Prisioner In Your Arms

They transferred Nicole to the delivery room. Bruno was given special clothing to accompany her. After they were sterilized, he set up two cameras to film the birth from different angles and stood beside Nicole, holding her hand.

Nicole was sweating profusely. The doctor tried to administer an epidural, but she adamantly refused. Bruno took a cloth to wipe her forehead.

The pain from the contractions became even stronger, and she squeezed Bruno’s hand tightly.

“Damn it! It hurts so much.”

“My love, sweetheart, you’re going to rip my hand off,” Bruno said gently, trying not to upset her.

“You can rip off my hand and what’s between your legs, and you still wouldn’t feel what I’m feeling.”

Bruno turned pale at the thought of actually doing what she had said. Instinctively, he squeezed his legs together.

He decided to endure her tight grip on his hand without complaining. That way, she wouldn’t decide to squeeze anything else. The doctor instructed her to push with force, and she did so while breathing as they had instructed during the antenatal classes.

“Just a little more, ma’am, just a little more. I can see your baby. Here she comes.”

Suddenly, a strong cry filled the room. The doctor placed the baby on Nicole’s chest, and Bruno was in awe. It was the most tender sight he had ever seen. In that moment, the baby lifted her little face, her eyes wide open with intense blue color. She was the most beautiful baby he had ever laid eyes on.

The doctor approached, holding surgical scissors.

“Would you like to be the one to cut the umbilical cord of your precious daughter?”

Bruno gladly accepted and took the scissors. It was a girl – they had a beautiful daughter.

His hands trembled as he cut the cord, tears streaming from his eyes uncontrollably.

The nurses took the baby to clean her up, and he approached Nicole and kissed her.

“You’ve made me the happiest man once again. I never thought that welcoming a baby into this world could be so wonderful.”

She weakly smiled, feeling exhausted. After the baby was cleaned, they moved her to a room filled with flowers and balloons. Everyone had avoided bringing red roses to not make her sad, but when she saw everything, she burst into tears.

Leandro was missing in that room, and he would always be missing on every special occasion. She knew he was doing well, but she couldn’t hug him up there.

“You need to rest, my love. Come on, let’s set aside the sadness and celebrate the birth of our daughter.”

Nicole fell asleep, and later, the whole family gathered in front of the nursery area, separated from the babies by a large glass window. Bruno proudly showed them which baby was theirs.

“Isn’t she the most beautiful baby in the world?”

“Hahaha, coming from the father himself.”

At that moment, they brought another baby and placed it next to Bruno’s baby. The babies immediately interlocked their little hands.

“Look, son, how adorable,” Mara exclaimed.

Shortly after, Shelsy’s mother arrived and stood next to Rina.

“Mrs. Rina, I’ve been trying to reach you.”

“My phone died, and I couldn’t charge it. I forgot the charger at home. Has something happened?”

“Shelsy has given birth. That beautiful baby is your grandchild, Leandro’s child.”

Rina looked at the baby they had placed next to Nicole’s daughter. There were her two grandchildren together. This baby was an extension of her son’s life.

She started to cry, feeling conflicted. On one hand, she was happy about the birth of her grandchildren, but on the other hand, she felt deeply saddened by Leandro’s absence. She was certain he would have been an excellent father. In her imagination, she saw him standing there next to his son, smiling. Gío approached her and hugged her.

“Come on, let’s go congratulate the new mom. We’ll get some flowers to brighten her up a bit.”

Right in front of the hospital, they bought a beautiful arrangement and entered the room where Shelsy was. The girl couldn’t stop crying, thinking about how different it would be if Leandro were there.

“Hello, daughter. We’ve met our grandson, and I can tell you he looks identical to Leandro. Thank you for giving us this immense joy.”

“I miss him so much. I’m happy for my son, but I can’t help missing Leandro.”

“We all miss him. I just ask you to allow our grandson to grow up close to us. Gío has spoken with your father, and he’s going to help him regain his properties, so you can return to the city.”

“What did my father say?”

“He agreed. He doesn’t want to deprive us of the right to watch our grandson grow up. It will be difficult at first, but those who turned their backs on you will have to accept it.”

