⚠️ Warning - This chapter mentions domestic abuse ⚠️

~ Madison's POV ~

The following day after Santiago got his business with those really nice mafia men sorted, we finally had our first appointment with my doctor.

It had only been a few days since I found out, but I thought it was important to go and find out exactly how far along I was. Especially considering my symptoms were a lot more intense than I ever remembered.

So far I was peeing every chance I got, I was more exhausted than ever before and I had intense headaches.

The nausea and morning sickness hadn't been as bad, only a little here and there which is what confirmed to me that I was pregnant. But, I'm sure it'll hit me at full force soon.

It turns out that Santiago and I once again conceived the first time we tried, this means this little one was conceived the morning after we went to dinner with Arturo and Lucia just about seven weeks ago.

I was just starting my seventh week of pregnancy when we went to see the doctor.

As she so kindly put it, 'only 33 more weeks to go...yay.'

Her 'yay' was very unenthusiastic and after that I told Santiago we were changing doctors. I didn't need a moody doctor being the first thing my baby saw when they came out of the womb.

"So...what shall we do for the next hour?" I glanced over at Santiago who was sitting next to me in the drivers seat when we stopped at a red light.

We still had an hour until we had to pick the twins up from preschool and this time we decided to surprise them by going together. It was rare that they ever got more than one parent coming to pick them up.

"You hungry?" He gave me a small smirk before nodding his head towards the McDonald's across the street from us.

Believe it or not Santiago and I hadn't been to McDonald's together since I was 17 years old. That was also the first and only time I ever got kicked out of McDonald's because I happened to be very, very drunk.

A laugh escaped my lips at the memory and I nodded my head as he began driving towards it.

There was no way I was going to refuse food.

It didn't take us long to park the car and as soon as we walked in the aroma of McDonald's food invaded my senses causing my stomach to rumble. Bedside me, Santi let out a laugh as we stepped up to the back of the huge line.

"I need to pee, I'll be back."

"You just went like ten minutes ago at the clinic."

"So? I'm pregnant." He rolled his eyes at my excuse before nodding his head, taking out his phone. "Don't forget, I want a Big Mac, large fries, some chicken nuggets and a large coke."

He glanced up from his phone to give me an amused smile but just as I turned around, I added one last thing.

"Oh and those mozzeralla dippers that we used to get." With one last smile, I left to go to the bathroom, ignoring the looks I was receiving from the people around us in the line.

Once again, I have to reiterate that I'm pregnant.

Since the sickness hadn't come in properly yet, I was taking this time to eat as much as I could before I was reduced to just plain foods, soups and water again.

By the time I'd come back from completing the worlds longest pee, Santiago had gotten us a booth at the back of the restaurant and was still busy on his phone like he was when I left.

"Who are you busy texting? Your piece on the side?" When he heard my voice, Santiago lifted his head before letting a scoff, tossing his phone down on the table.

"Yep, she's coming over tonight. Fancy a threesome?"

"Very funny." He smirked at my response before he got to opening up all the food we'd ordered. Honestly it either looked like we'd ordered for four people or, like the two of us hadn't eaten in a month.

"There's no way we're going to be able to finish all this."

I nodded my head in agreement as I looked at all the heavenly food on our table.

"We'll get the twins happy meals before we leave and we can just give them any of the food we have left over." I just shrugged my shoulders, thankful that I'd added that extra chicken nuggets in for no reason. They sounded good at the time. "At least it saves me from having to cook."

Santiago let out a small laugh at this while nodding his head before we got to eating. A comfortable silence fell around us as we ate, making small talk here and there.

"I have something I need to tell you."

I rose an eyebrow at him as I took a bite of my burger. He obviously took this as his cue to continue since I obviously couldn't reply with food in my mouth.

Well I could, but my mother told me that wasn't 'lady like'.

The fact things are still classed as 'unladylike' instead of just 'ill mannered' shows were still leaving in the Middle Ages, in my very humble, feminist opinion.

"Arturo and I got a lead on Stevie's whereabouts this morning."

As soon as he mentioned her name, I slowly put my burger down, surprised by his words.

I'd done my best to try not to think about her. She really was my bestfriend throughout college and afterwards, especially during my pregnancy with the twins.

