The way Lucas hugs me, trying to comfort me, calms me down a bit. The silence in the living room is immense, but I suppose he understands that I cannot say a single word right now.I have a half-brother. I repeat that phrase in my mind over and over again.I try to understand every word my father has said to me, and I have concluded that if Elena had been honest with my father and confessed that she was expecting a child from him, Raúl would not have hated them, and nothing would have happened to Lucía or me."Bella …" Lucas finally speaks to me as he gently caresses my hair, "I know you don't feel like doing anything, but you have to eat something amore; you're not alone anymore," he tells me and kisses my hair."It's just that I'm not hungry. I can't believe everything I've learned today; do you realize that Alejandro is my half-brother? If that had been known, you would not have lost Lucía and me..." I try to talk, but I can't continue."You would not have been a victim of my reven

The next day:Waking up today was practically impossible. I have barely been able to sleep, and when I did, it was terrible with nausea and nightmares. The only good thing about everything is that Lucas has taken care of me all day and takes care of absolutely everything."Bella..." I hear him say as he enters the room.I finish zipping up the dress I've put on, and I look at him through the mirror's reflection "yes?""Your bro... Alejandro...has arrived", he finally says."I'm coming down," I sigh, "I'm nervous; I don't even know how to talk to him," I say, adjusting the fabric of the dress, and then I turn around. "Yesterday, I was an only child; today, I'm not. Do I explain myself?" I say, confused by how I feel.He nods, approaches me slowly, and puts his arms around my waist to get closer. "If you allow me to give you some advice, don't miss this opportunity that life provides you. You are gaining a brother while I have lost a sister," he suggests, and his words go deep in me."O

I feel nauseous and more nauseated. I stand up, flush the toilet, and go to the sink immediately. I can't understand if the nausea is a consequence of the pregnancy or if hearing that my half-brother almost fell in love with me has made me so disgusted."Bella!" I hear Lucas shout from the other side of the door, and I don't know if I dare to talk to him right now about Alejandro's infatuation."I'm coming," I limit myself to answer, and then I rinse my mouth.I look in the mirror after I'm done and can't find peace. I feel like life has hit me on different fronts simultaneously. I don't know if I was more panicked about being kidnapped or if my half-brother almost fell in love with me.At what point has my whole life been turned upside down like this?I take a deep breath, take courage, and leave the bathroom to meet Lucas's expectant gaze. "Are you feeling alright, Sienna?" he asks me, extremely worried."It was just nausea," I explain, walking past him to sit on the edge of the bed

2 weeks laterTwo weeks have passed since Alejandro, and I spoke. To this day, neither my father nor I know where he's gone. Also, we haven't talked about what happened. I don't know how to reestablish my relationship with my father since my mother was not the love of his life but Elena."Ready?" Lucas asks me as he walks over to me.I look him over from head to toe and notice his excitement. Today, I have to go back to the doctor for the monthly pregnancy checkup, which means we will see our baby again. I smile at him, nod, and take my bag. "Yes." I reply, trying to put on my best face."Let's go then," he indicates and, without further ado, takes me by the hand so we can leave the house together.I like seeing him in this loving and overprotective role; It is a facet that suits him wonderfully. Although everything around us seems to be in chaos, ours continues to be unique in its own way.He helps me into the car, then climbs in on the driver's side, and inevitably I stare at him. H

We have been sitting on a park bench with a sea view for more than an hour. We are both in complete silence, watching the sunset, and I guess we are thinking exactly the same thing. We have been speechless since we left the doctor's office with the news that we are having twins.In my case, I am terrified. Having a baby seemed like a huge responsibility, and it scared me, but now with two, I just want to run away."Are you scared?" Lucas asks me, finally breaking the silence, and for some reason, his words make me laugh.Is it the nerves or that seeing him the same or more scared is funny?"Fear? No, I'm panicking!" I admit, and now he is the one who laughs."I'm so glad to hear I'm not the only one panicking here. Having a child already made me aware of our great responsibility. I was mentally preparing to be the best version of myself, the one our son or daughter deserved, but two? They will cry simultaneously, we will have to change their diapers at every moment, and both of them w

