After embracing them, he guided them gently to sit, his voice dropping to something soft and deliberate. "Kids… from now on, don't call Giada 'Aunt' anymore."
He paused just long enough to make the moment land.
"Call her 'Mom.'"
The twins' eyes lit up instantly, like they had just been given the best news in the world. They turned to Giada, their faces glowing with excitement, and shouted in perfect unison:
"Mom!"
"Mom!"
My heart dropped.
"Mom…" I repeated under my breath, the word barely leaving my lips.
Hearing the children I had raised, the children I had loved, protected, devoted my entire life to, call another woman "Mom"…
It felt like being crushed. Completely.
I was the one who packed their lunches every morning. I was the one who stayed up through endless nights when they were sick. I was the one who held their hands through heartbreak, who sat through every school event, who kissed every scraped knee and soothed every tear.
And now.
Giada smiled radiantly, reaching out to smooth their hair, cupping their cheeks with a tenderness that felt like theft. "My kids," she said sweetly. "Now I don't have to sneak around like some criminal just to see you anymore."