I may have not seen her much since Santiago came back into my life but that didn't matter. I still could never imagine her being the one behind these disgusting threats and attacks on our family, or even just being a participant in it.

"Where is she?"

"We don't know exactly yet. There's a lot of evidence to suggest she's been having a sexual relationship with Asher and we found him. As we speak, Arturo is sending out a team of our best men to catch him."

"Wait, Asher? As in Asher who used to be your friend in highschool until he talked about me to his friends and then tried to add me to his line of prostitutes, that Asher?"

At my response Santi just rolled his eyes, clearly not appreciating my little trip down memory lane.

"We only know one Asher, don't we?"

Someone clearly doesn't like the one Asher that we know.

"Well how would she know him?" This time he just let out a sigh, scrunching up the empty wrapper for his burger.

I knew this topic was one that got under his skin. He hated the fact Stevie could have been involved and he also hated Asher with every fibre of his being, especially after what he did to Sienna.

"That's what I intend to find out. Finish your food, I'll go and get something for the twins." Sensing a sudden shift in his mood, I just nodded my head, looking back down at my unfinished food.

It was silent for a moment while I refused to look at Santiago until he spoke again.

"You want anything else baby?" When I looked up at him, he gave me a soft smile which instantly lightened that tension that suddenly settled around us.

"A McFlurry please." He let out a laugh as he nodded, getting up to go and get the rest of the food.

By the time he was back I'd finished whatever I could manage to eat and we packed the rest up into the bag before heading back to the car.

"You better finish that before we get to the preschool. I'm not going back if they want ice cream too."

I rolled my eyes as I took another bite of the creamy goodness before putting some more on the spoon, holding it out for him to eat.

We continued like that as he drove, me feeding him some ice cream in between my own bites until it was sadly all finished.

"You're rich, right?" He gave me a weird look as we got out the car and he came around to me, throwing his arm around my shoulders as we walked towards the preschool.

"Clearly."

"So, you can buy something really expensive, yes?" As we came to a stop by a trash can, I threw the McFlurry pot away before turning to him.

"That depends if it's worth it. Why, what do you want?"

"Oh Santiago this would be so worth it. All of us would benefit from it and we'd never be sad again. You said you don't like it when I cry, right? Well I would never cry again."

He gave me an amused smile, pulling me in closer to his as we continued the walk to the doors where the twins would come out very soon.

"What is it?"

"Are you ready for this?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"Freaking hell! Yes, just say it already." As soon as Santiago snapped at me, I heard a gasp come from a woman next to us who instantly moved away with a horrified expression on her face.

I mean, Karen, honey, I know we were outside a preschool but that reaction right there was just unnecessary. There was not one child in sight yet and it wasn't even a swear word.

"A McFlurry machine!"

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

"Santi?"

"Hello?"

Letting out a huff I just wrapped my arms around his waist, causing him to look down at me, now wrapping both of his arms around my shoulders in a hug.

"You'll come around to the idea."

He let out a laugh before kissing the top of my head, just as the doors opened and the children started coming out one by one. Letting go of Santiago, I turned around when I heard Cameron call out to me, but the second I saw Mackenzie holding onto his hand, my heart felt like it stopped in my chest.

I didn't waste any time in running over to her, dropping down to her level.

"Baby, why are you crying?" I pulled her into my arms and when she didn't answer, I lifted her in my arms as I stood up while Santiago picked Cameron up.

"Mackenzie baby, talk to me." Instead of replying, she just continued to sob while Cameron reached out from Santiago's arms to occasionally wipe away her tears.

"Mi princesita, ¿qué te pasa? ¿Por qué estás llorando?" (My little princess, what's the matter? Why are you crying?)

When she heard Santiago's soft voice she turned her attention to him, letting out a sniffle and a hiccup through her tears.

"Milo McCarthy kept pulling my braids." As she said this she lifted up one of her braids that I'd done for her this morning to show Santiago.

As soon as she said this, images of the five year old boy tugging on my braids 21 years ago came back to me and it seemed Santiago was thinking the exact same thing when I caught him looking over at me.

Breaking eye contact with me, he took a step closer to me, shifting Cameron in his arms so that he could lean down and place a kiss on Kenzie's cheek.

