LAST CHAPTER

After 6 years

We are outside of the room. It's Rozzean's birthday today, and I baked a cake for him. I looked at my triplets. Their pointer fingers were on their mouths. I told them not to make noise.

My pets, dogs, and cats followed us. I'm thankful that none of my children are allergic to animals, and they even share my fondness for them. Thalia always plays with Rose, while Rozwell and Rockwell prefer the dogs.

When Lily barked, Rockwell sniffed at her, and our dog immediately stopped.

"Mommy, do you think Daddy will like our surprise?" whispered Taki.

"I think so," I replied to Taki and lit the candles on the cake.

As I opened the door to our room with Rozzean, we entered slowly. My children covered their mouths to avoid making noise. My husband is still sleeping, lying face down on the bed, and his bare back is visible.

"Shhh, Rockwell!" scolded Rozwell to his brother.

My triplets are not identical, but Rozwell and Rockwell do have a striking resemblance.

"You two, stop," Thalia told her brothers.

I grinned. It really seems like my daughter is the eldest among the three.

I went to Rozzean. My children lined up beside me, and I looked at them.

"3...2...1!"

"Happy birthday, Daddy! Happy birthday, Daddy!"

Their cute tiny voices echoed inside our room. I saw Rozzean move. A smile appeared on his lips, and he slowly got up. He reached for the white t-shirt on the side and put it on. When my children saw that their Daddy was awake, they jumped on the bed and hugged their father.

I looked at Taki beside me.

"And you? Go to your Daddy."

He pouted, "Mom, I'm already a man not a baby anymore."

I gently pinched his cheek, "But you are still our first baby! No growing up too fast. Now, go to your Dad and give him a kiss."

Rozzean extended his hand and also hugged Taki. When my husband looked at me, he pouted. I walked near him and bent down for a kiss.

"Thank you, baby... this is unexpected. Also a great way to celebrate my birthday. But the one in the early morning was even more joyful," he said, winking at me.

I rolled my eyes. Relentless! We really spent several hours!

"Daddy, we have a surprise at the--hmmm!" I looked at Rockwell and Rozwell. My eldest covered the mouth of my second son.

"You are so talkative. It's a secret," Thalia, my youngest, said.

I sighed. They don't often argue, but when it happens, Thalia becomes the referee for the two boys. She's also the peacemaker, even though she's only six years old, she already knows a lot.

"Let's go out and have breakfast? Since Rockwell accidentally spilled the surprise, let's go downstairs to check it out."

Rozzean nodded, and we all went down together. Rockwell was behind him, holding Rozwell's hand. I had Thalia on one side and Taki on the other.

We are so happy. This is the life we wished for.

"Ta-da! It's for you, Daddy! We baked cookies, and we cooked Mommy's favorite hotdogs!" Rockwell exclaimed when we reached the dining area.

I looked at Manang. She was walking towards us, holding the juice.

"Oh, Grandma is here too!"

My children calls Manang grandma and M when Manang first heard that she was so emotional.

"Go ahead!"

"Grandma, let's eat! Grandma, we baked cookies too, and I made one for you! Look, this is for you, the one with a big heart!" Rockwell said.

I shook my head and smiled hearing what my second child said. This kid is more talkative than Thalia. It's like they swapped personalities! Thalia is very quiet and serious, while Rockwell is so chatty, you'd think he's the girl.

"Thank you, Rockwell! You're so sweet!" Manang replied.

She's often with our children. Rozzean has also started working at the company. It began two years after the triplets were born. Rozzean didn't want to at first, but I assured him that I could take care of the kids since Manang is also here.

"Can we sing again? I wanted to sing 'Happy Birthday' again for Daddy," Rozwell said.

We were sitting at the dining table, and my kids were next to each other, facing us with Rozzean.

"3...2...1, sing!"

