Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Overnight
The twins' first overnight stay at Victoria's apartment had been discussed for weeks.
Lily was excited. She had packed her backpack three days in advance, filling it with stuffed animals and pajamas and a flashlight "in case of emergencies." Leo was less enthusiastic. He had agreed to the overnight only after Victoria promised to let him stay up late to look at the stars through her small telescope.
"He'll be fine," Lina said to herself, for the hundredth time. "They'll both be fine."
Ethan put his hand on her shoulder. "You're pacing."
"I'm not pacing."
"You've walked from the kitchen to the living room and back fourteen times in the past ten minutes."
Lina stopped. "I'm nervous."
"I know."
"What if they miss us? What if they cry? What if Victoria can't handle them?"
"Victoria raised me," Ethan said dryly. "She can handle two four-year-olds for one night."
"You turned out fine."
"Thank you."
Lina resumed pacing.
---
Victoria's apartment was small but cozy, filled with books and plants and the soft glow of warm lighting. She had set up a small bed for each twin in the guest room, complete with their favorite stuffed animals and nightlights shaped like stars.
"This is nice," Lina admitted, looking around.
"I wanted them to feel at home," Victoria said. "I know it's not the penthouse, but—"
"It's perfect," Lina interrupted. "Thank you for doing this."
Victoria smiled. "Thank you for trusting me."
Lina hugged her.
Then she knelt down to say goodbye to the twins.
"You'll be good for Grandma?" she asked.
Lily nodded solemnly. "I'll be the goodest."
"I'll try," Leo said.
Lina kissed them both. "I love you. I'll see you tomorrow."
"We love you too, Mama," Lily said.
Lina stood up.
She walked to the door.
She did not look back.
---
The penthouse was too quiet.
Lina wandered from room to room, not sure what to do with herself. The twins' toys were still scattered across the living room floor. Their drawings still covered the refrigerator. Their small shoes were still lined up by the door.
But they were not here.
Ethan found her in the twins' bedroom, sitting on Leo's bed, holding Ellie the elephant.
"They've only been gone for an hour," he said.
"I know."
"You're allowed to miss them."
Lina looked up at him. "I feel like I'm missing a limb. Like part of me is just... gone."
Ethan sat down beside her. "That's parenthood. It's loving someone so much that their absence feels like physical pain."
Lina leaned against him. "How do people do this? How do they let go?"
"They don't. They just learn to live with the missing."
They sat in the darkness, holding each other, while the city hummed outside the window.
---
Victoria sent updates throughout the evening.
7:00 PM: Dinner is served. Lily ate three helpings of mac and cheese. Leo ate exactly twelve peas.
7:30 PM: Bath time. Lily used all the bubble bath. Leo used none.
8:00 PM: Story time. Lily chose a book about a princess who fights dragons. Leo chose a book about black holes.
8:30 PM: Lights out. Both twins are asleep. I repeat, both twins are asleep.
Lina showed the texts to Ethan.
"They're asleep," she said, amazed.
"Were you expecting otherwise?"
"I was expecting a call at nine o'clock saying that Lily had climbed the curtains and Leo had refused to go to bed."
Ethan laughed. "Give them time. The night is young."
---
The call came at eleven o'clock.
Lina grabbed her phone before the first ring finished. "Is everything okay?"
"It's fine," Victoria said. "Lily just had a nightmare. She's asking for you."
Lina's heart clenched. "Put her on."
There was a rustling sound, and then Lily's small, tearful voice came through the phone.
"Mama?"
"I'm here, sweetheart. What's wrong?"
"I had a bad dream. There was a monster. It was big and scary."
"Was it a real monster?"
"No. It was a pretend monster. But it felt real."
Lina closed her eyes. "Do you remember what we do with pretend monsters?"
"We tell them to go away?"
"We tell them to go away. And then we think about happy things. Like elephants. And aliens. And chocolate chip pancakes."
Lily sniffled. "Can you sing to me?"
Lina sang.
She sang the lullaby she had sung to the twins when they were babies, the one her own mother had sung to her before everything fell apart. Her voice was soft and slightly off-key, but Lily did not seem to mind.
By the end of the song, Lily's breathing had slowed.
"Are you still there, sweetheart?" Lina whispered.
"I'm here, Mama."
"Are you okay?"
"I'm okay. Grandma is here. She's holding my hand."
Lina's eyes filled with tears. "Good. You hold Grandma's hand. And tomorrow, I'll come get you, and we'll make pancakes. Chocolate chip."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
"Okay. Goodnight, Mama."
"Goodnight, sweetheart."
The line went dead.
Lina set down the phone.
Ethan was watching her from the bed.
"She's okay," Lina said. "Victoria is holding her hand."
Ethan nodded. "Told you. She can handle them."
Lina climbed into bed and curled up against him.
"I'm still going to worry," she said.
"I know."
"Until they come home."
"I know."
Lina closed her eyes.
She dreamed of monsters and elephants and a little girl who was brave enough to face them both.
---
The Next Morning
Lina arrived at Victoria's apartment at eight o'clock, carrying a bag of groceries for pancakes.
She found the twins at the kitchen table, eating cereal and arguing about something she could not follow. Lily was wearing one of Victoria's sweaters, which swallowed her whole. Leo was wearing his regular clothes, because he had refused to wear anything else.
"Good morning, Mama," Lily said, her mouth full of cereal.
"Good morning, sweetheart. Did you sleep well?"
"After you sang to me."
Lina looked at Victoria, who was standing by the stove, making coffee.
"She's amazing," Victoria said quietly. "They both are."
Lina smiled. "Thank you for taking care of them."
"Thank you for letting me."
They hugged.
Then Lina made pancakes.
---
The twins talked nonstop during breakfast, telling Lina about every detail of their overnight adventure. The mac and cheese. The bubble bath. The books. The stars they had seen through the telescope.
"And Grandma held my hand," Lily said. "When I was scared. She held my hand until I fell asleep."
Lina looked at Victoria.
Victoria's eyes were wet.
"That's what grandmothers do," Lina said.
Lily nodded. "I like having a grandma."
Lina's heart swelled.
"So do I," she said.
---
The Drive Home
The car was loud.
The twins were arguing about something in the back seat, their voices overlapping, their words tumbling over each other. Lina should have been annoyed. Instead, she was grateful.
The noise meant they were home.
"Thank you," Lina said to Ethan.
"For what?"
"For being patient. For understanding. For not making fun of me for crying over a four-year-old's sleepover."
Ethan reached over and took her hand. "I cried too."
"You did not."
"I did. In the bathroom. Where you couldn't see me."
Lina stared at him. "Really?"
"Really. They're growing up so fast. I'm not ready."
Lina squeezed his hand. "Neither am I."
They drove home in silence, holding hands, while their children argued in the back seat.
It was not a perfect moment.
But it was theirs.
---
That Afternoon
Lina found Leo in his room, sitting on his bed, holding Ellie the elephant.
"Are you okay, baby?" she asked, sitting beside him.
Leo nodded. "I missed you."
"I missed you too."
"I like Grandma's apartment. But I like home better."
Lina pulled him into her arms. "Home is wherever we're together."
Leo looked up at her. "Is that true?"
"Always."
He nodded, apparently satisfied, and went back to reading his book about black holes.
Lina sat with him for a while, not speaking, just being present.
She thought about Victoria, holding Lily's hand in the dark. She thought about Ethan, crying in the bathroom where no one could see. She thought about Leo, who liked home better than anywhere else.
She thought about all the overnights to come. The sleepovers and the campouts and the nights when her children would not come home at all.
She was not ready.
But she was learning to live with the missing.
---
End of Chapter Twenty-Eight