The Night the Storm Took Control
That night, the storm finally broke.
Rain hammered against the windows. Thunder rattled the walls.
Then—
Darkness.
The power went out.
And soon after—
The crying returned.
Adrian rushed to the nursery. Maya was already there, the room lit only by candlelight.
“They’re burning up,” she said, fear in her voice.
He touched one of the boys’ foreheads.
Heat.
Too much.
“Call the doctor,” he said immediately.
“No signal. Roads are blocked.”
For the first time in years—
Adrian didn’t know what to do.
Maya stepped closer, gripping his shoulders.
“I need you to be their father right now,” she said firmly. “Not the man who controls everything.”
He listened.
They worked side by side in the dim light.
Cool water. Towels. Steady hands.
Adrian sat in the bath, holding both boys close while Maya carefully cooled their skin and sang a lullaby—
One Elena used to hum.
Hours passed.
At dawn, the fever finally broke.
The boys fell asleep.
Maya sank onto the floor, exhausted.
“We got them through it,” she whispered.
Adrian looked at her differently now.
“You didn’t just help them,” he said quietly. “You helped me remember how to be here.”
