Chapter 16: it all felt… whole!!

The sun hung low in the afternoon sky, casting long shadows across the quiet square as Miles, Celina, Hope, and Asher walked side by side. The cobbled path echoed gently with each step, wrapped in a peaceful hush broken only by the children’s soft laughter and chatter.

“You coming home with us?” Miles asked casually, glancing at Celina.

Celina paused, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Umm… should I come?”

“Yes, Big Sister, come with us!” Hope chirped, clasping Celina’s hand without hesitation.

Asher nodded, his eyes bright. “We’ll play together!”

Celina smiled at their enthusiasm, heart melting a little at how naturally they embraced her. “Okay then,” she said softly, “I’ll come.”

They turned down the familiar lane leading to the house. The school was only a short walk away, and the street was lined with small trees swaying gently in the breeze. The world felt softer here — far from the wealth, masks, and whispers of the university halls.

Hope started skipping ahead, holding Celina’s hand. “Let’s race, Big Sister!”

“Hey, not too fast,” Miles said, but the smile tugging at his lips betrayed his tone.

Celina looked over at him. “You’re good with them,” she said warmly.

“I try,” Miles replied with a soft laugh. “They make it easy.”

The path ahead was calm — but behind their steps, the shadows of secrets, enemies, and the life Miles kept hidden lingered quietly, just out of sight.

They reached home.

“Mama!” Asher shouted the moment the gate creaked open, his small feet tapping quickly across the porch. “We are home!”

Inside the cozy living room, Elena sat cross-legged on the rug, surrounded by neatly stacked receipts and her laptop open in front of her. She was managing household finances with the precision only a mother of three could master.

She looked up, smiling. “Welcome home, my children—”

She paused mid-sentence as her eyes moved toward the entrance.

“…Four children?” Asher added with a grin, pointing at the figure behind Miles.

Elena’s brows lifted, her gaze shifting to the graceful young woman standing beside Miles. For a moment, silence hung in the air.

“Oh my…” Elena softly murmured as she stood up, her smile growing. “So, Miles brought a friend already?”

Her eyes settled on Celina.

Celina stood composed yet warm, dressed modestly in her soft beige blouse and pleated navy skirt. Her long dark hair was loosely tied back, her face calm yet radiating poise and elegance. There was a noble grace in the way she held herself, but nothing arrogant—just quiet confidence.

To Elena, she looked strangely familiar.

“You, dear, what’s your name?” Elena asked, tilting her head slightly.

Celina gave a small respectful bow. “Hello, aunty. I’m Celina Wraithbourne.”

Elena blinked, recognition flashing in her eyes.

“Oh… Wraithbourne?” she repeated gently.

Then, a nostalgic smile spread across her face.

“You know… you look just like your mother. As pretty as sister Veronica,” she said, her tone soft, touched with memory.

Miles looked up, surprised. “You knew her, Aunty?”

Elena nodded fondly, lowering herself back to the couch. “Yes. Veronica was my senior in high school. Your father, brother Victor, and I—we were all in the school. Edward, Victor, and I used to hang out all the time. We were the loudest trio in the cafeteria.”

Celina’s eyes widened. “Really? I never heard about her school friends…”

“She always was a little reserved,” Elena chuckled. “But I saw you when you were so little—still in a stroller, in fact. It’s strange to see you now, grown and graceful.”

Miles watched quietly, a small smile playing on his lips.

So many threads were connecting, almost naturally—as if fate itself was stitching them all back together.

“Come in, come in, dear—don’t just stand there,” Elena said cheerfully, motioning Celina toward the sofa. “Make yourself at home.”

Celina smiled and nodded politely, taking a seat beside Elena as Miles followed behind.

Elena glanced at her son with that gentle motherly concern. “So, how was your first day in college, son? Did you adjust alright?”

Miles sat across from her, resting his arms loosely on his knees. “It was good, Mom. Not used to classes, but… I adjusted somehow.”

