Bertrand got convicted two weeks later for the first-degree murder of Colette, second-degree involuntary manslaughter of a classmate and parents, child-on-child sexual abuse, kidnapping, and the list went on. All this ended with a life sentence required by the prosecutor.

Jonas assisted in the sentencing hearing. He wanted to witness the verdict. As expected, Bertrand didn't show any remorse, nor did he listen, as he decided to sleep during most of the hearing, indicating he didn't care less about the judge's assessment.

The judges, too, showed no mercy when they set the appel at twenty-five years.

Ms. Gauthier didn't assist her hearing. The trial seemed too much for the woman who managed to have herself hospitalized for her heart condition. Her husband stood alone when their verdict fell. They didn't kill anyone, but they got sentenced for corruption, bribery, privacy invasion, and non-assistance to a person in danger. The prosecutor required fifteen years, but they got ten years with an appeal possible at the halfway mark.

They saw the judgment revised to the initial fifteen when revelations concerning their donations to political parties during elections and other money laundering activities. Mr. Gauthier didn't walk out silently, "I know all your faces. Who do you think you are? Do you think you can do this to me? You'll pay for this," the man yelled at Dijon's judges of La Cour d'Assises [court competent for crime affairs].

All of Gauthiers had their accounts frozen and possessions seized. Wherever they headed, they didn't have the financial means to corrupt anyone.

Sierra finally saw the end of the tunnel. She no longer heard this voice telling her to look behind her. Now she faced another trial that she hoped would be pleasant.

Her friends all hung on her words at Blend Burgers in Bastille.

"Sierra, spit it out," Jade said.

"Listen, it's visible. We all saw it when you arrived."

"May," Jade exclaimed.

"What? She's pregㅡ."

Jade widened her eyes like saucers and lowered her voice to the most profound note of a tuba, "please shut up, May, let her say it."

Sierra smiled, "I'm pregnant."

"Awwwwwww," Jade squealed and hugged her.

"I thought no one noticed."

Jade snapped her fingers all around herself, "excuse me, gurl, you're stomach is poking out like look-at-me-now."

It was true, unlike Sierra's first pregnancy, her body knew the process and immediately outlined its frame. Staying put at home didn't help her either. Sierra put on weight fast, and now she had entered the second semester, her bump blew up.

"How many are in there? I mean, you're barely halfway."

Sierra laughed and caressed her stomach, "one, I hope." She frowned, "are you saying I'm fat?"

"No, it's just your stomach is like boom."

Sierra looked around the table. Her friends learned the story in the press. None ever imagined or suspected what she lived. They met a girl in college, became friends, and accepted her as she was. Sierra didn't seek or portray anything that could show her traumas.

She was that kid, the one supposed to have the brooding dark stare and hell running loose behind it. Yet, all everyone saw was smoke. Her smile hid so much. In books, people like Sierra hated all of humanity while waiting for some knight in shining armor. Her knight slipped his ID under her door and gave her the courage to face adversity. In the end, it was her testimony that weighed.

Her friends didn't ask any questions, estimating she would speak and tell them how she felt in her own time. In the meantime, they caught up and taunted one another with inoffensive banters.

"I don't know why I'm this big, but I don't mind as long as my baby is safe," Sierra's eyes roamed away and settled on the plate next to her.

"Why are you looking at my chocolate waffles that way?" May asked.

"Give it to her, May. Learn to be nice; you spend your time complaining about people maintaining stereotypes about Asians and Tsunderes only to cultivate them."

"I don't."

"You do, May," Sierra added as she took her friend's plate, hoping May would get held in the confusion of the conversation instead of her action.

May blinked, "eh,ㅡ."

Sierra never chose sides, and she definitely didn't take people's desserts without permission.

"What?" Sierra asked while holding a fork of waffles to her lips.

"I don't cultivate that."