"Shall I tell you a secret Kenzie?" When he said this, she looked at him curiously, her tears slowing down for the moment as she waited for him to speak.

"When I was five, I did the exact same thing to a girl at school. I tugged on her braids until she got upset with me too."

"But thats mean Daddy." He nodded her head in agreement with her words, before using his thumb in his free hand to wipe away the tears on her little chubby cheeks.

"I know, it's very mean, so I said sorry to her."

"Really?" Santiago nodded his head as he stroked her cheek gently.

"I did it because I wanted her attention. I wanted her to be my friend and I didn't know any other way."

"And she did be your friend?" Santiago nodded his head, a smile forming on his lips as he did.

"She did. Apart from you and Cameron, she's the person I love the most in this word, with all my heart."

"What about mama?" When Cameron spoke up, giving Santiago his best glare, I wanted so bad to laugh although I couldn't bring a sound to leave my lips.

"That little girl was mama. She's been my bestfriend ever since that day, and she will be, for the rest of my life."

Finally, he shifted his eyes away from our daughter and over to me while I just stood there with tears in my eyes. Too stunned to even say a word, I just held Kenzie in my arms, thankful that she spoke so that I didn't have to.

"It was? Mama that was you?" I nodded my head, using my hand to wipe away my tears that fell from my eyes. While the twins just seemed extremely confused when I started crying.

"Don't cry mama." As soon as she saw my tears, Kenzie's lip began to wobble causing me to force a smile onto my lips almost instantly.

"I'm not, don't worry baby. Come on, we got you happy meals as a treat. Maybe it will cheer you up?"

As soon as we mentioned their food, the twins forgot all about the previous conversation for a moment and we both put them down, allowing them to walk just ahead of us towards the car.

Santiago and I didn't say a word to each other as we walked to the car and he took Kenzie, buckling her into her car seat while I put Cameron in his.

"Daddy does this mean I'm going to marry Milo McCarthy?"

"No."
"No."

I couldn't help but smile when both Santiago and Cameron spoke in unison causing Kenzie to pout.

"I don't want you going anywhere near that boy ever again, do you understand me Kenzie?"

Oh the hypocrisy.

"But you married mama!" As soon as she said this I just glanced over at Santiago who was already looking at me.

"We're not married Mackenzie."

"You're not?" This time it was Cameron who looked at the two of us with wide eyes. "That is why daddy called you Miss Spark!"

"Clarke baby, it's Clarke." I let out a small laugh as I stroked his hair before closing the door. Santiago and I ended up meeting behind the car when he went to walk around to the drivers seat and I went to the passenger seat.

"Maddie-"

Before he could say anything, I stood up on my tippy toes, pressing my lips to his in a kiss.

His hands instantly went to my waist as I kissed him, trying to pour as much love into the kiss as I could.

No amount of kisses or I love you's could ever tell this man just how much I loved him.

But I guess I could try.

"I love you Santiago. More than you'll ever know."

He gave me a smile of his own before pecking my lips one more time. "I love you too baby."

Once we got back in the car, the twins were busy having their own conversation about something as we drove back home.

Thankfully there were no more tears for the rest of the afternoon.

Since I was feeling extremely tired, Santiago kindly allowed me to go and take a nap while he looked after the twins for me.

The twins ate their dinner while Santiago sat with them to watch them and then he decided to watch a movie with them.

"Babe?"

I lifted my head from the pillow when Santiago opened the door to our room, causing a stream of light to enter into the dark room.

"Yeah?"

"I'm going to take the twins for a walk with Pancake. We'll be back in half an hour or something."

As I nodded my head I sat up a little and checked the time on my phone to see it was a little past 7pm.

"You should probably get up now Maddie, you won't be able to sleep later otherwise."

"Yeah, I'm gonna take a shower while you're gone." He nodded his head, coming over to the bed to press a kiss to my cheek.

"I'll see you soon baby." I gave him a tired smile watching as he left the room before I got up and headed into the bathroom. For the first time in a while I managed to take an uninterrupted evening shower.

Usually I would have to take all my showers while the twins were at preschool or busy with Santiago. It's harder than it sounds to have an evening to yourself when you're a mother of two.

Once I'd managed to force myself out of the steamy confines of the shower, I dried off and changed into my pyjama shorts and a T-shirt, ready for bed soon.