"Happy birthday Daddy! Happy birthday Daddy! Happy birthday, happy birthday! Happy birthday, Daddy!" they all sang together. When I heard Rozzean sniff, I looked at him. He happened to bow down and rested his face on my shoulder.

I ended up patting his head.

"Daddy, crybaby."

I widened my eyes at what Thalia said. I heard Rozzean laugh, and he straightened up.

"Thank you, kids. Daddy loves you so much..."

Our kids clapped, and when Rockwell stood up, Thalia slapped his arm. I shook my head. Sometimes, I wonder if it's right that my youngest is only six years old compared to the triplets. She's so advanced. She understands a lot.

My children with Rozzean are also studying at a private school in Tagaytay. And the frequent issue between us as a couple is often our daughter Thalia.

"Your daughter slapped my son, Mrs. Valleje! Why didn't you reprimand her? Scold her!"

I've been called three times, and the last two times it wasn't my daughter who started it. She just did the right thing—defending herself.

"That kid likes to hurt people!" the woman added.

My eyebrows raised when the mother of the boy slapped by Thalia shouted at me again. I looked at my silent daughter, and after that, I returned my gaze to the furious woman. Her son was still crying beside her.

"We are still waiting for the CCTV, Mrs. Mendoza. Once I see on the CCTV that my daughter really slapped and instigated it, that's when I'll speak."

"Why do you still need to see it? Isn't the red mark on my son's cheek enough for you to reprimand your child?"

I didn't respond. I glanced at my wristwatch. Rozzean would be here any moment.

"Mrs. Valleje, this is the 3rd time that Thalia hurt her classmates," the principal said.

"Oh, it's already the third time!" the woman commented.

I sighed. I didn't like what I heard from the principal.

"With all due respect, Madam Principal, I trusted this school because I know that you'll take care of my children. The two times my daughter got hurt were not her fault. She just defended herself against the bullies, and I have proof. You can talk to the parents of those bullies."

I noticed the principal gulp at my words.

"Do you tolerate bullies in this school? Tell me, did I make a mistake trusting this school for my kids?"

When a man entered carrying a laptop, I immediately realized that he had the CCTV footage we were waiting for.

"Let's watch this, and I will apologize if my daughter really hurt your son without reason."

I know my kids. I won't get angry without knowing the whole story.

"Okay, let's watch what happened!" the woman shouted.

I focused on the laptop screen. I saw the kids coming out because it was already dismissal time. My child and this woman's son were left in front of me. Her child approached Thalia, and I was surprised when he took my daughter's book and threw it right at Thalia.

I clenched my hands. I controlled myself. I took a deep breath. What happened next was unexpected. The kid pushed my daughter. Thalia's back hit the table, and she fell to the floor. After that, my daughter got up and slapped the boy. That was the end of it because the boy ran out crying.

"Thalia."

I called my daughter gently. I stood up and approached my baby girl, who had just stood up as well. She wasn't looking at me. I smiled at her and caressed her face, letting her feel that I wasn't angry and she did nothing wrong.

"Mommy..."

I lifted her uniform, and when I saw the bruise on her back, I angrily looked at the mother and son beside me. I carefully turned my daughter around so they could see the bruise.

"You saw that your son threw books at my daughter. And this? What will you do about this, huh?" I ranted in anger.

"I never hurt my kids. I take care of them so much, and here in the school that I trusted, they get hurt like this? And then my daughter will be labeled as the bad one in the end?" I said, looking at the principal.

"M-Mrs. Valleje, I-I am sorry... I--"

The door opened, and when I looked, I saw Rozzean. Thalia ran to him and hugged her father. My daughter started to cry. When I saw Rozzean's serious face, I approached him.

"What happened?" Rozzean lifted Thalia, and our daughter nestled on his shoulder. Taki, Rockwell, and Rozwell also entered. My kids looked upset.

"Thalia was hurt. That woman's son threw books and pushed our daughter, and the principal mentioned that this is the 3rd time that Thalia hurt a kid in this school when, in fact, our daughter just defended herself because of the bullies! I cannot believe this!"

