31 Epilogue

*4 months later*

"I'm here. I'm here. Where are they?" I zipped all the way from my house to Julian's pack territory. Chloe had gone into labor and had the baby. I found Julian in the waiting room, and he had a huge smile on his face.

"Come meet her." He waved his hand for me to follow, and I made my catching up to him.

"So another little girl?" He looked up at me with a sparkle in his eyes.

"Yeah, she's beautiful. I'm glad I listened to Chloe and let the gender be a surprise till when she gave birth to them." I put my hand on his shoulder and squeezed it.

"I'm happy to hear that." I gave him a small smile. I haven't genuinely smiled since Mila passed, and even though I knew that I was happy for them, I couldn't feel anything. It's like I could see the world happy in my head telling me that this is how I should feel about everything, but that's it. Just a word in my head that didn't compute anything.

"When is Elisia going to have her baby?" I sighed out.

"Any time now. Hopefully not today because I don't want to be zipping all the way across town again." We both had a little laugh. I had become a pro at laughing and smiling. I was a pro at acting like I was strong. We made our way into the room, and I saw Chloe sitting there holding a little girl. Her head was full of dark brown curls. I walked over and looked at the little girl sleeping peacefully.

"Here, hold her." I smiled and picked up the little girl. I held her securely in my arms. This made me miss when the kids were this small. I still remember it like it was yesterday in the hospital room with Mila holding our kids for the first time. I swallowed down my emotions, and I looked back up at them.

"She's beautiful. What's her name?" They looked at each other and exchanged a smile.

"Mila Grace Santiago." I looked up at them and could feel tears brim my eyes.

"What a beautiful name." I looked down at baby Mila. "You are a very loved little one. I'm glad I got to meet you." I handed Chloe her baby back and said I need to get home to the kids even though they were at Anita's house. I felt so emotional; I couldn't fake it anymore.

The kids were with their Mimi, staying with her; they had been for a while now. While I tried to get my shit together. Julia and Asha moved to Alium because they couldn't stay in a place filled with anything but haunting memories. Elisia and Lance would soon be having their baby and would be busy raising them, just like Chloe and Julian would be with their newborn. So now my family is broken into billions of tiny pieces, picked up and scattered in every direction by the wind.

I soon found myself standing outside the place I once called home. But it isn't a home anymore, not without Mila. The house, the kids, and I were missing a vital piece of our family. I look at this place, and now the only thing I experience is this overwhelming feeling of Hiraeth.