“Thank you, and of course, my son will be close to his grandparents. That’s what Leandro would have wanted.”

Máx and Amadeus arrived later. They had been in constant communication with Nicole all along. When Leandro passed away, they couldn’t attend the funeral. Amadeus’ mother had also passed away, leaving him completely alone. So, Máx didn’t want to leave him. The death of Leandro pained him greatly, but his partner needed him by his side.

They congratulated the new mothers and brought along a multitude of gifts.

“These are precious children. I’m sure Leandro, wherever he may be, is watching over them. He would be a proud father and uncle.”

Days later, Nicole and Shelsy were discharged from the hospital. While their father regained his properties, Shelsy would stay at Rina’s house with her mother.

When they arrived home, Nicole told Bruno that she needed to talk to him.

“Is something wrong?”

“I think it’s time you tell me why neither your family nor you speak to Shelsy. Dante changed his attitude towards her, and he said he would tell me later, but he hasn’t.”

“You’re right. It’s time I tell you the story.”

Bruno told her what had happened. Nicole had heard rumors, but she didn’t know that Shelsy was that girl.

“I believe that, one way or another, Shelsy will be a part of our lives. I know she hurt you deeply, but she is the mother of Leandro’s child. I hope that even if you don’t like her, you can at least tolerate her for our nephew’s sake.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll do it for our nephew.”

Nicole smiled. She loved that man.

Six months later, the baptism took place. A pair of beautiful babies were passed from one set of arms to another. Santi was a proud older brother and uncle. Instead of feeling jealous, he was happy to be the older brother and promised to take care of the two children.

Bruno approached Nicole and kissed her. She looked as beautiful as ever. Everyone was gathered. They had become a big family.

“Leandro and Leady are two much-loved children. They will grow up surrounded by love and affection, just like our Santi.”

“That’s right, my love. We’re lucky to have such a close-knit family.”

A month later, a double wedding took place in the church. Two beautiful brides stood before the altar.

Sophie and Máx, due to everything that had happened, had previously had a simple civil ceremony. Now, they were getting married in a religious ceremony as they deemed fitting.

Before the religious ceremony, Nicole and Bruno had a civil ceremony again. They would renew their vows before God.

Bruno saw Nicole approaching down the aisle, she looked truly beautiful. He remembered when they were forced to marry years ago. At that time, he thought it was the worst thing that could happen to him. Now, he knew it was the greatest blessing that heaven had sent him. Santi was responsible for carrying the train of Nicole’s dress and looked like a true gentleman in his tuxedo.

After Nicole reached Bruno, the wedding march played once again. Sophie entered with a radiant smile on her lips. Dante sighed, remembering the day he met this blonde. He thought he would just have fun with her, that she would be just another conquest. And there she was, completely owning his heart.

The newlyweds exited the church as the guests released dozens of white doves, symbolizing their wishes for eternal happiness. Later, at the reception venue, the entire family and friends were gathered.

The venue was beautifully decorated, with beautiful white and lilac wisteria hanging from the ceiling. Behind the head table, there was a large painting of white and lilac roses. The girls had chosen everything together, considering an all-white venue to be boring.

Nicole changed her dress and put on a pearl-colored gown that hugged her body. It had some sheer elements and was adorned with delicate stones. In the church, she wore an updo, but now her hair was loose with waves, adorned with a jeweled tiara.

Sophie had also changed into a white dress, with a backless design, so she wore her hair up.

The proud grooms observed them, feeling happy for the family they had.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“Who would have thought, brother, that these two girls would capture us? Let’s toast to our family and the happiness that awaits us with them,” Dante said with a wide smile.

“Cheers,” Bruno raised his glass. His heart was overflowing with joy. The difficult times had finally come to an end.

They danced the waltz with the girls. Nicole also danced with her parents. It was a great day. Afterward, they set off for their honeymoon in Bali, which they would also take together. They had no worries because the children had plenty of grandparents who gladly took care of them.

There was nothing left to interrupt their happiness. They hoped to live many years to enjoy them together. So much had happened since they first met, but they decided to only remember the good times. All the experiences and the people would forever be cherished in their hearts.