Another person entered the room, and I recognized Rozzean's secretary, Ms. Salas.

"Ms. Salas, organize the papers of my kids, and I'll transfer them to another school today."

"Yes, sir," his assistant replied.

"M-Mr. Valleje! Let's discuss this first--"

"And Ms. Salas, set an appointment with the president of this school. I want to talk to him about what happened to my daughter. I think the principal is tolerating this act and blaming the real victim. I don't want this to happen to other kids."

"Yes, sir."

"W-Wait! M-Mr. Valleje!"

We left the principal's office and ignored the principal's plea.

"You old witch! It's your bad attitude! serves you right! You'll be in trouble with our Daddy!" when I heard Rockwell's voice, I touched my forehead and went back to get him, still standing in front of the office door, sticking his tongue out.

We left the school. We took the kids to the mall and let them play to ease the tension. This is the thing I try to avoid the most in their school life. I don't see what happens to them all the time.

"Are you okay?" Rozzean asked me.

I was really furious earlier.

"Yes, I just can't accept what I saw. I don't know how many times Thalia has been hurt in that school because of bullies. The problem is, your daughter doesn't report it to us."

Thalia is different—quiet but strong-willed.

"Don't worry, I will transfer them to a better school," Rozzean assured me and kissed my forehead.

We are very protective of our children. We don't lack guidance for them. I've told them that getting into fights isn't good, but it's also not wrong to defend themselves when it's too much.

And our children are smart. They understand it very well.

"Don't run, Rockwell!" Rozzean told our son when we arrived home.

I looked at Thalia and called her.

"Thalia..."

She turned to me and approached. Her face looked sad.

"Sweetie... Mommy is not mad, okay? Didn't I tell you from the beginning that it's not wrong to defend yourself against bullies?" I held her cheeks, and she nodded.

"Yes, Mommy..."

Concerned, I looked at the bruise on my daughter's back. Rozzean also examined Thalia's back. I saw the furrow in his brow. He lifted our daughter and gave her a smile. This is what I love about my husband. He doesn't show his anger in front of our daughter.

"What do you want, my baby?"

I saw Thalia's smile at Rozzean's question. She's really a Daddy's girl!

"I want new books to read, Daddy..."

And there it is! She loves to read! She's still young, but their room is filled with children's books.

"Okay, Daddy will buy a lot of books!" Rozzean said, smiling at me and winking. Thalia laughed when he kissed our daughter.

"Thank you, baby..." I said to my husband, and I leaned in and kissed him on the lips.

There's something else I haven't told him yet, but I want to confirm it first. So, when I entered our room with Rozzean, I quickly grabbed some pregnancy test kits from the drawer. I used two, and when I saw the results, I covered my mouth.

"Positive..." I happily said, then left the bathroom and put the kits inside the drawer.

When I went down to prepare our dinner, a big smile wouldn't leave my face because I was sure my husband would be overjoyed.

He is in the gazebo now with our children, feeding them fish. When they went inside, the food was ready.

We all started eating together with Manang.

While I watched my children happily eating and laughing, I suddenly became emotional.

We have a happy family. Rozzean and I.

"Baby..." I called her.

"Why? Is there a problem?" she looked concerned.

I shook my head and sniffed. I held back my tears because our children would surely worry.

"I am just happy, very happy. I realized what we have right now, Rozzean. A joyful life with our children."

He smiled at me and caressed my face.

"And that's because of how amazing you are, Thaliana."

"You too, baby... so much," I replied to him as we both looked at our children having fun.

At ten o'clock, I peeked into my children's room. My triplets were sleeping soundly, and Taki was also asleep in the other room. When I went to our room with Rozzean, I saw him lying on the bed with a rose in his mouth.

"Hello, wife... maybe?"

I laughed at the way she said it with the rose still in his mouth.