He gave a small shrug, but his voice was honest.

The truth was—Miles had never truly experienced a classroom. Not one he remembered, at least. From the age of six, his world was one of training, strategy, and survival. Sitting in a classroom, taking notes under a professor’s voice, and pretending to be just another student—it was a foreign experience. But not unpleasant.

While Hope and Asher brought out their books for homework, Miles excused himself and joined them at the low study table in the corner.

“Big bro, what’s eight times seven?” Asher asked, scrunching his face.

“Fifty-six,” Miles replied instantly, ruffling his hair.

“You didn’t even look at the page!” Hope pouted. “Cheating!”

“I just have it memorized,” he smirked, then bent forward to help her with her reading comprehension.

Meanwhile, on the couch, time slipped quietly as Elena and Celina began to talk.

“You know, your mother and I used to sit right at the back of the classroom at the end of the lectures,” Elena said with a smile, lost in memory. “She’d tie her hair in a bun during exams. Called it her ’focus mode.’”

Celina’s eyes lit up at the memory she never knew she had. “Really? ”

“She was strong,” Elena said softly, looking at her. “Elegant too. You carry both of those things in you.”

Celina smiled, her eyes a little misty, grateful for the stories her mother never had time—or maybe the heart—to share.

After homework, the twins jumped up excitedly.

“Big bro! Big bro! Let’s play!” Hope chirped, tugging on Miles’s sleeve.

“Celina sister too! Come with us!” Asher added.

And soon, the quiet living room was filled with laughter. Miles played the role of a fearsome monster, crawling across the floor with a growl as the twins ran away screaming joyfully, while Celina joined in—laughing freely, chasing Hope around the sofa as if she too was a child again.

Elena watched from the side, arms folded, heart full.

A son who had returned, a girl she once saw in a stroller now sitting beside her, and children laughing in a house that had seen far too much silence.

For a fleeting moment, it all felt… whole.

It was 4 p.m.

Celina glanced at the clock hanging above the living room entrance. “Oh, it’s already four… I should get going,” she said softly.

“Leaving already?” Miles asked, casually turning his head from where he was helping Hope stack colored blocks.

“Yeah… My dad will get worried. I didn’t tell him I’d be late.”

“Aww… Can’t you stay for dinner?” Hope pouted. “We’ll play another game!”

“Next time, little ones. I promise,” Celina said with a smile, bending down to ruffle their hair. She reached into her bag and pulled out two mini chocolate bars. “For now, take these.”

Both twins lit up.

“Come again, dear,” Elena said from the couch with a gentle nod.

Celina nodded. “Thank you, aunty. I had a lovely time.”

“You’re not leaving alone,” Elena said firmly. “Miles, drop her.”

Celina quickly interjected, “It’s fine, really—”

But Miles was already up, grabbing his keys. “I’ll drop you.”

She smiled, quietly relieved.

Celina followed Miles through the gate and toward the garage. The steel door rolled up with a low hum—and her eyes widened a little.

A sleek, matte black SUV gleamed under the garage light. Smooth edges, chrome-black rims, tinted windows—and a minimalist design that screamed luxury without shouting it.

“…This is yours?” she asked, blinking.

Miles simply nodded and pressed the unlock key.

The doors clicked open.

The cabin was a cocoon of quiet sophistication. Jet-black leather seats with red stitching, a subtle scent of cedar, a digital dashboard softly glowing blue. The sound system was near silent until the engine purred awake like a cat stretching.

Celina settled into the passenger seat, running her fingers over the armrest. “This feels like a private jet…”

Miles adjusted the rear-view mirror. “Comfortable?”

Celina nodded. Then leaned back, arms folded. “…Hmmm.”

“What?” Miles glanced over.

“So what’s the story, huh?” she asked, eyes narrowed in mock suspicion. “You said earlier you weren’t used to classes… like you’ve never been to any?”

Miles kept his eyes on the road. “…Oh, nothing like that. I was just homeschooled.”

