Page 110 of Fighting Shadows

“Dada!” she shouts, clapping her hands.

“I’m assuming that’s a yes,” I laugh, handing her to him.

“I love you,” he whispers into my hair, kissing me.

“I love you too. Always have, always will.”

“Always have, always will, Pumpkin.”

The others join us, the guys' parents having shown up too, and my lawyer offers to take a family photo on the front steps of the courthouse. We all gather together, the parents stepping to the side so we can take our first proper family photo together. I watch on in horror as every one of the guys drops to one knee on the steps, Clover still clutched to Atlas.

Chase comes bounding up to me, a box in his hand and a special t-shirt revealed under his fancy shirt.

‘Will you marry my daddies?”

Chase opens the box, revealing a beautiful ring with an oval diamond.

“Yes!” I shout, picking Chase up and holding him to me as the others join us and kiss me. Dominic takes the ring from the box and slides it onto my finger, which is suspiciously a perfect fit. “You’re a deep sleeper, Cupcake,” he says with a wink, and I can’t help but smile in response.

After everything I’ve been through, I never thought I would get my happily ever after, and now that I see my life, I couldn’t be happier.

The darkness still tries to pull me back down, but I have something worth fighting for now. My men and my two kids make life worth living, even on my darkest days.

Epilogue

‘Kitchen Fan Lullaby – Claire Boyer’

My chest hurts, and I’m scared as the scary fog fills the room. It’s dark, and I can’t breathe properly.

“Mommy!” I call out to Autumn.

I try to shake her awake, but she’s sore from what our mom did to her, and she won’t wake up. I climb off of the bed, and I hold Bun tightly in my hand when I try to shuffle around to the other side of the bed.

Maybe I can pull her t-shirt, and it will wake her up.

My head starts to feel funny, and I feel a little dizzy; Bun falls from my hand as I fall to the carpet.

It’s easier to breathe down here.

“M-mommy, w-wake up p-please!” I try to shout, but my throat hurts, and I feel sleepy.

“Mommy loves you,” Autumn whispers to me. She’s awake, but it’s scary in her room right now, and she sounds very scared.

“Mommy?” I rasp, and my throat still hurts, but Autumn is holding Bun in my hand, and she’s stroking my hair.

I don’t feel so scared now, and I really want to go back to sleep. My chest really hurts, and it sounds funny when I try to breathe, “I love you, mommy,” I tell Autumn. She makes me feel so loved, and she’s my most favouritist person.

I want to tell her that, but I fall asleep quickly like I always do when I sleep next to her.

I feel safe here.

After death, the brain is thought to live on for seven more minutes to replay its best memories.

It’s to ease us to the other side, so in those moments, all we feel is love and happiness.

My minutes were filled with Autumn, every moment that she protected me, playing with me and trying to hide her winces of pain from the things our mom put her through.

How she starved so I could eat.

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