A Family by Choice
In the weeks that followed, the house filled with laughter again.
Rodrigo sang to the baby, Luciana cooked simple meals, and the three of them built routines that felt natural—inevitable.
“Why are you doing this?” she asked him one night.
He met her gaze with quiet honesty. “Because someone once gave Marina a chance when she had nothing. She believed life is a circle. The help you give always comes back.”
Luciana felt her throat tighten. “And what if this circle… becomes a family?”
Rodrigo’s answer was simple, steady. “Then it’s the family I’ve been waiting for.”
