We've finally made it to the end.

tbh I was hesitant in posting this because it is dramatic and kind of sad but it gets better.

Ten years later

"Go help your daddy with your sister, twins." I said solemnly, pumping breast milk.

Aris and Annaiis both nodded, walking out of the nursery.

Three years ago I gave birth to my daughter, Zariah Mahlon Ali. Immediately after she was born she was found with an infection and I couldn't see her because I was left sick as well.

The forty-eight hours after she was born she went into cardiac arrest and after that it's been hospital after hospital, specialist after specialist.

Since Zariah was so sick because of my mother's curse, I decided that Zane should get the vasectomy and the day of the procedure I found out I was pregnant with a fourth child, a boy, Zayan Ezra Ali, which I gave birth to a month ago.

You get it? Two As two Zs...ok.

Zariah, right now, is suffering from rotavirus, which means severe watery diarrhea, vomiting, fever, and abdominal pain. We have a doctor that's able to come to our house so she's home, linked to an IV that hydrates her since she's too weak to drink water herself.

I still haven't told Zane because my fear of him leaving me grows everyday and now there are three other kids involved. What if he decides to take the twins and Zayan and leave me with Zariah because she's sick and supernatural?

Stop thinking like this.

It's everyday with that thought in my head.

I put Zayan in his crib and turned on a lullaby, hoping he'd fall asleep.

"A'raya!" Zane suddenly yelled.

"Shit," I groaned when Zayan moved a bit. I quickly but quietly left the room to see why Zane was calling me so urgently.

"Mommy!" Aris ran toward me. "It's Zariah! Her eyes were glowing!"

Shit.

"Damn it, go to your room and take Annaiis with you."

Aris frowned but nodded as I met Zane in the kitchen. He looked pissed.

"Zane?"

He glared. "You wanna start telling me what's going on?"

"About what?" I asked, feigned cluelessness.

"I was changing the IV for Zariah when her eyes started glowing...almost like she was a witch. Tell me what the fuck is going on?"

I shook my head. "Vanessa, my mother, cursed Zariah, forcing her to become a witch and suffer as an infant." I blurted out.

Zane scoffed, rubbing his face. "So you knew from the beginning that Zariah was going to be cursed and you didn't tell me!" He yelled.

I frowned. "I–I'm sorry. I didn't want to tell you because I knew you'd get mad. I know you don't want any part in this supernatural thing and so do I–"

"You damn right, I don't, A'raya. I don't want any of this near me and you brought it to our daughter."

I scoffed. "I didn't do this! My mom did and this is why I didn't tell you. I was scared you'd be mad at me and you'd leave me."

Zane shook his head. "Lying to me, doubting me, add more to the list A'raya. You think I'm cheating too? Or maybe I'm gay now."

"I didn't mean it like that Zane–"

"Our daughter is sick and you knew this was going to happen and you didn't tell me because to you, you thought I'd just leave you and her and take the twins and Zayan, is that what this is about A'raya?"

Spot on.

I wiped my tears and shook my head shamefully. "I'm sorry." I tried to touch him but he pulled away.

"Do you understand why I'm fucking pissed A'raya?"

I nodded slowly.

"If I really fucking cared, I would've left you already...it's the fact that you have to go to these lengths to lie to me because you think I'm a terrible human–"

I shook my head. "No, I don't–"

"Then why do you think I would leave you? Why would I take away the kids that you gave birth to over such a dumb reason? What person other than a fucking terrible person would do that?" So much hurt lingered in his voice, his eyes. "And you thought that was me."

I was about to reply but my eyes followed Zane's gaze to the twins. I quickly wiped my tears and gave them a fake smile. "Come on, y'all it's ten, y'all have school tomorrow." I quickly ushered them down the hallway.

"Are you guys going to leave each other?" Aris asked as Annaiis watched me, both with teary eyes.

I shook my head. "Of course not babies. Your dad and I love each other." I said, fighting my tears back as I tucked them both into their separate beds.

"Then why didn't you believe in him?"

They heard the whole thing.

I sighed. "This is a grown-up conversation, Anna, please go to sleep." I kissed her cheek and then Aris's.

"Don't cry mommy, because then we know something bad's going to happen." Aris cried.

He'd always been so sensitive.

I hugged him and reached out for Annaiis too. She ran towards me and hugged me. "I'm so sorry you guys had to see that, but I promise, loves, nothing bad is going to happen. Ok?"

I looked at both of them...precious babies. Aris had the most innocent sage eyes and Annaiis's eyes were a light brown, tinted with the faintest green in the sunlight. I wiped their tears away, chuckling when they mimicked my action.

"Ok," they both said.

I tucked them in again and wished them a goodnight. I quietly walked to Zariah's room and sat by her bed. She looked at me and smiled weakly.