Of course, I decided to go braless, because everyone knows you don't wear bras in the evening.

Ever.

By the time the half an hour was up, I knew they would be coming home any minute so I went downstairs, as expected finding the living room covered in toys.

Just as I started picking them up, the front door bell rang causing me to groan. Dropping the toys again, I went to open the door.

Maybe I expected Santiago and the twins, or even Arturo and Lucia, but who I saw definitely caught me by surprise.

Actually that was an understatement.

"Madison?"

"Uh...Mr and Mrs Hernández...what are you doing here?"

I took in Santiago's parents and his sister standing behind them, trying to think as clearly as I could in my state of shock.

They didn't even know that Santiago had children, never mind where he lived.

"Can we come in please?"

Although I was extremely tempted to say no and to ask them to leave, the look Santiago's father gave me instantly rid me of that temptation.

I let out a breath as I stepped aside, hoping that I could some how get rid of them before Santiago came back with the twins.

When they turned to look at me, I gestured for them to go into the formal sitting room instead of the living room, hoping that I could hide the fact that there were any children living in the house as best as I could.

We saved this room for important guests but I guess Santiago's uninvited family would have to do.

"Where is Santiago?" Santiago's father, Gonzalo, gave me a cold glare, refusing to sit down next to Santiago's sister Isabel and his mother Nora.

The longer I stared at his father, reminders of the story Santiago told me of how his father forced him to do all those horrible things came to my mind.

He wanted Santiago to rape me.

He really was a screwed up man.

Then I turned my attention to his sister who I knew was a drug addict who refused Santiago's help and then kept asking for his money.

In her defence she did look a lot better than the last time I saw her. If Santiago hadn't told me her past, I would never be able to tell just by looking at her.

"He's out."

"Out?"

When I nodded my head, Gonzalo shook his head before taking something out of his inside jacket pocket. First he pulled out a piece of paper and then a red ball, with the number six on.

Oh dear Lord.

"This was delivered to me today."

He handed me the note and the ball which I took with shaky hands.

''#6 - Dear Mr Hernández, I send you my deepest sympathies for the unfortunate event that took place 27 years ago when your son was born. Fortunately for you, very soon I intend to rectify the mistake you made when not using protection.

If you would like to see your son one last time you and find out what he's been up to, please head to the following address in LA this evening.'

At the end of the note our address was written.

It was so clear to me this was all just to reveal to Santiago's parents and his sister that we'd had two children almost four and a half years ago.

"Would you like to explain what this is? I'm sure my son was foolish enough to tell you about his business."

I had to resist the urge to scoff and to tell him that it's okay for a man to tell his girlfriend things to do with his business and his life.

Instead, I put the note and the ball down on a coffee table near me before glaring at Gonzalo.

"I think you should leave."

"I'm not going anywhere until I see my son or until I get some answers. This is a threat to his life Madison, I'm sure you're clever enough to know that."

"I do know what it is, but if Santi hasn't told you then I don't-"

"His name is Santiago." When she spoke, I shifted my attention away from Gonzalo and towards Santiago's mother Nora. "And his business with the cartel has nothing to do with you."

"And it's has nothing to do with you either. Santiago built this cartel on his own, it belongs to him and him only, he doesn't answer to you. I think it's best that you just leave now."

Taking a step back, I gestured towards the door which was still open from when they came in, but all of them just stayed put.

"My, my Madison, you've really grown into yourself, haven't you? You used to be a shy little thing."

I didn't say a word to him, instead just standing there uncomfortably as his eyes raked over my body, pausing on my chest for a little longer.

I was suddenly regretting my relaxed choice of clothing and my shorts when his eyes lingered on my exposed legs too and a sick smirk tugged at his lips.

"I really think you should go." My words came out a little quieter now as I edged away from him and towards the door.

"I'm not going anywhere Madison."

The fact he only spoke for himself and not for his wife and daughter just caused a chill to run down my spine, especially after the way he was just staring at me like I was a piece of meat.

Before I could say anything else the sound of the front door opening caught our attention.

Although I was so glad Santiago was back now and I felt much safer, he also brought our children with him which just threw a new kind of panic into my already crazy pot of emotions.

The door slammed shut and there was lots of shuffling by the front door before Santiago spoke, breaking the silence in the entire house.

