow wall.
One muted blue.
Hope didn't feel fragile anymore.
It felt prepared.
The Media Turns
It didn't happen overnight.
But headlines softened.
Comments shifted.
Support outweighed outrage.
People saw what couldn't be spun anymore:
A young woman choosing her life.
A man staying.
A family refusing to fracture.
For once, the story didn't eat them alive.
Closing Scene
That night, Thomas lay beside Estrella, listening to the steady rhythm of her breathing, the occasional kick reminding him that everything had changed—and that he wouldn't trade it for anything.
Outside, cameras waited.
Inside, there was peace.
Not perfect.
Not guaranteed.
But real.
And for the first time, the world was watching them survive—together.