Ten Months Later
“Mommy! The babies are crying again!”
Aurora’s voice echoed through the kitchen as she ran in, her hair bouncing wildly, a smear of jam on her cheek.
Elena turned from the stove, a wooden spoon still in her hand, and raised an eyebrow. “Did you wake them, Aurora?”
The little girl gasped dramatically, lifting both hands as if surrendering to the law. “No, I didn’t! I was just looking over them like you asked me to... and then they woke up and started crying all by themselves!”
Lidia chuckled beside her, wiping her hands on her apron. “Go on, attend to the babies, dear. I’ll finish things up here.”
Elena smiled warmly. “Thank you, Lidia.”
She ruffled Aurora’s hair as they exited the kitchen together, her daughter skipping beside her, clearly proud of her self-appointe