“Really?” she raised an eyebrow. “Homeschooled in what, exactly?”

He shrugged. “Martial arts. Boxing. Wrestling. Yoga. A bunch of languages.”

Celina laughed out loud. “Okay, that’s not homeschooling—that’s training for the apocalypse.”

Miles chuckled. “Maybe.”

“You’re weird. But sweet too,” she said suddenly. “The way you talk to your mom… it’s really respectful. Makes me want to behave better at home.”

Miles glanced at her. “Your dad scolds you a lot?”

“He lectures,” Celina rolled her eyes. “Says I’m stubborn, sharp-tongued, a ’handful.’ Which… is kinda true,” she grinned.

Miles smiled but stayed quiet.

Celina rested her cheek against the window for a moment. Then:

“You know,” she continued casually, “you act like a secret person. That car? It’s not cheap. And that license plate… 7777?”

“Oh that…” Miles muttered. “Number 7. Looks like the scythe of a grim reaper.”

“…Of course it does.” She burst out laughing. “You’re so serious sometimes and then suddenly you say something like that. You’re like… a walking contradiction.”

He shrugged, faintly embarrassed.

“And don’t think I forgot,” she added, giving him a sly look. “Last week, on the phone—you called yourself Ghost.”

Miles went quiet, just a hint of a smile cracking through his calm.

“…So? How much did you spend on this ride, Mr. Cartoon-Lover-Ghost?”

“I don’t know,” Miles replied honestly. “Someone else bought it for me.”

Celina blinked. “…You’re kidding?”

“Nope.”

She leaned back, whistled low. “Must be nice. My dad won’t even let me look at his sports car.”

Miles smirked. “Tell him you’re friends with a ghost.”

Celina laughed again.

And just like that, the air between them softened—no longer the cool aloofness of two strangers hiding their roles, but something more comfortable, something warm.

They reached her house.

The iron gates of the Wraithbourne estate parted slowly, revealing an expansive, manicured front yard with hedges trimmed to perfection. A white marble driveway curved like a ribbon toward the main residence—an opulent, European-style mansion with tall arched windows, stone columns, and a grand double-door entrance carved with floral gold inlay. Garden lamps flickered on as the evening set in, casting a golden hue across the pristine lawn and rows of imported flowers.

Even from inside the car, Miles could feel the air change. There was a pressure here—a legacy of power, wealth, and scrutiny.

Celina shifted nervously. “Okay, let’s not get caught by Dad.”

Miles gave her a sidelong look, amused. “What, no private security check this time?”

She grinned. “They’ll report. Trust me.”

She opened the door and stepped out. Her smile softened. “See you tomorrow, Miles.”

He gave a nod, quiet. “Yeah. Tomorrow.”

Celina shut the door behind her, walking swiftly past the fountain-lined path toward the entrance, her hair catching the golden light as she disappeared behind the tall doors.

Miles turned the car around.

Back on the road

The hum of the engine filled the silence. Streetlights flickered past as the sky faded into a deeper blue, the first stars beginning to blink through the dusk.

Miles’s phone buzzed.

Dr. Reyes

He tapped his steering wheel controls. “Yes, Doctor?”

Dr. Reyes’s voice came through, calm and reassuring.”Good evening, Miles. I just wanted to inform you—the discharge paperwork is completed. Daniel is ready to go home.”

Miles’s grip on the steering wheel relaxed just a little. “That fast?”

“We ran final tests this morning. Everything’s stable. Medications have been prescribed, and I’ve briefed him on the recovery routine. He’s good to go.”

There was a pause. Miles’s voice softened.”Thank you, Doctor. I’ll be there shortly.”

“As you wish,” Dr. Reyes replied warmly. “Take your time. He’s waiting in his room.”

The call ended.

Miles exhaled quietly. The tension in his shoulders eased as the road opened ahead.He pressed a little more on the accelerator.

[a/n: sorry for the short Chapters.. I am publishing 2 Chapters per day from today.

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