"Mackenzie let me help you."

"I can do it!"

"You've never been able to do it, let me just pull it off for you."

The room was completely silent as we listened to Kenzie argue with Santiago, probably because of her rain boots that she could never take off.

"No daddy." I let out a nervous breath when I heard a small gasp come from Isabel on the couch while Mackenzie just let out a defeated sigh in the hallway when Santiago probably took her boots off for her.

"Go and wash your hands please, both of you."

"Daddy can you come play with us now?" This time Cameron spoke while Santiago let out a frustrated sigh.

"I will, I just need to dry Pancake before your mama shouts again. Why didn't they invent rain boots for dogs too?"

If this was any other day I would have smiled at the sound of him trying to dry Pancake after their walk. But instead I just opened the door of the sitting room wider stepping out into the hallway.

"Santi..."

When he heard my voice, Santi looked over at me, flashing me a cute smile.

"See, you were wrong, I'm not useless. I did it this time." He gestured down at Pancake who was now dry and walking away, following the twins to the kitchen.

When I didn't smile, as he dropped the soggy towel on the floor and took off his coat, his own smile faltered and he stepped towards me.

"Baby what's wro-"

"Santiago." When a deep voice spoke behind me, Santiago's eyes snapped to his father who came out of the sitting room while I stepped closer to my boyfriend who looked shocked to the say the least.

It took a few moments but once the shock wore off, he came over to me, pulling me away from his father. It was only then that he noticed my outfit and any other day he wouldn't mind it, but this time his eyes just darkened with anger.

As he clenched his jaw, he unzipped the hoodie he had been wearing under his coat since it was so cold outside, handing it to me.

"Put this on." I took his hoodie without hesitation, thankful that I could cover up in front of his perverted father.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Santiago glared at his father who still seemed to be in shock when he heard the twins giggling about something in the kitchen.

Both Santiago and I looked in the direction of the kitchen before Santiago stepped closer to his father. I don't know how, but his anger seemed to have increased in those few seconds as he glared at the man infront of him.

"If you're not going to answer me or leave my house then get back in that damn room. Right now."

The way he spoke was so deadly that anyone would be terrified of him in that moment. Sometimes it's so easy to forget who he is when I mostly see his kind side or his more vulnerable side. I had to remind myself that he also had this deadly side to him which he reserved for certain people.

Thankfully Gonzalo went back into the sitting room with Santiago and I following behind him. Santiago closed the door a little, but not so much that we couldn't hear the twins.

"Answer my freaking question, what are you doing here? How did you find my address?"

When no one answered him, I gently took his hand to catch his attention before I handed him the ball and the note that I'd put down on the table earlier.

It took him a moment to read the note before he crumpled it up in his hand, throwing it to the side in anger.

Whoever was behind these notes was really trying to tear our lives apart piece by piece.

"You have children?" When Isabel spoke for the first time, Santiago looked over at his sister and the surprised expression on his face showed he hadn't even seen her sitting there.

"Why didn't you tell us Santiago?"

As soon as she asked that question, Santiago let out a scoff, shaking his head.

"Are you being serious? Why the hell would I tell these two pathetic excuses for human beings or my drug addict sister about my children?"

She visibly flinched at the venom in his voice, stammering for a moment until she could bring herself to speak again.

"I'm clean now Santiago."

"Clean? No way. I tried to get you clean for years and you couldn't do it. There's no way in five months you could have done this." Santiago shook his head, referring back to that day when she came to his house and flipped the coffee table when she didn't get any money from him.

"I am, dad helped me. He put me in rehab, I only just got out a few weeks ago. I'm clean now, I promise." She gave him a small smile, trying to show him that it really was his little sister talking and not the drugs but Santiago didn't return her smile.

It seemed like he wanted to, I knew he longed to have her back in his life. He had no real blood family left apart from the twins. Arturo and I weren't his blood although it didn't matter really.

"Dad helped you? You mean this son of a bitch?" Santiago pointed towards their father who was now glaring at Santi.

Maybe his language was a little uncalled for but I didn't care one bit, Gonzalo deserved it.

"Don't you dare speak to me-"

"Oh just save it. You're not my father and she's not my mother. Why did you help Isabel? Huh?"

