Two years ago…..
Elizabeth
I turned and spun over on the bed lazily until I felt the cool air brushing over my bare skin. My eyelashes flutter open as laziness wash over me. The cool breeze emitting from the floor-to-ceiling windows, puff the tall grey curtains aside.
Cold wash over my bare skin. That was when I realised I've been sleeping naked without the sheets. Just grabbing this sheet over my nude right now is already tiring.
I look to my side and couldn't find Seb. The bare empty space explained it all: he's not in the house. And today is the street carnival festival. I've already lost interest in attending anyway. I can't go out partying around in this condition. And I believe Seb won't permit me too.
I sat up and a wide magnificent yawn escaped my mouth.
God, I feel so hungry. What says the time now?
I checked the time on my phone's screen. 9:57pm.
Holy lord. Seb must be held up in traffic. I didn't get to hear what he was saying before I first fall asleep.
I look around for my clothes. I can't find them in one spot as all of them are scattered around and some are even torned. Thanks to Seb for devouring my every clothes before love-making.
I got off bed and gather them into the little trashcan at a corner. I went to the bathroom to freshen up, thereafter, put on a clean white bathrobe and head for the kitchen.
Most times, I eat twelve times in a day and still felt like I haven't tasted anything.
I grabbed an apple from the fridge and munched it. I was planning on making instant noodles when the intercom buzzed in the lounge.
I made my way to the lounge, still taking big bites from my apple. "Yes?" I answered.
The middle-aged doorman from the ground floor spoke through, "Hello, ma'am. There's a man and a woman with a little girl with them. They said they've come to see you. Should I let them in?"
I was puzzled for a while. Man? Woman? Little girl? I wasn't expecting anyone, especially not at this hour.
"Let them in." I hesitated. Even my response sounds strange in my ears.
"Okay, ma'am." The line went off. I put the intercom back to its place and made my way towards the kitchen.
I haven't even gotten midway to the kitchen when I heard the elevator dings.
My instincts asked me to check and I did. My eyes popped in surprise when I saw the last people I least expected to see.
"Mom? Uncle Fernando? Debora?"
They pulled me into a big hug before I even reach for them.
Debora hugged my waist and poke my big belly, "Hello, cousin."
Mom and uncle Fernando laughed.
I pat her head, "Hello, Debora." I look at my mom and my uncle, surprised to see them in my house. I don't remember sending them any address. "How did you guys locate this place?"
Uncle Fernando busied his eyes with the glorious things he was seeing.
Mom is not materialistic. She only looked around for a while before averting her gaze at me, "Oh, dear. We trekked."
"You trekked?" My brows snapped up.
"Yeah. There's traffic jam everywhere in town. It's the street carnival and everywhere seems tight. No moving vehicles and it locked till midnight." Uncle Fernando answered, staring at the Mona Lisa art portrait on the wall.
"But that's not enough reason to come on foot." I sighed when Debora sneakily took my phone from my pocket and joined mom on the sofa. "How did you guys locate this place?"
The distance here to my family mansion is an hour and thirty minutes drive and they said they just trekked. What kind of people did I grew up with?
Mom peek on the game Debora was playing in my phone, "Fernando is a pro in tech. He helped us find here by tracking."
I forgot my uncle is a computer based guru. He has the intelligence.
Uncle Fernando looked around, "Wow. This place is heaven on earth. Where is your fiancé?"
Mom snapped to reality with a dazzling smile, "Is he in? Can he come down so we can see him?"
"Aunt Serena, can I see a photo of him?" Debora looked up from the mini militants game she was playing.
Now I understand why they have to trekked down here. They're eager to meet Seb.
"He's not home now." I say and I saw the bunch of disappointment drawn all over their faces, "Like I said, he's always busy but maybe one of these days he'll come see y—"
I was still saying until the elevator dings and the devil walked in.
Seb seem a bit surprised and confused to see unfamiliar faces in his house.
Mom's mouth dropped as much as my phone falling from Debora's grasp. Uncle Fernando maintained a shocking look. All three of them staring at Seb like they just saw the real Santa Claus for the first time in history.
At that moment, I knew I had to break the awkwardness.
"Um…" I went to Seb's side and intertwined my arm with his. "Honey, meet my mom, uncle and cousin. Mom, meet my fiancé, Sebastian."
It took them almost forever to recover from the daze. They raised their hands and awkwardly waved at him. "Olà."
