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“Sleep now,” he said softly, pressing a kiss on my forehead.

I nodded, nuzzling on his chest.

There weren’t any walls between us, but it didn’t mean everything was magically fixed.

But we were getting there.

CHAPTER 30

KATY

“What’s going on here?” I asked a beaming Luka bouncing on his feet with a little too much excitement than normal.

Did Mom and Wiona feed him too much sugar already?

“Whoa, calm down, buddy,” I said just as Luka crashed into my knees. “What’s got you so excited like this?”

“Grammie Lianwa said we are going to watch baby videos of you and Mr. Matty.”

“Mom,” I groaned. “Please no.” They were so embarrassing, and Mom loved to pull them out whenever she had the chance. Honestly, I had to fight tooth and nail for her to keep them far away from Lan ever seeing.

“What?” Mom asked innocently. “I made them so my grandchild could see them one day.”

“Ma, please. Luka, we can watch cartoons; they are so much cooler. My baby videos are so boring.”

“Pleawse, Katiew,” he pleaded, jumping on his toes. “I want to see, please.”

I exhaled, looking deep into his brimming brown eyes. I just couldn’t say no to that, could I? “Fine.”

“Yay,” he cheered and ran over to my mom. I couldn’t help but slide a sharp look her way, to which she gave me a nonchalant shrug.

Reliving my childhood was the last thing I wanted to do today. But if my mortification made a little man happy, who was I to complain?

“What’s the commotion all about?” Lan entered the living room, wiping the sweat from his forehead with the back of his dark T-shirt. My eyes couldn’t help but go straight to the drops of sweat gliding down his muscular abs and deep V carving his sides.

I internally squirmed at that sight but quickly averted my gaze, dragged myself to the couch, and found myself a comfortable corner with too many pillows.

Luka skipped over and announced the same news to Lan.

A certain glint crossed Lan’s eyes like he was the one who was more excited than Luka to watch the Evans’ home videos.

By the end of today, I needed to rent an underground bunker and hide for a couple of days. That was how humiliating this was going to be.

Armed with snacks and Luka cuddling in my lap, Mom started the videos and AirPlayed them on the TV. My entire childhood was now displayed on the big screen.

They were in a linear fashion, almost like a two-hour video, from birth to high school graduation.

A screaming baby form of me filled the video, my cheeks pudgy and red, my arms flailing in anger as I lay next to my twin, who was quietly blinking at me in just his diapers.

Looking at it tugged my heart, it was kinda sweet of Mom to do this for us. Maybe I should do it after the twins arrive and join Luka as well to continue this embarrassing legacy.

A curious Luka asked me so many questions while Lan’s eyes were fixed on the TV. I didn’t think he even blinked. He only watched me, though, not my twin. Like he was taking in a new side of me that he’d never seen before.

The clip cut the sound of my mom beckoning me.

For some reason, I wasn’t even embarrassed to watch that little girl with round cheeks and glimmering eyes, licking the chocolate off her fingers in her proud blue dress. The emotion I felt was sadness.

Sadness that the world didn’t accept that naive girl with simple dreams.