"She's my daughter." Once again Santiago scoffed in disbelief.

"Finally you've realised? You were so caught up in your 'retirement parties' and your alcohol when you forced me to take over your gang that you sent her away! She was 12!"

Santiago's words reminded me of the time he told me about how he couldn't look after Isabel when he turned 18 and took over the gang so Isabel was sent to live with a family friend. That's where she ended up going off the rails and getting into drugs.

"I'm making it up to her-"

"Making it up? You ruined her life. My baby sister almost overdosed and died because you couldn't look after her." Although the volume of his voice had dropped and he was no longer shouting, the anger and venom in his tone hadn't decreased.

In fact it only increased.

I glanced over at Isabel who was watching this unfold with wide eyes. I can't blame her. Being in the same room with all your family for the first time since you were 12 must be daunting but having them argue like this must be just awful.

"Just get the hell out. Isabel you can stay but you two, just go."

"Santiago please, your father wants to make amends with you. Just let him." This time it was his mother who spoke up for the first time since Santi came home.

One thing I've noticed about her from that day they turned up at the hospital in Mexico City and today, was that she let Gonzalo do all the talking and just sat there without a word.

"Just like you let him beat me up every damn day?"

"Santiago I-"

"Don't you dare speak to your mother like that. You deserved it, you needed it." As he spoke, he glanced over at me before shaking his head. "It could have made you strong if you didn't let this bitch become your weakness. She must be a good lay though."

The fact Nora wasn't even bothered her husband said something like that about me was shocking.

As soon as Gonzalo gave me a sick smirk, Santiago took a few steps towards him clenching his fists. Before he could try to punch him though, I rushed forward and grabbed his hand to stop him.

"Don't baby, it's okay. It's not worth it."

At the sound of my voice, Santiago looked away from his father and towards me, his glare softening a little when he looked at me.

"You really did that? I remember you being angry but I don't...you hurt him?" We all turned to look at Isabel who was staring at her father with disgust and sadness in her eyes.

But when he didn't reply to her, Santiago spoke.

"Now that I'm a father, the thought of ever laying a hand on any of my children makes me sick. I'd never be able to forgive myself if I hurt them. But you...you did it everyday. You enjoyed it."

"Like I said Santiago, you needed it. I did it for you. She made you weak, your best friend was a girl Santiago. It was pathetic."

The longer I stood there listening to him talk about me like that, the more I was struggling to control the anger rising in me.

Blame the hormones.

"Well she's still my bestfriend now and I don't seem so pathetic now, do I?" He gestured to the luxurious room we were standing in, all thanks to his hard work to grow the gang into a successful, powerful cartel.

"You're only where you are because of me." In response to this, Santiago let out a genuine laugh, clearly finding that funny.

"No, I'm not. I'm here because of Arturo who saved my life multiple times and carried me through the toughest times of my life and I'm here because of Maddie. You made me leave her, so I did everything I could to make it worth it. I worked as hard as I could to make that pain worth it."

As he spoke, I took his hand again, squeezing it gently. Santiago looked at me, before he turned back to look at his father and then his mother.

"They're my family, I'm here because of them. Not you or her."

The room fell silent when Santiago said those words, but before Gonzalo or Nora could try to defend themselves, the door to the room opened.

Cameron stuck his head into the room before turning back to the hallway.

"I found them!"

Before either Santiago or I could stop him, he ran into the room with Mackenzie coming in a few moments later and of course Pancake too.

The three of them came over to Santiago and I completely ignoring the people across from us.

"Mama I missed you." I let out a sigh as I took Kenzie's hand in mine, bending down to her level.

"I really need you both to go upstair-"

"Who are they?" Before I could finish my sentence, Cameron cut me off while pointing at his grandparents and his aunt with wide eyes.

I bit my lip, glancing up at Santiago for help but he was busy glaring at his parents with so much hate in his eyes.

It wasn't hard to understand why he didn't want them anywhere near the twins. Gonzalo spent five years beating him up and getting him ready for life as a gang leader and Nora let him do it.

As a mother I could never let anyone lay a hand on my children, I would die before I let them get hurt.

If it wasn't because he wanted to protect the twins, it was because he was so hurt by their actions to put it simply.

"Daddy?"