Sometimes, I wish I had an abortion just to save her all this suffering...I think I was a terrible person all along.

"I'm sorry," I sobbed. "I'm so sorry, Zariah, you don't deserve this."

She stopped smiling, she was concerned...for me. While she's sick. I found that quite ironic.

"I love you so much. I shouldn't have had you, I should have saved you from all of this when I found out, I should have told your father." I wept, softly hugging the frail three-year old. "One day, you're going to have to know about who you are so you don't become the woman who cursed you," I whispered. "You'll realize that I had known seven years before you were even a thing that you'd be cursed and you'll hate me for it."

But, I'll always love you. Always.

I sat there and cried for a while before gathering myself up, kissing her, changing her IV, and leaving her room quietly when she fell asleep. I went to my room, Zane wasn't there.

I was sad and relieved at the same time.

I took a shower, did my night routine and came back into the room. He still wasn't there. So I just sat there, I thought of calling Nola and Maggie, but they both have families and children of their own to care for. So do my siblings.

Everyone's busy and I'm definitely not calling my therapist after she already told me to stop lying.

I was idly watching tv when Zane finally came back from wherever he went. He walked right past, into the bathroom without so much as speaking to me. I bit my lip in anticipation, wiping the stray tear.

I wanted to apologize and for him to hug me but I knew it wouldn't be that easy.

When he came out, he was fully dressed in pajamas.

"Where'd you go?" I said, finding my voice.

He sat at his desk in the corner of the room. The room was big enough for him to create a mini office space so he could work in his room when he didn't feel like going to the office. "I went out." He said coldly, startling me.

I sighed. "Zane, I'm sorry. Please talk to me."

He didn't answer.

"Zane–"

"A'raya, I am working." He cut me off.

"It's 11pm, what are you doing–"

He turned around with a glare. "Leave me alone,"

I watched in shock and in horror as he turned back around and went back to typing. I silently watched him for five minutes, cursing myself for crying so much. "Zane, I love you."

"Hm? You also love thinking the worst about me, doubting my love for you. As if I've been lying to you for the past, what? Ten years? We have a fucking rose portrait of you that I bought for you on Valentine's day, seven years ago to show you how much I love you and–" he stopped himself. "Just go to sleep, A'raya. I'm not picking this argument back up."

"I'm not trying to argue," I said helplessly. "I'm apologizing so you can forgive me. I know I messed up, ok." I said climbing off the bed. "You don't think I terrorize myself enough? I never once thought of you as someone bad, I was thinking these things because I thought that I was a terrible person you needed to leave me." I sobbed.

Zane sighed. "A'raya–"

"No, Everyday, I look at my suffering daughter and blame myself for not having an abortion to give this child some fucking peace. I knew how selfish and how stupid I was for everything. My guilt was eating me up from the inside and I kept my fake smile plastered on so you wouldn't see how much I ruined everything. I kept the lie because I thought you and the kids would hate me and my life would be ruined–"

"Stop." Zane stood up with furrowed brows, he looked down at me. "Have you been skipping therapy sessions–don't lie to me A'raya, your anxiety is getting worse."

I bit my lip. "No. I've just taken less of my medicine and lied about how I feel. I didn't want her to think she wasn't helping and taking the medicine made me feel like I was crazy." I whispered.

"A'raya, has she made you feel like you were in any trouble? Has anyone made you feel crazy about your anxiety?"

I shook my head. "No." I sniffed, wiping my tears.

Zane frowned with concern. "You're overthinking, you're wound up because you're not treating your anxiety the way you're supposed to."

"I'm sorry." I looked down. "I'm sorry for everything."

"The only thing you should be sorry for is lying to me and doubting my love for you. The rest is your mother's fault. I thought we went over this. You're not blaming yourself for your mother's actions, only your own."

I nodded. "Don't leave me. Please."

Zane glared at me. "I'm not fucking–I'm not going anywhere A'raya. You're not the bad person," he whispered. "And I can't just throw away ten years of growing love because you lied to me."

I wiped my tears. "How can I not feel like a bad person? I should've busted my ass looking for ways–"

"Stop. She won't be an infant forever." He said, caressing my face.

I held his hand. "But she'll be a witch forever. I don't want her to stop suffering and have to learn that she's not even human."

"And we'll be there. We're not going to abandon her and she's not going to blame you, ever. You decided to give her life instead of settling with having her pass onto a different life."

I nodded. "Ok," I whispered. "Hug me please." I asked.

Zane pulled me in with a sigh. "Next time you do this bullshit, I won't be forgiving you this easily or quickly, dumb ass."

I buried my face in his chest like a child and nodded. "Ok."

He kissed the top of my head. "I love you, A'raya. Tell me that you know that."

"I know that you love me and I love you back."

"Promise me you'll never doubt me again or lie to anyone about your wellbeing or something important."