Sierra shook her head in disapproval. "May, you really don't see yourself. It's not because I don't say anything that I don't think it. Why do people believe silence means without an opinion? My mind's mechanics are always at work like yours."

Jade burst into laughter, "I never thought I'd see the day," she nudged May, who released a smile despite herself.

It was nice to see Sierra. They had not met her since her wedding. They imagined she was in newlywed heaven and having too much fun to think of them. Sierra's reality was something else, but she seemed to have made it to the sunny side. May had to admit she preferred the new, more vocal Sierra.

The woman spoke without her usual shyness. She talked about her life in Sweden, Rakesh, Erik, Bintu, and the other people she met. She made them laugh when she told them about her first winter and the second quilt episode, amongst other anecdotes.

"Jonas was so red; I mean, the man was boiling under the double stack of quilts. And I was like can't we put the heater up? And he yelled no, we're already the Bermuda triangle, Sierra, we're good."

Jade chuckled, "when ice met fire."

Sierra shook her head, "I'm not fire. I'm just a woman who needs a minimal twenty degrees for my blood to circulate."

"You seem to like living there, though."

Sierra paused a second and let all the images flood into her mind. Suddenly she realized she missed it, "Sweden is cool. I guess I needed time to adjust. I'm lucky Jonas's family accepted me right away. I can't speak for everyone, but my experience is good if you take away the incidents created by the others."

Sierra no longer said their name. The Gauthiers were her live version of Lord Voldermort, and she just wished to erase them. As usual, their table was the loudest; they laughed their heart away.

The women were all smiles when Jonas arrived to get Sierra. The man blushed instantly as he thought of what secret his wife had unleashed.

"Hey Jonas," May got up to give him the mandatory four kisses on the cheek. Jade followed, mimicking the same gesture.

"How are you, Jonas? Marriage suits you well," Jade said while May tried to get over the shock. The man was even more handsome than when he was single.

Jonas blushed, "it's Sierra who suits me well."

His wife's cheeks rose; it was her turn to play bashful.

May wished her current relationship would result in such complicity.

"Ready, Sierra?"

The woman nodded; she had already explained to her friends that they were taking a night flight back to Sweden the same day. Her friends watched as Jonas helped her put on her coat.

Jade hugged Sierra, "I guess the next time we see each other, it will be at the baby shower."

Sierra shook her head," I don't need that."

"But we do. Let us party," May said and approached to hug her.

Jade's jaw dropped, May never showed signs of affection, and there only Sierra felt the warmth of the hug's sincerity, "take good care of your family and yourself, Sierra. I'm here if you want to burn someone's house down. I know the right people."

"Take care of yourselves too. Bring Peter with you next time. I'd love to meet him," Sierra replied.

"Don't forget the baby shower made in France will debark in Stockholm soon," Jade added.

Sierra smiled, and the couple left.

Jade sighed, "do you think she'll be okay?"

"Yes, she's stronger than she looks."

"So, how did it go?" Jonas asked once he started the engine of the car he rented for their stay.

"It was great to see them."

"How are they?"

"Good, May is dating an Irish architect called Peter."

Jonas cocked a brow and smiled, "Is that so?"

"Oh, is that regret or jealousy I hear?"

"Neither; I'm happy for her," her husband replied.

"What did you do?"

"I went to visit a property."

Sierra frowned, "here, in France?"

"Yeah, where else and," Jonas hesitated before adding, "I bought it."

Sierra turned her head to the side to glare at him, "you did what? Just like that, you bought it. Jonas, no, why?"

"Because I don't want us to spend money on hotels when we're over here. You might want to come and spend weekends and see your brother and friends more often. It's in a nice neighborhood. If you want, we can visit now."

"Now?"

"Yes, now," the man emphasized.

Curiosity got the best of Sierra, who let her husband convince her.

Jonas drove, and the woman's expression became a question mark as he stopped in front of her apartment's building.

"Jonas, what does this mean?"

