Submitting to my Ex Uncle-Chapter 257

Two Days Later:

...

Celeste sat up slowly on the edge of the hospital bed, still weak but glowing in that quiet, exhausted way only new mothers do.

Her hair was loosely tied, with a few soft strands falling around her face. The faintest smile curved her lips as she looked down at the twins, both swaddled in matching cream blankets, sleeping soundly in their bassinets.

She touched the edge of one blanket, tracing the little embroidered initials. Her heart swelled. Two days, and she still couldn’t believe they were real.

"Look at them," she whispered. "They’re perfect."

Amara leaned against the window frame, arms folded, smiling. "They are. And they both look like him."

Celeste laughed softly, shaking her head. "That’s unfair. Last time, you said they looked like me."

Amara grinned, pushing off from the wall. "Unfairly beautiful, you mean." She came closer, her voice lowering to something gentler. "You ready to go home?"

Celeste exhaled, almost dreamlike. "Home," she repeated. "This place feels like home already because we’re together."

A soft knock came at the door. A nurse stepped in. "Mrs. Cross," she said warmly, "your husband’s already downstairs preparing a few things. He said to take your time with anything he hasn’t arranged."

Celeste smiled faintly. "Of course he did."

The nurse walked in fully, checking the twins one last time before turning back to Celeste. "You’ve been quite the inspiration these past few days," she said, her voice full of affection. "It’s not every day we see a mother like you."

Celeste blinked. "Me?"

The nurse only smiled mysteriously. "You’ll see."

Celeste frowned, but before she could ask, another nurse wheeled in the chair with fresh linen folded neatly across the seat. "Ready when you are, Mrs. Cross."

Amara helped gather the baby bags, the flowers, and the small cards people had dropped off since the delivery. Celeste laughed quietly at the sight of the cards. "I didn’t even talk to half of these people."

"They all saw the way he looked at you," Amara murmured, smiling to herself. "That was enough."

Celeste didn’t catch it. She was too busy adjusting the blanket around the baby she was holding. "Careful, love," she whispered to her daughter. "We’re going home."

The nurse held the wheelchair steady as Celeste lowered herself carefully into it. The other twin, swaddled and fast asleep, was gently placed in her arms. The blanket brushed against her skin, warm and new.

Amara followed close behind with the other baby.

Celeste smiled down at them as the nurse began wheeling her toward the door. "Ready?" the nurse asked.

Celeste nodded. "Ready."

The hallway was alive in a way hospitals rarely were when they wheeled out. The nurses and doctors were now standing all along the corridor.

Each one of them held a single flower.

Red roses, blue roses, and tulips.

For a second, Celeste didn’t understand. The chair slowed down, and her breath caught in her throat.

"What... what’s happening?" she whispered.

The nurse who wheeled her only smiled and said softly, "He asked us to do this."

Celeste blinked, her lips parting in shock. "Dominic?"

As if on cue, a nurse stepped forward and handed her the first rose. "Congratulations, Mrs. Cross," she said warmly.

Celeste stared at the rose, it was deep red, and its scent was so sweet it almost hurt. "Oh my God," she whispered.

Then came another nurse, this time an elderly man with kind eyes. He offered her a blue rose. "He said blue was for how rare you are." he said quietly. "That you bring him peace."

Celeste’s hand trembled as she took it. The tears came instantly, uninvited. "

The man nodded once at her reaction, smiling softly. "He said you were the first calm he’d ever known."

Amara’s lips parted in disbelief. She turned slowly, scanning the hallway. There was an endless stretch of people, each one with a flower in hand. Even patients leaned from their doors, weak but smiling, and some clapping softly.

Celeste’s chest tightened as the applause began to ripple. It was soft at first, then building into a gentle wave that filled the corridor.

She shook her head, laughing through tears. "What is he doing?"

One nurse leaned close, whispering. "He came early this morning," she said. "Went room by room, floor by floor. Handed every single person a flower and said. ’Please, just one minute of your heart when she leaves.’"

Celeste’s hand went to her mouth. "He didn’t." She knew he could, but he keeps on surprising her from every angle.

Amara, standing behind her, whispered, "He really did." 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

The chair moved forward again. Every few feet, another person would step out and hand Celeste a flower, until her lap and hands was filled with them. The scent surrounded her, floral and fresh, dizzying and divine.

When they reached the main corridor, a patient on crutches lifted his rose high and called out, "He really loves you. I can’t even imagine how he thought of this."

Everyone laughed. Celeste covered her mouth, sobbing now, and shaking her head in disbelief.

Amara wiped her own tears silently, whispering, "He’s impossible."

By the time they reached the elevator, Celeste was cradling nearly twenty flowers in her arms. Red and blue and soft pink, tangled and perfect. The nurses held the door open and applauded as she was wheeled in.

Her heart stuttered.

When the elevator doors opened to the hospital lobby, she could already hear it. There was a calm sound of quiet music playing from somewhere beyond the glass doors. A single violin, faint, like a heartbeat under sunlight.

The nurse wheeled her forward slowly. The twins slept, oblivious to the wonder unfolding around them.

Then she saw him.

Dominic stood just outside the glass doors. His suit was dark, crisp, but his tie hung loose. His hair fell across his forehead in the familiar, careless way. In his hands, he held a final bouquet, wrapped in soft white paper.

He turned at the sound of the door opening. When he saw her with her hair undone, her eyes shining, and their daughter in her arms, his expression softened completely.

He smiled.

Celeste’s lips trembled. "You did all this?" she whispered as the nurse wheeled her closer.

Dominic crouched slightly in front of her, his eyes glistening. "I didn’t do enough," he said softly. "But it’s a start."

Her throat worked as she tried to speak, but words wouldn’t come. Tears slipped down her cheeks, one after another, as she looked around.

Dominic reached for her hand. His thumb brushed over her fingers, careful not to wake the baby she held. "You scared me," he whispered, his voice cracking. "And then you gave me life twice over."

She smiled through tears. "I love you."

He grinned faintly. "I love you beyond measure."

Then, Dominic leaned forward and pressed a long, lingering kiss to her forehead. His lips trembled against her skin, his breath warm and uneven. When he pulled back, there were tears in his eyes.

"Let’s go home, Celeste," he whispered.

She let out a shaky laugh.