Page 205 of My Big, Fat, Secret Billionaire Baby

We talk. Stilted at first. Awkward. But gradually… it becomes easier.

Karen asks Sabrina about Mia’s routine, her favorite toys, her latest milestones. Sabrina answers patiently, including Mia in the conversation, pointing out her new tooth, her funny little habit of sticking her tongue out when she’s concentrating.

And my mother… she listens. Her gaze is soft, her questions genuine.

She’s not trying to impress. Not trying to manipulate. She’s just… being a grandmother. A hesitantly fragile, but undeniably present grandmother.

I watch them, a strange mix of emotions swirling inside me.

The old resentment it’s still there.

But it’s tempered by something else now.

That conversation on the phone, when she told me to fight for Sabrina and Mia, when she showed me that unexpected strength… it shifted something.

Later, after Mia has fallen asleep in Sabrina’s arms, my mother turns to me.

“Leonardo,” she says softly. “Thank you. For this. For letting me see her. For… giving me another chance.”

“You called when I needed it, Mom,” I say, the words surprising even myself. “You told me to move mountains to get Sabrina and Mia back. So I am.” I look at Sabrina, at Mia, my heart swelling with a fierce, protective love that still feels… new. But also, undeniably real. “This is my mountain now.”

My mom nods, a single tear tracing a path down her cheek. “Your father… he never understood that. He never understood what truly mattered. He chose… he chose the wrong mountain.”

“I know, Mom,” I say quietly. And for the first time, the words aren’t laced with bitterness. Just sadness. For him. For her. For the years we lost.

Later that evening, after Karen has left and Mia is tucked into her crib, Sabrina finds me staring out at the city lights.

She wraps her arms around my waist, resting her head against my back. Her body is warm and familiar.

Feeling like home.

“You okay?” she asks, her voice a soft murmur againstmy shirt.

“Yeah.” I turn in her arms, pulling her close. “Yeah, I think I am.”

I look down at her, at the woman who has completely fucking upended my universe and shown me what truly matters in this world.

“I can’t forget the past, Sabrina,” I admit, the words raw and honest. “My mother… my father… it’s always going to be a part of me. But I’m choosing to build a different future. A better future. For Mia. For… us.”

I’m breaking the fucking cycle. Or at least, I’m going to die trying. Metaphorically speaking, of course.

No more literal near-death experiences.

“I know you are, Leo.” Her eyes shine with a trust that still makes my cynical heart ache. “And I’m here for you.We’rehere.”

She reaches up, cupping my face, her thumbs gently stroking my jaw.

“So,” she says, a teasing smile playing on her lips. “About that Maxwell Capital strategy... I have a few ideas...”

I laugh, and pull her closer, my mouth finding hers.

53

Sabrina

Okay.

Life in the Gilded Cage, Version II, is… different.

---