KISS'S POV
Peace is a strange thing.
It doesn't always come quietly.
Sometimes, it comes screaming at 2 a.m. with tiny lungs and endless determination.
Harmony.
That was the name Augustina and Isaac chose.
Harmony—because after all the wars, betrayals, jealousy, blood, tears, and near losses, this child arrived like a ceasefire. A fragile one, yes, but real.
Yet Harmony had her own way of announcing her presence.
Her cry sliced through the night like a blade.
I stirred first, half-awake, my hand instinctively going to my stomach. Adrian groaned beside me, his arm tightening around my waist.
"What… what was that?" he murmured, voice thick with sleep.
I smiled faintly. "Your future calling."
Another cry echoed—louder this time.
Adrian shot upright, eyes wide, heart racing.
"She sounds… angry."
I pushed myself up slowly, careful, one hand bracing my lower back.
"She's not angry," I said softly. "She's demanding."
From the hallway, Isaac's exhausted voice floated in.
"Harmony… please… daddy is here…"
Augustina snapped back instantly.
"Isaac! Support her neck properly!"
"I am!"
"No, you're panicking!"
"I'm not panicking—"
The baby wailed louder, as if offended by the argument.
Adrian stared at the door like it might explode.
"They're… arguing over her neck."
I nodded seriously. "Very important neck."
He swallowed hard.
"Kiss… be honest with me."
I turned to him.
"Is this what awaits me?"
I laughed before I could stop myself. A soft laugh at first—then a fuller one, the kind that bubbles from the chest.
"Oh Adrian," I teased, "this is just the introduction."
His face drained of color.
"But—" He stopped himself, eyes drifting slowly… deliberately… to my belly.
"You're having twins."
"Yes," I said gently.
He leaned back against the headboard, staring at the ceiling like a man negotiating with fate.
"Two babies," he whispered. "Two voices. Two cries."
"Two hearts," I added quietly.
That made him pause.
From the hallway, Augustina's voice rang out sharply.
"KISS!"
I sighed. "That's my cue."
THE GOODWILL LIVING ROOM
Augustina stood in the middle of the room, Harmony bundled tightly against her chest. Her hair was messy, eyes tired, patience thinner than glass—but the way she held her daughter… it was pure instinct, pure love.
Isaac slumped onto the couch like a man defeated by a very small opponent.
"She hates sleep," he muttered.
"She doesn't hate sleep," Augustina snapped. "She hates silence."
Harmony let out a small whimper, as if agreeing.
I stepped closer, lowering my voice. "You're doing great."
Augustina shot me a look.
"Don't lie to me."
I smiled softly. "Okay. You're surviving."
That earned a weak chuckle.
Adrian entered slowly, still half-stunned, watching the scene unfold like it was a documentary he hadn't signed up for.
"So this," he said quietly, "is family life."
Isaac looked up. "Welcome to the battlefield."
Augustina adjusted Harmony gently, then finally looked at me—really looked at me.
"You were laughing earlier."
I raised my hands defensively. "Just a little."
Her lips curved—not kindly.
"It will soon be your turn."
My smile faltered.
She glanced meaningfully at my belly.
"And you're even having twins."
Silence.
Adrian's head snapped toward me.
"Say she's joking."
I met his gaze calmly.
"She's not."
Isaac smirked. "Imagine your misery."
Adrian sank onto the arm of the couch slowly, rubbing his face.
"I'm not ready."
I reached for his hand, squeezing it.
"No one ever is."
Harmony stirred again, tiny fingers curling. Augustina froze.
"Don't—" she whispered.
The baby settled back into sleep.
A collective breath escaped us.
Augustina's shoulders sagged. "Thank God."
I brushed Harmony's tiny hand with my finger.
"She's beautiful."
Augustina's eyes softened instantly.
"She changed everything."
Isaac stood, moving behind her, wrapping an arm around both mother and child.
"She saved me," he said quietly.
Adrian watched the scene, something shifting in his eyes.
"Maybe chaos isn't so bad," he murmured. "If it comes with love."
I leaned into him. "Exactly."
SWITZERLAND
Elizabeth Wilson stood by the window, the Alps stretching endlessly before her.
"A girl," she repeated softly after the report. "Harmony."
Her mother sat behind her, wrapped in a shawl.
"Life continues," the old woman said gently. "Even when we cannot be there."
Elizabeth's jaw tightened.
"I was only feet away."
Her mother reached for her hand.
"Timing is everything, my daughter."
Elizabeth exhaled slowly.
"Prepare gifts," she ordered. "For the mother. For the child."
"No name?"
"No," Elizabeth replied. "But she will feel it."
She turned back to the window, voice barely above a whisper.
"My daughter carries life again. I will not miss it… not forever."
WEEKS LATER
Sleep became a luxury.
Harmony cried at midnight. At 1 a.m. At 3 a.m.
Isaac learned how to warm milk in the dark.
Augustina learned how to function on two hours of sleep.
And Adrian learned fear.
One night, after another round of crying, Adrian sat on the edge of our bed, staring at the door.
"If this is training," he muttered, "it's cruel."
I laughed softly, leaning back against the pillows.
"You wanted a family."
"I still do," he said quickly. Then paused. "I'm just… terrified."
I reached for his face, turning him to me.
"You'll be an amazing father."
"How do you know?"
"Because you're already worried," I whispered.
From down the hall, Augustina shouted,
"Kiss! If you're enjoying this too much, I swear—"
I laughed louder. "She's calling me!"
Adrian groaned. "Traitor."
As I stood, Augustina's voice followed me:
"Enjoy your peace while it lasts."
I turned back once, smiling knowingly.
"Oh, I will."
Because chaos was coming.
Double.
And this time…
It was mine.