Braelyn’s POV

I was completely exhausted, every part of me aching and heavy, barely able to move a muscle. But the moment I looked up and saw Lucien’s teary face filled with so much affection, a wave of pride washed over me. I had finally done it.

The doctors took care of the rest with calm efficiency while Lucien stayed right by my side the entire time, never letting go of my hand. Shortly after, two nurses came in smiling, each carrying one of the crying bundles.

"They are both healthy boys," one of them said, gently placing the smaller baby into my arms. "This one weighs 3.03 kilograms." The baby felt so light against me. The other nurse added, "The bigger one is a good size at 4 kilograms, which is quite something for a twin." She carefully laid the second baby on my chest beside his brother.

The moment my eyes landed on the smaller one, even with his wrinkled little face, something strange stirred inside me that I couldn’t quite explain. Then Charlotte’s words came back to me clearly. One of my babies was special.

Before I could even process it, a name rose up in my mind on its own. At the same time, Lucien reached out and gently poked the cheek of the smaller baby, who was cooing softly while the bigger one cried louder.

"Raphael and Rhys," he said, his voice thick with emotion.

I glanced up and met his gaze. My heart squeezed because the same name had appeared in my thoughts too. "Can we name the smaller one Raphael?" he asked.

I nodded right away. "Raphael is a good name," I whispered, surprised that we both thought of Raphael.

I looked over at the older nurse who was still standing nearby. "Who is older?" I asked.

She smiled warmly and said, "The smaller one is actually ten minutes older. It’s crazy how the smaller twin is always the elder one."

I smiled back, feeling a fresh rush of tenderness. "So the elder is Raphael," I whispered. I stared down at the babies with a love I had never felt before and placed soft kisses on both their foreheads. I was going to love them with everything I had in me.

******

A few hours later, morning light filled the private room they had moved me to. I lay back against the pillows, my body felt heavy with exhaustion but my heart strangely light as I watched Lucien move around the room.

He had one of the twins cradled carefully in his arms, rocking him with a gentleness that made something warm bloom inside my chest. I could barely keep my eyes open, yet I couldn’t stop staring at him. He already looked like a father, that protective aura surrounded him.

After a while he placed the baby down in the crib beside my bed, making sure both boys were settled. They slept peacefully now, their tiny chests rising and falling in sync. Lucien stood there for a moment, just looking at them, before he turned to me.

"Aren’t you curious why I named the smaller one Raphael?" he asked, his voice low so he wouldn’t wake them. I was curious why he named our eldest son Raphael.

I shifted a little on the bed, trying to sit up straighter even though every muscle protested. "Why?" I asked.

He sighed and walked over to the small table near the window, picking up an apple and starting to peel it for me. His eyes stayed on the fruit as he worked the knife carefully. "I had a dream," he began.

I leaned forward a bit, curiosity cutting through my tiredness. He continued without looking at me at first. "In the dream, a boy came to me. He had blonde hair and blue eyes, just like my mother and Yelena, but his face looked exactly like mine when I was a child to be more direct a copy of Raphael’s face. It was like seeing Raphael as a little boy again. My heart clenched when I saw him."

He paused, slicing another strip of peel away. "He was crying, so I asked him why. He said it was because he was scared we wouldn’t love him. I didn’t understand at first, until he told me he was Raphael, our son."

Lucien finally glanced up at me then, his expression open and a little vulnerable. "I didn’t know what to make of the dream right away. But the moment I saw the smaller baby in the delivery room, the name Raphael came to my mind before I could even think about it. Strangely enough, I wasn’t scared. I felt happy instead."

I reached out and took his hand, squeezing it gently. The apple sat forgotten on the table now. "You think our son is a reincarnation of your brother?" I asked softly.

He let out another sigh and sat on the edge of the bed, still holding my hand. "It doesn’t matter, Lynn. They are both our children, and I will love them with everything I have. If Raphael was given a second chance to live through us, then maybe it really is fate."

His words settled over me, bringing a quiet kind of peace. I looked toward the crib where our boys slept..I remembered Charlotte’s words again, about one of them being special, and felt that same strange pull in my chest when I thought of Raphael.

"We’ll figure it out together," I whispered, my thumb brushing over his knuckles. "Both of them are ours, and that’s what matters most right now."

*********

5 years later

Five years had passed in what felt like the blink of an eye, and today our backyard had been transformed into a beautiful celebration for our little angel’s first birthday.

I stood there elegantly dressed in a soft cream gown, giving last-minute instructions to the staff while trying not to let my nerves show. Flowers, balloons, and several decorated tables filled the space, with a small stage set up at one end. Banners fluttered gently in the summer breeze, and I kept glancing around, hoping everything would turn out perfect.

Suddenly I heard a high-pitched scream. "Mummy, save me!"

Confused, I turned just in time to see a little blonde boy with bright blue eyes running straight toward me. Before I could react, Raphael darted behind me and clutched my leg, trying to hide. I sighed and reached down to pat his head. He was turning five in a few months, yet he was as clingy as ever. Not that I was complaining.

"Raphael, Mummy is busy right now. What’s the problem?" I asked, trying to keep my voice calm.

Before he could answer, a loud childish voice rang out across the yard. "I’m going to catch you, Raphael!"

I glanced over and saw Rhys marching toward us, holding a bright red toy gun and looking every bit like a little tyrant on a mission.

The boys were the same height and size now, which still surprised me since Rhys had been the much bigger baby. If you didn’t look closely, they could almost pass for identical, but on closer inspection, anyone who had known Lucien and Raphael growing up would see miniature versions of them.

Raphael had blonde hair and blue eyes, while Rhys had warm brown hair and striking green eyes. Their personalities, however, could not have been more different. While Raphael was calm and hardly got angry, Rhys was pure chaos. He was the younger twin but the more dominant one. His favourite hobby is causing chaos in his quiet brother’s life.

I hooked my hand on my waist and gave Rhys the look that usually stopped him in his tracks. "Mr Volkov Rhys, what the hell do you think you are doing?" I snapped.

Rhys bowed his head pitifully, the toy gun dropping slightly in his hand. "I was just playing police versus thief with big brother," he said, sounding like the sweetest angel. My heart almost softened, but I held firm.

"Don’t play rough. Do you want to ruin your sister’s birthday?" I reprimanded him.

"But..." His lips parted, then he closed his mouth again when he saw my expression.

Raphael poked his head out from behind my legs and stuck his tongue out at his brother. Rhys responded with an evil little smile that told me this was far from over. I was still trying to figure out how to handle these two troublemakers when one of the maids came running toward me, slightly out of breath.

"Madam, the young miss is awake and she is crying," she said quickly.

My heart squeezed at once. My little angel was up. I turned back to the boys and pointed a finger at both of them. "You two behave yourselves. No more chasing, no more toy guns, and no more fighting until after the party. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, Mummy," they both mumbled, though Rhys still had that mischievous glint in his green eyes. I stared at them a moment longer, I didn’t trust them one bit.

"If I hear anything bad, no bedtime story for you." I left and the final threat and their faces both fell.