Seb didn't understand what they just meant by 'Olà' but he waved back briefly and said a simple "Hi."
Then he shifted his gaze at me, "Sorry, I have to shower now. I'll be down in a moment. Make them feel at home."
I nodded and afterwards, he made his way to the stairs and disappeared into the room.
Mom, uncle and Debora watched as he left.
Mom turn to me with a gasp, "Wow. He's so handsome."
"And bold." Uncle Fernando added, taking a seat on the armchair.
"What do you guys care for?" I asked as I make my way towards the kitchen.
"It's okay. We already had dinner before coming." Mom said.
I turned to her, "At least coffee or tea. Just take anything. Sebastian would be mad at me if he comes downstairs and see that you guys are not well entertained. It's your first visit in his house, so please don't reject anything."
Mom looked at uncle Fernando and he turn to me, "Tea is fine." He said.
I nodded and headed straight for the kitchen. Coming back with a tray of three teacups and saucers. I handed them each and sat on the opposite couch.
Just as Uncle Fernando was telling me the part about how the cornfields were finally sprouting like they used to before the floods, the staircase behind me creaked softly — and there he was.
Sebastian.
Descending like some perfectly carved Greek god who didn't know he had an audience. His hair was damp, pushed back casually, and he wore one of those linen shirts that clung just enough to remind you he'd once modeled for something high-end, probably by accident. His cologne floated down the steps before he did, some mysterious blend of woodsmoke, citrus, and sheer intimidation.
"Sorry," he said, flashing that easy smile as he reached the last step. "The tables turned around and you guys have to come over. I was already thinking of visiting tomorrow."
Then — smooth as ever — he strolled across the room and sat down beside me. He rested one arm casually on the back of the couch, not quite touching me, but close enough that I felt his presence steadying me. And I needed that steadiness. Because what I was about to say wasn't exactly new to them… but it still mattered.
Seb leaned toward me a little, and whispered, "Should I order something? I feel like tea isn't enough."
"They already had dinner," I whispered back, brushing imaginary lint off my lap. "And I begged them to drink tea so you wouldn't think I'm a terrible hostess."
"You're not," he said, and placed his hand lightly on my knee. "You're perfect."
He raised his brows and looked at mom first, "Do you speak English?"
She smiled and gave him a nod, answering in accented but perfectly clear English, "Yes, I do. Enough to know when I'm being charmed."
Sebastian chuckled, hand over his chest like he'd been graciously wounded. "Then I should be careful."
Uncle Fernando added, "Enough to understand everything important."
Sebastian smiled. "That's perfect. I didn't want to speak past anyone."
Debora, who'd resumed sipping tea with one hand and dragging her finger across my phone with the other, suddenly spoke up without looking. "I do too, by the way. I've been learning from cartoons."
Seb raised his eyebrows with a playful grin. "Then I'll make sure not to say anything cartoon-unfriendly."
I gave Debora a look, and she gave me her classic not-my-problem shrug.
I tried to laugh, but my stomach reminded me there were three little tenants in there, rearranging my organs like a renovation project. I shifted slightly, one hand resting just beneath the curve of my belly. The movement didn't go unnoticed — Mom's eyes followed it like a magnet.
There was no hiding it anymore. I looked full-term. And I still had months to go.
I cleared my throat and tuck a strand of hair behind. "You already know about Sebastian," I began, my voice quiet but sure. "You've heard me talk about him for months now."
Mom gave a short nod. "Yes. But talking is one thing. Seeing..." Her eyes wandered around the penthouse, then landed back on him. "Meeting is different."
Uncle Fernando chimed in. "This place is something else."
Sebastian smiled politely. "I'm really honored to finally meet you in person. And I was actually hoping we'd visit you guys soon, formally. For a proper family introduction."
That got Mom's full attention.
"We're not trying to skip anything," I added quickly. "We still want the family's blessing. The tradition, the prayers. All of it."
Sebastian added gently, "But also… we've started planning the wedding."
There was a quiet beat — not shock, but a kind of shift in the room, like something everyone knew was coming had finally touched down.
"You're not just thinking about it anymore," Mom said softly. "You've already begun."
I nodded. "We have."
Uncle looked between us, eyebrows raised but not judging. "That's fast."
"Life is fast," I said, placing a hand on my belly — not for drama, just because the weight of it was real and always there. "And there's more."
Mom's eyes dropped to my stomach again, like they already knew.
"You know I'm pregnant," I said, and then paused. "But I didn't tell you everything."