"It's been almost three weeks," he complained.

I approached him, and he sat up. I held him on both cheeks while standing. I kissed his forehead, took the rose from his mouth, and kissed his lips passionately.

"Wait."

I headed to the drawer and took two pregnancy test kits. When I handed them to Rozzean, he looked at me with wide-open lips.

"I think I am pregnant again... to make sure, let's go to Ferline tomorrow--"

I paused when Rozzean hugged me tightly and kissed my head.

"Ohh, baby... thank you... thank you so much! I love you!"

The next day, both of us went to Ferline's clinic. Rozzean was so excited, so we went early.

"It looks like you've hit the mark again, huh?" Ferline greeted us with a smile when she saw us.

We went inside, and Ferline checked me. She moved the transducer. Rozzean held my hand tightly while waiting for Ferline to speak.

"You're two months late, Tangi, you say?" she asked me.

"Yes, and last night I checked, and both test kits were positive."

Ferline lowered the transducer and stood up, then smiled at both of us.

"Your suspicion is correct. You are pregnant!"

Rozzean and I looked at each other, both smiling.

"And this time, I'm really sure."

We returned our gaze to Ferline.

"Congratulations! You are going to have twins!"

I quickly looked at Rozzean and laughed at his reaction, and Ferline seemed equally surprised. He was wide-eyed.

"T-Twins?"

"Don't faint!" I said, laughing.

We announced the good news to everyone. My siblings were delighted, and they jokingly said that Rozzean seems to be planning to form two basketball teams. I didn't complain because despite the challenges of pregnancy, my husband never left my side, and he took care of me and our children so well, even now that they've grown.

"Do Mommy have babies in her tummy?" Thalia asked.

We're all together now in the customized bed that Rozzean had made. We're here with our children, and Taki stayed in his room, feeling shy as he's already a grown-up.

"Yes, my dear. That's why we need to take care of Mommy and your siblings, okay?"

"Wow! I'm excited!" Rockwell exclaimed.

"I hope it's a girl, Mommy," Thalia said, "So I'll have a playmate."

I smiled and gently touched my child's cheek.

"We'll find out after a few months."

"I want two boys! So they can play trucks with me and Rozwell!" Rockwell said, causing a frown from Thalia.

"Hey, let it be a girl this time. There are already three boys, including Taki."

When Rozzean noticed that the two were about to start arguing, he quickly intervened. I smiled as I looked at our children lying on each side of us. Rozzean and I were at opposite ends.

"Time to sleep. Tomorrow, your grandparents and cousins will visit for a vacation here with us. Sleep early so you can wake up early because they'll come early."

"Yehey!" all three of them exclaimed.

I got up and kissed the cheeks of the triplets. Rozzean did the same, then turned around to come close and kiss me on the lips. When the door opened, we saw Taki entering. He approached us.

"Good night, Mom and Dad," he said, kissing his father's cheek. Then, he went to his siblings and gently touched their heads.

Rozzean went behind me and hugged me tightly. He rested his head on my shoulder as we looked at our children. When I turned to him, he greeted me with a quick kiss on the lips.

"Thank you, baby," he said. He never lets a day pass without expressing his gratitude to me.

While looking into his eyes, memories from the past flashed back. My plea at his doorstep to be accepted as a helper, the sight of his jumbo hotdog, the care I provided, and even the times we went through hardships together.

I couldn't be more blessed. God gave me a loving husband. My life with Rozzean and our children is almost perfect. And now, I can't wait for our twins to join our happy family!

"A happy life, indeed. Thank you, Thaliana. Thank you for bringing them into my life. Thank you for being a wonderful wife. I love you so much..." he said, touching my tummy.

I smiled at him and caressed his face. I tiptoed and kissed his lips again.

"And thank you also for being an amazing husband. I love you too, Rozzean."

THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER OF THE STORY. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING UNTIL THE END!

-Pennieee