Page 204 of Fated: The Life She Chose

I return to the operating table. Cecilia can’t move much—strapped down, numb from the chest down—so I carefully lower him onto her upper chest, close to her face.

She exhales shakily and frees one hand, her fingers trembling as they trace his cheek, his jaw, his tiny nose. She checks himwith that instinctive maternal love. Fresh tears fall down her face.

“Welcome to the world... Matteo Alexander.”

She says the second name while lifting her eyes to mine.

My heart stops. For a moment, even the constant beeping of the monitors fades away.

“Matteo Alexander,” I mouth without a sound.

“You’re going to be a good boy,” she says, her voice finding strength as she holds my gaze. “And one day, a great man. Like your grandfather. Like your father. I bless you with their name.”

Then she looks back down at him, her expression melting into the purest form of love. “You’ll be loved, protected, and cherished by so many good people.”

Overcome, I lean down and wrap my arm around both of them as best I can, resting my forehead touching hers.

“Grazie,”I whisper, my voice breaking.

And in that single word, I pour everything I am... gratitude for her strength, her love, and for the extraordinary family she has given me.

Two soft knocks sound at the door. I tell them to come in.

Stella and Alessio burst into the room at a run. I intercept them just in time, catching them before they can launch themselves onto the bed, and guide them carefully to Cecilia’s side.

“Hey—piano, piano,”[LXXXIX]I whisper, kissing the tops of their heads. “Gentle with Mommy and the baby.”

They start talking over each other, animated, chattering in a language entirely their own—one where less than half the words are intelligible to the rest of the world. Cecilia laughs, answering each tangled sentence as if she understands every single one.

Then I see Nonna enter, leaning on Ethan’s arm, with Alicia steadying her on the other side. There isn’t a single time I see them like this—my oldest children caring for her with such tenderness—that my heart doesn’t skip a beat.

“I’ve come to meet my newest great-grandson,” Nonna says in her lilting voice, her eyes already shining with anticipation.

She approaches the bed, and with careful movements, Cecilia transfers Matteo into her arms. Ethan helps Nonna sit in the armchair beside the bed. She adjusts the bundle close to her chest, then lets out a delighted laugh.

“Ma va!”she says. “You are the carbon copy of your father when he was born.” She looks down at him fondly. “What is your name,mio piccolo[XC]?”

My throat tightens.

“Matteo Alexander,” I answer, my voice hoarse.

Nonna smiles, her eyes misting as she keeps her gaze on my son. “Your Nonno was a wonderful man,” she whispers. “And your father is a great one. You will be even better, just like your two other brothers.”

She looks up at Ethan, smiling with pride, and passes the baby to him, since he’s closest. Alicia leans over Ethan’s shoulder, her eyes wide, utterly captivated.

“He’s so beautiful...” Alicia whispers.

I move to the bed and sit on the edge, wrapping an arm around Cecilia. Alessio takes that as an invitation and climbs straight into my lap, while Stella curls up on her mother’s other side.

My gaze drifts to Ethan. He hasn’t stopped staring at his little brother in his arms, a goofy smile fixed on his face. When he finally looks up at me, it’s with amused resignation. “He couldn’t wait two more days and be born on my birthday, could he?”

Cecilia and I exchange a look. Her smile is exhausted, but full of meaning.

“He chose the day his parents met to be born,” she says.

I smile, run my hand through Cecilia’s hair, and adjust Alessio in my lap, taking in the sight of Ethan holding his brother with so much love, Alicia by his side, her eyes brimming with emotion. I look at all of them—Nonna, our children, and the life we built... shaped by choices, mistakes, and an immeasurable love.

I kiss Cecilia’s temple and close my eyes, feeling this moment deep in my soul.

“It’s a full circle,” I murmur, my voice breaking. “It started with the two of us that day... and now look at us. We are an entire universe.”

“Ti amo,”Cecilia whispers.

I rest my forehead on hers, breathing her in.

“Ti amerò per tutta la mia vita, tesoro.”[XCI]

THE END