The sun has almost completely hidden below the horizon. The nerves start to play against me, so I take a deep breath to calm down. However, when Lucas arrives at the restaurant's valet parking, my body reacts immediately because it knows the time to tell the truth to my father is drawing near."Ready?" Lucas asks, looking me in the eye as the guys who work at the valet open the car doors for us.I shrug my shoulders. "I guess so; let's go," I answer and get out of the car while he does the same. We meet on the way, and he chivalrously takes my hand, and we enter the restaurant.This place, modern, elegant, and full of life, with one of the city's best chefs, is my father's favorite restaurant. He comes here so often that his favorite table is already set aside, right on the patio of the place. So, just by saying he is waiting for us, the woman at the reception leads us there.I see my father sitting at his table by the sea as we come outside. In the background, I can see the tall skys

That night:Sleeping is an impossible task for both of us. Lucas and I have been tossing and turning in bed, trying to fall asleep, but between all the news and the confrontation with my father, it's not something we can do.I hug my pillow, intending to close my eyes to get some sleep, but his arms around me and his face resting on my abdomen make me smile. "What are you doing?," I ask softly."I love you, you know?" he asks, and I look at him."Of course, I know. I love you too," I reply and move on the bed to rest on my back.He settles better on my abdomen, delicately lifts the top of my pajamas with his fingertips, and then begins drawing imaginary circles with them. "Bella," he tells me in a whisper, making me stare at his ocean blue eyes."What?" I ask before his imminent silence."I can't stop thinking about your father's reaction and he doesn't even know the whole truth," he says. "I can not stop feeling guilty for everything I did. If our babies were girls, I would also kill

A few days later:It could even be said that we have dedicated these last few days to ultimately reconciling as a couple and creating memorable moments between the two of us. Perhaps many times, those ordinary moments do not seem so special. Still, for us, even the kitchen has become an adventure lately. My father is still distant from Lucas, and I think he will stay that way for a few more days. We know this could worsen if we fully decide to move to Italy with our children.On the other hand, tonight is not just any night; my in-laws have arrived from Venice and will come to dinner with us. My father has decided not to be part of this dinner so that I can spend time with my in-laws. However, tomorrow he will have breakfast with us at our favorite restaurant to make the official presentation between families. I know that they met before when my father went to Italy to pick me up, but this will be different since we will soon have a new wedding; this will be the real one."Do you thin

"It hasn't gone bad with my parents, has it?" Lucas asks me as we walk into our room to finally rest.It's already past eleven at night, and Luca's parents have only been gone for about half an hour. I go to the walking closet, look for a nightgown and return to the room to leave it on the bed while I undress. "Their reaction has been much better than I expected," I explain as I reach my back to try to unzip the dress, which is honestly quite complicated.Lucas comes behind me and, taking my hands, tells me. "Let me help you," he murmurs, and I immediately smile."That's nice, thank you very much," I thank in a flirtatious tone. "I thought your parents would ask us a thousand questions and put up some kind of obstacle for our wedding. Fortunately, they didn't," I explain, trying to concentrate despite Lucas's fingers grazing my back as he unzips my zipper."Hey," he whispers, wrapping one of his arms around my waist, "I've been thinking that my parents knew perfectly well that you and

After showering and getting ready, I finally leave my room and go downstairs to attend to Alejandro, my half-brother. Upon entering the room, I realize that my fiancé is a true gentleman and has treated Alejandro as he deserves."Good morning," I say while approaching them.Lucas and Alejandro's eyes focus on me, smiling at me differently. Lucas's is unique, and it lowers my defenses ultimately. Alejandro's is a little more forced, and I guess he still doesn't know how to behave in my presence."Can I serve you breakfast, Bella ?" My fiancé asks me, and I nod as I walk over to Alejandro's side, and he stands up."Good morning, I'm sorry I came so early," he apologizes and greets me with two kisses."Don't worry; I admit I didn't expect you," I confess. I think it is important to speak honestly to Alejandro and tell him how I feel about him; I won't try to sugarcoat the situation."I know. To be honest, I wasn't planning on coming; but I can't leave this way either," Alejandro tells me