𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐟𝐢𝐚 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 ✍︎

37| 𝚂𝚑𝚎𝚗𝚊𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚜

Ayla/Dove's POV
Age: 10
Location: Ricci's Mansion, New York

Regret is something that has followed me for majority of my life.

It's not unusual for me to wake up in the morning and regret something. Regret for not being strong enough. Regret for not fighting back. Regret for not noticing things.

The feeling has become so natural, it's almost like breathing. I don't think about it or dwell on it anymore than I think about the expanding of my lungs.

Yet I never realized how heavy the burden of regret is.

For the first time in my life, there's not an ounce of regret in my mind.

As I sit on the soft couch in the living room, freshly showered and heavily drugged on painkillers which are making me extremely drowsy, I've never felt happier. Watching my biological and found family interact with one another brings a certain sense of peace to my mind.

Everything is right and everyone I care for is safe. Everything I've ever wanted is in my grasp and no one can take it away.

I know that once tomorrow morning comes, I'll probably be hit with a truckload of emotions. But if that's the price I have to pay to feel like this, I'll gladly pay it.

Rio sits next to me, his thigh wrapped in a bandage and soft gauze on his knuckles. His movements seem slow and uncoordinated.

"You let them give you the painkillers?" I ask.

Both of us have a very strong, and justified, aversion to any kind of medication or drug that will knock us out. However, I decided that tonight is the best time to try and get over that fear.

And I really needed a painkiller.

Rio shrugs in response to my question. "Seems like a good night to get over my fear."

I smile when he voices what I just thought. It's comforting to know that we still share the same ideas and thoughts.

"Your mother said our biological families are coming tomorrow." Rio sucks in a breath.

"Scared?"

"Weirded out," he corrects. "Yesterday we might as well have been orphans. Tomorrow we'll have families."

"You never thought you'd be able to say that, huh?"

"It's weird," he says with a nod.

"Good weird?"

"Very good weird."

I wince as I watch Lorenzo walk down the stairs with Lucky trailing behind him like a lost puppy. It's a little cute, but I know that when Lucky finally comes to his senses, he's going to be super embarrassed, and I just know Blue will never let him forget it.

Speaking of Blue, in the past hour my friends have been in my house, I've realized three very intriguing things.

One, Rio is still as stubborn and Rio-y as ever. Two, Lucky's admiration for my brother is adorably stupid and is starting to look more like a crush than admiration. And three, Blue revels in attention.

From the moment she stepped into the hospital wing until now, she's been showered with attention from everyone. Unlike Rio, she's loving it.

Admittedly, a little part of me is jealous when I see how fast she's bonded with Mama. But the larger, more mature part of me, is glad that she's being treated well.