Sebastian's fingers gently touched the edge of my hand — not to speak for me, just to say I'm here.
I took a breath.
"It's triplets."
The words landed heavy — even in a room with soft lighting and delicate furniture.
Mom blinked. Uncle leaned forward as if he hadn't heard correctly.
"Três?" he said.
"Three?" my mother echoed.
I nodded. "Three. We found out a few weeks ago."
Sebastian added quietly, "We've been getting her the best care. Specialists, nutritionists, regular monitoring. Everything's under control."
Mom sat back in her chair, hand to her chest, and let out a breath that sounded like a prayer escaping. "Three babies."
"I didn't tell you before because…" I hesitated, "well, I didn't want to overwhelm you until I was sure. And I wanted to say it face-to-face."
Debora finally looked up from my phone. "That means three birthdays! Or will they share one? That's kinda unfair."
I laughed — more out of tension than anything. "We'll figure it out."
Then Mom stood up, walked to me slowly, and looked down at my stomach. Her hand hovered there, like she wanted to touch but wasn't sure she should.
I reached for her hand and placed it gently on the side of my bump.
"They're real," I whispered.
She exhaled shakily and smiled — that trembling kind of smile that's part love, part disbelief. "Three babies… and a wedding on the way."
She looked up at me, her eyes watery. "You've always done things your own way, Elizabeth. I just didn't think your own way would be… this big."
Sebastian chuckled softly.
"She's been very calm," he said. "Brave, even."
And then, somehow, the room warmed. Uncle relaxed back into the couch. Debora began listing potential baby names in the background — most of them ridiculous. And for the first time all evening, I let myself relax too.
Not everything had been said. Not every formality had been done.
But the most important thing had happened: they saw us.
"Boa noite," Uncle stood up, attempting they take their leave.
Seb checked his watch and looked at him with a frown, "It's kinda late. I don't mind you guys spending the night over."
"No, no, no, it's fine." Mom stood up, shaking her head with a sweet smile. Her eyes lock to mine before going back to Seb, "We really appreciate your hospitality, son. But we'd need to embark home."
Seb let out a deep sigh, still not satisfied. He stood up, hands tuck in his pockets, "There's this carnival thing going on in town and everywhere is lockdown as hell. I'll advise you guys stay."
"Um.." Uncle glanced at the wall clock, "It's midnight already and by this time, the whole place is free."
"I understand how much you want us to stay but maybe some other time." Mom added. I know she just wants Seb and I to have the house all to ourselves without interruptions.
Nevertheless, Seb gave in. "Fine. I'll see you off. Is your car here?"
The mention of a car made mom and uncle exchange glances. I knew they don't have a bike talk much of affording a car. The only vehicle we'd have in the family is an extended family bus that we'd use in going out or travelling to places. And it looks very old and wretched.
"Um.." Uncle scratched his head and I knew I needed to help.
But it seems like I wasn't fast enough as Debora chimed in, "We trekked."
"Debora?" Mom was late to cover her little mouth. She looked at Seb who was now quizzical to hear such. "I'm sorry, she's a bit too loud and nosey."
Seb is finding it hard to decipher the moment, "You guys trekked—down to this place?" He looked at me, "How far is your house to this place?"
My eyes popped as I ask myself wether to speak or not. "Well…. it's an hour and thirty minutes drive?"
He was like; "An hour and thirty minutes? And they just came on foot. If calculations are done mathematically, I'll assume it took them approximately two hours and forty minutes to reach here."
Uncle grinned sheepishly and murmured, "You're a genius. That's exactly the actual time."
Seb looked away from me to them, "I'm really sorry you guys had to undergo such stress because of me."
I slap my forehead when he took the blame to himself. He always does when it comes to anything that has to do with me.
"I'm calling someone right now and he's gonna drive you guys home." He took out his phone, dialed a few numbers and make a call. "Hendrix, please prepare the car. You'll be taking Elizabeth's family home."
When he hung up, mom thanked him, "That's so generous of you, Sebastian. We really appreciate."
"You don't have to thank me for anything. Your daughter is a nice person and who am I not to treat her family well?" Seb said and I find myself smiling.
Debora never wanted to leave in the first place. She was ready to fight Mom and Uncle tooth and nail just to be with me.
But when Seb promised her that we'd come to see everyone tomorrow morning, she was happy and jumping everywhere. Then, she finally gave in to go with mom and uncle.