"I promise to never doubt you Zane or lie about anything important." I said word-for-word into his shirt."

"Thank you. Now go to sleep, love. I still actually have work to do."

He pulled away and sat down and I sat right on his lap. "A'raya don't start this clingy shit after we argue, it's weird."

"I don't care. It feels like I haven't touched you in forever whenever we argue. I'll stay quiet, I promise." I straddled him and laid my head on his chest.

"Ok," he complied and I comfortably sat in his lap while he worked.

Whispering how much I love him one last time.

✧❁❁✧✿✿✧❁❁✧

Thirteen years later

"Hey, mom," Aris kissed my cheek. "What's this?"

I smacked his hand away. "It's your sister's sixteenth birthday. I'm baking a cake."

Aris furrowed his brows. "Why not just buy a cake? A better one."

I glared at him. "Anyway, where's Annaiis?"

Aris shrugged. "Went with her husband after class." Annaiis was getting a PHD in psychology.

I rolled my eyes and sighed. "That girl–is she on birth control?"

"Mom!" He whined.

"Or at least condoms,"

He covered his eyes and frowned.

"Baby, she's only twenty-three! I don't want her getting pregnant in school."

Annaiis decided she wanted to marry her boyfriend of two years last year. I didn't oppose it but since she's still in school she rotates from his house to our house. Once she finishes she'll be living with her husband full-time.

Aris shrugged. "I don't care what she does. Plus, she'd be older than you when she has her first child–or I'm sorry, children."

I glared at him again, flicking icing on his shirt. "Listen, you little shit, I'm bout to kick your grown ass out of this house."

"I apologize ma'am."

I took out the third tier of the cake. After I turned thirty-five, I started baking for fun because I was fucking bored, so when I'm not working, fucking Zane, or taking care of four kids, I'm baking.

"Your father took Zariah and Zayan out so call your sister and tell her we need to decorate it."

He frowned. "Nobody's coming?"

"No." I shook my head. "Listen, your sister told me she wanted her sixteenth private, so it's just us."

"That's not like her," Aris said, taking out his phone.

I shrugged. "You wanna ask her yourself."

"No." Aris walked upstairs. "I'm going to go call Anna,"

I sighed. Today, I'm going to tell Zariah about her curse and everything else that she needs to know about herself. Zariah told me that she wanted her sixteenth birthday to be immediate family only.

I mean Zariah has had so many friends, she's traveled a lot, visiting her cousins, going to Italy. Out of all my children, Zariah is the most outgoing, talkative, and popular. So when she said private, I was confused, but grateful. I wanted to be able to tell her.

I even have a two thousand page book that A'roya's children read and practice from. A witch book. Doesn't look too fun, but I guess Zariah will benefit from it.

"Aris called me, what happened?" Annaiis grabbed my cheeks and looked for any supposed injuries.

Both Aris and Annaiis are taller than me. Aris is the same height as his father and Annaiis is six foot two. Zariah is also taller than me, standing at five eleven and Zayan is my height.

We have really tall children.

"Annaiis, baby, you let your brother let you...again?"

Annaiis scoffed in realization. "Bitch ass–Aristotle!"

"Why are you yelling? I'm right here." Aris said, eating an apple and sitting on a barstool.

"Why would you tell me mom fell and broke her back?!"

I laughed. "What?"

Aris shrugged. "To get you out of your husband's house."

"Oh yeah, I meant to speak to you about that," I said, decorating the cake.

"Whatever Aris told you was a lie."

I pursed my lips. "Baby, I know you're not a virgin. The whole house knows. You have no filter on the phone–plus you're married, just leave."

Annaiis' face went pink as Aris agreed. "Sorry, mama and no, I want to finish school first."

I rolled my eyes. "All I ask is for you to have protection until you guys are ready to have children and you're definitely not."

"This is quite embarrassing. Dad knows too?"

"Dad does live in this house," Aris said, pettily.

Annaiis groaned, glaring at her brother, smacking his head.

"Mom!" He looked at me, rubbing his head.

I rolled my eyes at the both of them. "How old are you two?"

Aris sighed. "She–"

"How old are you two?"

"Twenty-three." They both said.

I nodded. "Which means y'all grown. But since y'all live under my roof, you're going to listen to me and decorate. Go!"

✧❁❁✧✿✿✧❁❁✧

"Are you ready yet? Zariah wants to go home and I'm looking really weird trying to keep her out."

I laughed. "Yea, y'all can start coming. I put the twins to work."

Zane chuckled over the phone. "Alright, Zayan wants to talk to you."

"Yes, put my baby on."

"Hi mom!"

"Hi, baby, I missed you!"

Zayan, my thirteen year-old boy, is a mommy's boy. He's my last born so he is a little more spoiled than the rest of my children.