He opened the door and went to help Sierra, "Okay, let me explain. I bought two out of the four apartments on the top floor."

"Pardon," Sierra exclaimed, "again, I'm going to ask why two?"

They passed the gate, and Jonas opened the door to the building, "I'll have the walls broken so that we can have a huge loft."

"Oh, okay, like Mr. Pottsman buys houses like one does baguettes." Sierra rolled her eyes before saying, "this isn't a Monopoly game, Jonas."

"It's called investing," her husband said, taking her in a side hug.

"You find it amusing because you can buy things on a coup de tête [on the whim]."

"No, let's say it's my first sentimental purchase."

They took the lift.

Once more, a frown dawned on the woman's face, "what do you mean?"

"We met in this building. The neighborhood and the people, ㅡI don't know, this place feels like home. Everyone knows Leone here. I doubt Bertrand would have pulled off what he did in Sweden here."

"For sure, he would have got the beating of his life here."

"You see, there's something about Saint-Denis one has to love," Jonas said.

Sierra shook her head, "wow, you must be one of the rare people to think that."

They arrived on the fourth floor, and Jonas opened the door of the unrented apartment. He proceeded to do the tour with Sierra and explained his vision.

"Imagine Leone's room here, his brothers and sister's room there and there."

"Eh, that's a lot of rooms. How many kids do you think we'll have?"

Jonas grasped her by the waist, "eh, do you really want to know?"

Sierra nodded.

"Plenty."

"What does plenty mean?" Sierra asked.

Jonas laughed. It had been a long time since Sierra answered his questions with a question. He deposited a kiss on her lips, "don't worry about that now. Let's focus on the little one you're already carrying and Leone.

Jonas looked at the space between them. Indeed, Sierra had a proper bump.

They stopped at Sierra's floor to see Amira, who gave them her homemade M'hanncha or snake cake, a traditional Moroccan dessert in which warqa pastry filled with a delicious almond paste and Ghoriba cookies. Ms. Alaoui invited them to eat couscous. The couple didn't have the heart to say no. Ms. Alaoui received them as though they were family.

Her welcome reinforced Jonas's feelings concerning his purchase.

They then hurried to meet Jacob, who accompanied them to the airport. The couple spent almost a month in France but only had one day to see everyone as the Gauthiers trial took up all of the time. Now all they wanted was to rush home to see Leone, who counted the days since their departure at his grandparent's house. Leaving him was difficult, but they could not accept having him live the media exposure.

"Well, Sierra, are you going to verbalize it, or do I have to guess and go ahead with my congratulations."

With all the events, the woman almost forgot, "oh, I'm so sorry, Jacob," Sierra placed both hands on her lips, "oh, my gosh, I'm really elsewhere. How could I forget? I'm pregnant and delighted to be."

"If you weren't pregnant, my knuckles would be on you're forehead right now, but I'm glad to hear and see how happy you are," Jacob said.

Not many acknowledged it, but some studies associated the visibility of a baby bump with the degree of the future mom's happiness. Yes, food and other factors counted, but there was a visible difference between women who lived their pregnancy with a form of denial and those who thrived on every instant.

Jonas, like Jacob, saw the neat transition between the first and the second round. Her husband already imagined his sibling's faces as they would be the last to know.

The speakers announced their flight, and they got ready for the farewells.

"Congratulations, Jonas, take care of one another."

"We will," they said in unison.

Jacob laughed, "I can't believe you're doing the siamese twin stuff already."

Sierra titled her head to the side and said, "what do you mean?"

"He means we're already like my parents."

"We're not like that, Jacob."

Her brother nodded, "oh, yes, you are?"

"No."

"Sierra, we'll miss our flight."

"Go, Sierra," Jacob grinned. A feeling of joy filled his heart; seeing the happiness on his sister's face restored the man. Sierra waded in the water, but now she was free to live her life with Jonas&kids to the fullest.