Finally Santiago looked down at Cameron before letting out a sigh, lifting him up into his arms.

"They're no one baby."

After he said that, he came and picked Mackenzie up too before putting them down on the couch behind us.

"Stay there, don't move."

Once he was sure the twins were sitting quietly behind us, he turned back to face his family who were still staring at the twins in shock.

"Get out."

When Santiago spoke, Nora stood to her feet, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Santiago, just listen to us. We care about you and want to be in their lives, they're our-"

"No you don't and they're nothing to you. You will never be in their lives. I never want to see either of you again, just get out of my house."

When Santiago left no room for argument, Nora just let out a sigh, coming over to where we were standing in front of the twins almost protectively.

"Can I at least know their names?"

"No."

Why was that so funny?

Once Santi shut her down, without another word, Nora left the room leaving Gonzalo alone.

"You're going to regret this Santiago. You're going to need me one day-"

"As you can see, I'm perfectly fine on my own, thank you. Get the hell out of my house."

That was the last thing Santiago said to his father before Gonzalo finally left the room. Of course, Santi followed them out, making sure that they'd left the house before he came back in.

"Daddy who were those people? Are they bad?"

Santi let out a sigh before glancing over at me when Kenzie questioned him again. I'm guessing he was wondering why I wasn't doing anything to stop them from questioning him but honestly I was still just as shocked. I had no clue what to tell them.

"Santiago?"

At the sound of his sister's voice we all turned around to see Isabel watching us with wide eyes.

"You let me stay...why?" When Santiago didn't reply, I gestured for the twins to get up before they came over to me.

"I'll just give you two some space." Santiago didn't reply to me straight away, but when I made a move to walk past him with the twins, his arm shot out to stop me.

"Stay." I gave him an unsure look but when he nodded, I told the twins go upstairs and play, closing the door a little again once they'd gone.

"If you really are clean, then I want to make sure you stay that way. You're my sister Isabel."

The two of them stared at one another for a while before she let out a deep breath.

"Santiago I can't remember much of what happened while I was...while I was using. If I did anything to hurt you or to upset you I really am sorry. I understand why you didn't let me near your family, or you for that matter."

She really did seem genuine in her apology and as much as I wanted to smile, I had to keep it together for those few moments while Santiago remained silent.

"You shouldn't have to apologise to me Bel. You're my baby sister, I should have done more for you, I shouldn't have-" His words cut off when he looked away from her before eventually clearing his throat. "I'm sorry for not doing enough for you."

I watched as she got up from her seat making her way over to Santiago, wrapping her arms around him in a hug. It took him a second before he eventually hugged her back, burying his face into her hair.

"I love you Santiago, it wasn't your fault. I need you Santiago, I don't have anyone else anymore. Please can we be okay now?"

"I love you too Bel, of course we can. I'll always be here for you." Santiago pressed a kiss to her forehead before hugging her tightly again, while I just stood there crying like a hormonal mess.

Nothing could describe just how happy I was for him to finally have some kind of family back in his life.

Even when we were younger I knew just how much he loved his sister, he was the best big brother to her. I guess their parents really did mess them up.

But it didn't matter, they were together now and I knew he would do anything he could to protect her and look after her. She was 21 years old now, but if she spent all that time on drugs, it was very unlikely that she got any qualifications she needed to get a job and start her own life.

But Santi would help her with that.

Finally they pulled away from each other and Isabel wiped her tears away as she turned to look at me.

"Why are you crying Maddie?" When Santiago heard this, he turned to look at me before rolling his eyes, coming over to me, knowing it was my hormones that made me cry, again.

"Can I tell her?" He mumbled the words to me as he pulled me into a hug while I just nodded. "You can."

He turned slightly to face his sister while still holding me in his arms.

"Maddie's pregnant."

Although my face was hidden in his chest, I didn't miss the joy and pride in his tone as he spoke causing me to smile.

"Really? Oh my God congratulations! Can I meet your children? Are they twins? They're so cute." I let out a laugh, stepping out of Santi's arms as she began to talk excitedly.

"Come on then." She gave me an excited grin as I gestured for her to follow me while I wiped my cheeks.

For the first time, more good came out of that stupid red ball being sent to us instead of bad.

To whoever is responsible for those stupid threats...

Ha.

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