nine months later
_________
Pain.
Blinding, soul-crushing pain.
Cherry's screams echoed through the sterile white walls of the hospital room, her fingers gripping the sweat-drenched sheets beneath her. The contractions were relentless, tearing through her like fire, leaving her helpless, trembling, drowning in agony.
There was no comforting hand to hold.
No familiar voice to whisper reassurances.
No Lena.
She was alone.
The nurses surrounded her, their faces a blur through the haze of pain and exhaustion. Their voices were distant, muffled, like she was slipping in and out of reality.
Tears leaked from the corners of her eyes, sliding down her temples.
She had never been more scared in her life.
She wasn't ready.
She was **too young, too lost, too fragile.
But it was too late.
A searing, tearing sensation split her apart, and then—
A cry.
A sharp, wailing, beautiful cry.
Cherry sobbed, her body convulsing as she gasped for air.
Then another cry.
And another.
Three.
Three babies.
Her vision blurred as the nurses moved swiftly, wrapping the tiny newborns in warm blankets, their cries filling the room.
When they placed the first baby in her arms, her world shifted.
Her chest constricted.
The pain, the fear, the loneliness—it all faded.
Her son.
Her tiny, precious son.
His little fingers curled instinctively around hers, his face scrunched up as he whimpered softly.
Cherry sucked in a shaky breath, pressing a trembling kiss to his forehead.
Then, they placed her second son against her chest.
And finally, her daughter.
Her babies.
Her everything.
Tears poured freely down her face as she cradled them close, sobbing quietly into their warmth.
She had thought she was alone.but she wasn't.S he had them now.And she would never, ever let them go.
five years later .
____________
---------
The scent of home wrapped around her the moment she stepped out of the airport.
She stood still for a moment, her three children beside her, their hands small and warm in hers.
The streets were just as she had left them—familiar, bustling, loud.
But she was different.
She wasn't the same naive, innocent village girl who had run away in shame and pain.
She was a mother now.
A mother who had fought through sleepless nights, empty stomachs, and aching loneliness.
A mother who had given up everything for her children.
A mother who had survived.
Layla, her daughter, squeezed her hand. "Mama?"
Cherry smiled down at her. "Yes, baby?"
"Are we really home?" Layla's big brown eyes searched hers, uncertain, hesitant.
Cherry's heart clenched.
They had moved so much over the years. No real roots, no real stability.
But now…
She bent down, cupping her daughter's tiny face.
"Yes, sweetheart. We're home."
Caleb and Caden, her twin boys, looked around curiously, taking in the unfamiliar streets.
"Will Auntie Lena like us?" Caleb asked, tilting his head.
Cherry let out a soft, teary laugh. "She's going to love you."
Caden, standing slightly apart, crossed his arms, his expression unreadable. "Does it matter?" he said, his tone cool and detached.
Cherry felt a pang in her chest but forced a smile. "Of course it matters, Caden. Family is important."
Caden shrugged, his gaze drifting away. "Whatever."
Before Cherry could respond, a loud, piercing scream cut through the air.
"CHERRY HILL!"
A blur of black and red barreled toward her.
And suddenly, she was being crushed.
Lena.
Her best friend.
Her sister.
Her other half.
Lena gripped her so tightly that cherry swore she couldn't breathe.
"You little—brat!" Lena choked out, shaking her. "You disappeared for five years! Five! And you come back just like that? Do you have any idea—"
Her voice broke.
Cherry broke.
Tears spilled freely as she hugged Lena back, clutching her like a lifeline.
"I'm sorry," Cherry whispered, sobbing against her shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Lena."
Lena pulled back sharply, eyes wet and furious.
Then, her gaze shifted.
Her body stilled.
Her sharp brown eyes landed on the three little children peeking up at her.
The triplets.
Her lips parted, but no words came out.
Cherry swallowed hard, her heart hammering.
"Lena," she whispered, her voice breaking.
Lena's hands shook.
"You…" Her breath hitched. "Cherry… they're—"
Cherry nodded, tears blurring her vision.
"My babies."
Lena collapsed to her knees, hands covering her mouth.
Tears streamed down her face as she reached out, pulling all three kids into a trembling embrace.
"My babies," she whispered, her voice shattering "Oh, my babies."
Layla giggled, patting Lena's head. "You're crying a lot."
Caleb looked on with a slight smile, but Caden remained aloof, his arms crossed, observing the scene with a detached curiosity.
Cherry wiped at her tears, watching as her best friend fell in love with her children in an instant.
Lena finally pulled back, her hands shaking as she reached for Cherry's.
"You're home," she whispered.
Cherry exhaled, pressing a hand to her chest.
"Yes," she murmured.
**She was home.**