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Chapter 127 – Arya's POV
"I didn't know I could feel so tired and so full at the same time."
My eyes fluttered open slowly.
The ceiling above me was white, the lights too bright, but the air around me was warm. Soft. Quiet.
I could hear a faint monitor beeping beside me. My legs felt heavy, my arms even heavier, and yet… there was something comforting about the weight of the blanket tucked around me.
Then it hit me.
The pressure. The screaming. Damon's hand gripping mine. The way the world stood still in the final moments before that piercing cry filled the room.
And now…
I turned my head to the left and there she was.
My baby.
Our baby.
Swaddled in a soft pink blanket, fast asleep in the hospital bassinet with her tiny mouth slightly open, and her delicate fingers curled into fists. She was so small. So impossibly perfect.
Tears stung my eyes immediately.
"Hope," I whispered.
That was her name. The name Damon and I had chosen long before she arrived. Not just a name, but a promise. A reminder of everything we'd been through, and everything still waiting for us.
Hope.
My daughter.
I didn't realize I was crying until a tear slipped down the side of my face and into my hair. The relief was like a tide crashing through my chest.
She's here.
She's real.
She's mine.
Damon stirred in the chair next to me. His hair was messy, his face unshaven, but he looked younger somehow—more at peace. He must have stayed by my side all night. His hand was still resting on the side of my bed, fingers laced through mine even in sleep.
I squeezed his hand gently.
He blinked awake, then sat up quickly when he saw my eyes open. "Arya…"
His voice was raw, emotional.
"You're awake."
I gave a small, tired smile. "Barely."
"You did so well," he whispered, brushing hair from my forehead. "God, Arya… you were incredible."
"I thought I was going to pass out," I said honestly.
"You almost did," he said, trying to smile but failing. "But you didn't. You stayed strong. For her."
We both looked over at the bassinet.
"I've never seen anything more beautiful," Damon said softly. "Except you."
I couldn't hold back the tears then. I let them fall freely. My body was exhausted, aching, but my heart—my heart had never felt so full.
"Can I hold her?" I asked.
He nodded instantly and walked over, carefully lifting her up. She let out a sleepy sigh, wriggling a little, but didn't wake up.
Damon placed her gently in my arms, arranging the blankets before stepping back, giving me space to meet our daughter properly for the first time.
I looked down at her.
Her skin was soft and pink, her nose small like Liam's when he was a baby. She had a patch of dark hair and long lashes, and her tiny lips were parted like she was already dreaming.
She looked like peace.
Like healing.
Like hope.
"Hi, baby girl," I whispered, voice trembling. "I'm your mama."
Her eyelids fluttered but didn't open.
"I've waited so long to meet you."
Damon leaned over and kissed the top of my head. "Liam's outside. He hasn't stopped asking if he can come in yet."
"Let him," I said, smiling. "He needs to meet his sister."
Damon stepped out, and not even thirty seconds later, Liam burst into the room, eyes wide and shining with excitement.
"Mom!" he shouted, then quieted instantly when he saw the baby. "Is that… is that her?"
"Come here, sweetheart," I said.
He tiptoed closer, almost afraid to get too near, until Damon guided him to my side.
"This is your sister," I said, holding her lower so he could see her face.
Liam gasped. "She's so small."
"Do you want to say hi to her?"
He nodded, reaching out slowly. His fingers brushed her little hand, and I watched in awe as Hope's tiny fingers instinctively curled around her brother's.
"She's holding me!" he said excitedly, his voice rising with wonder.
"She knows you," I said. "She's been hearing your voice for months now."
Liam looked up at me with wide eyes. "What's her name?"
Damon came closer and wrapped his arm around both of us.
"Her name is Hope Liora Blackwood," I said softly. "Because after everything we've been through… that's what she is."
Liam stared down at her again, repeating the name like it was the most sacred thing in the world. "Hope…"
"I love her already," he whispered.
"Me too," Damon said.
And me? I couldn't speak.
Because in that moment, as I looked at my son beside me, my daughter in my arms, and the man I loved holding us all together—
I knew I didn't need anything else.
I had everything I'd ever prayed for.
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End of Chapter 127 – Arya's POV .