"I missed you too. When can I come home? I'm bored and so is Zariah."

"Your dad is about to bring y'all home. Alright?"

"Ok, mom, dad wants the phone back now."

"ok, baby."

Zane sighed. "We're coming home, love."

I smiled. "Alright, bye, baby. I love you."

"I love you."

I hung up and called both twins to get dressed and turn off the lights. "Hurry up, twins, come on." I said, looking at Zariah's Life 360.

Yes, my kids have Life 360. I need to know where they are whenever they leave the house without telling me. If they wanna have the freedom of going places I need to have Life 360.

I sat in the dining room as the twins actually went out of their way to hide when the door lock started turning.

"Surprise!" We all screamed as they came in.

"Happy sweet sixteenth baby." I laughed as Zariah jumped on top of me and embraced me.

"Oh my god! Thank you!" She hugged all of us about twenty times. "Thank you. I really like this, mummy." She kissed my cheek. "And you too, daddy." She hugged Zane again.

"We did all this fucking decorating, hello?" Annaiis said.

"And I came on the stupid trip to distract you." Zayan crossed his arms.

Zariah giggled, shoving cake in her mouth. "Thank you guys too. I love you. Muah."

Aris shrugged. "That's what she said."

"Meaning your pillow." Zayan said.

We all laughed. Aris hasn't had a girlfriend or boyfriend that I know of ever since his girlfriend, Dalia was murdered three years ago. He's slowly getting back to himself.

"Zariah, can I speak to you?"

"Sure." She said, furrowing her brows as she followed me into her room. I sat on her bed and patted the space next to me, gesturing for her to sit down. "Um, what's that?"

I looked at the big book for witches. "It's for you."

"Big book of spells...for witches–what?" Zariah's voice broke.

"Honey, why are you crying?"

"This is what's wrong with me." She said in realization. "Since I was young, weird things have been happening to me, mom."

I frowned. "Oh, baby," I hugged her tightly. "When did it start?"

"It started when I was ten, I tripped and fell right through the wall, ending up in Aristotle's room. The next week, the bones of my hands came out of my arm and formed into a sword. I lied and said my friend bought it."

I looked at the sword made out of bone in the corner of Zariah's room. I thought it was animal bone but this is...Zariah's. "Is this the reason for a private party?"

Zariah nodded. "I asked for a private birthday because a couple of weeks ago, I slipped in the hallway and I stopped myself, floating mid-air. Thankfully, no one got a video, it was only about four seconds but it was so embarrassing. I'm being called a freak."

I sighed, caressing her hair. "I'm so sorry," I shook my head. "Your grandmother put that curse on you before you were even born. I couldn't stop the curse or hold it back. I'm sorry."

She frowned. "I heard about her. Vanessa Belford, most prolific woman serial killer. Theodore told me she also did witchcraft, I just didn't think she was this close to our family. You never talked about her. I literally found out that was our grandmother after talking to Theodore."

"I know and I'm sorry. I needed to tell you this so you wouldn't turn out like her."

Zariah pulled away from me. "Why would you even–it's because of my predicament isn't it?"

"No!" I stood up. "Never, it's in the curse. If I didn't tell you the curse would make you evil."

Zariah nodded, calming down a bit. "Ok, how do I control it? By reading this?"

I nodded. "You're also going to live with Thedore and train with him and his siblings."

Zariah furrowed her brows. "They're also witches?"

I nodded. "And more, but you'll be spending this summer with them and you're going to learn to hide and control your powers. To use it when you choose to."

Zariah nodded, obviously still unsatisfied so I hugged her. "Your dad knows too and I just want you to know that no matter what you are, we still love you so much."

She hugged me back. "I love you too."

I smiled and pulled away. "Go enjoy your party."

Zariah smiled and nodded. We both walked out, I gave Zane a small nod, letting him know that she knows and I'll tell him everything later.

Zariah embraced Zane lovingly. "I love you, dad."

Zane chuckled. "Um, I love you too,"

She smiled. "Can we go to the London Eye?"

"Sure why not." I smiled.

"Yay!" Annaiis squealed.

"Umm," Zane scoffed. "Your grown asses are paying for yourselves."

Zayan and I laughed as Aris groaned.

"Mommy!" Annaiis walked over to me, hugging me.

I glared at her. "How old are you?"

Annaiis also groaned.

Zayan stuck his tongue out. "Tax-payers." He teased

Zariah laughed. "Imagine."

Aris furrowed his brows. "Two more years and you get the same treatment."

Zane looked at his watch. "Yall wanna go? Or do you wanna sit here and talk about who's paying taxes?"

"We wanna go." They all said in unison as I laughed, putting on my Crocs.

"Let's go."

We've done it.

Thank you guys so much

PS I know this chapter is long and unedited asf. I will fix it, I promise. 😉