The gala wound down around us, but I barely noticed.
I sat in a quiet corner of the ballroom with Nina and Lisa, away from the lingering guests and their curious glances. The twins had claimed a small settee, their lavender dresses rumpled now, their careful braids coming loose.
I smoothed their hair absently, trying to find the right words for questions no mother should have to answer.
"Mommy?" Lisa's voice was small, uncertain. "Why did that lady say mean things about us?"
I pulled her closer, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Sometimes, baby, people make bad choices when they're unhappy. They try to hurt others because they're hurting inside."
"But why was she unhappy?" Nina demanded. "She had a fancy dress and pretty hair."
"Having fancy things doesn't always make people happy, sweetheart. Sometimes people want things they can't have, and it makes them angry."
"Like when I wanted Lisa's purple crayon and she wouldn't share?" Nina asked seriously.
I laughed despite everything. "Something like that. But it's over now. Daddy and Archie took care of it."
The word came naturally now—Daddy. No hesitation, no awkwardness. Just simple truth.
"Daddy was very brave," Lisa said quietly. "He stood in front of everyone and said we were his family."
"He did."
"And Archie helped too," Nina added. "He's funny and made everyone laugh at the mean lady."
"Yes, he did. That was very kind of him."
The twins exchanged one of their silent looks, communicating in that mysterious way only they understood. Then Nina nodded firmly.
"I'm glad we have a daddy now," she announced. "He's very tall and he makes good pancakes and he doesn't let mean ladies be mean to us."
"Those are excellent qualities in a daddy," I agreed, my heart swelling.
We all looked up. Xander stood there, his tuxedo slightly rumpled, his eyes soft as he looked at our daughters. He opened his arms, and the twins launched themselves at him without hesitation.
He caught them both, pulling them close, and then reached for me too.
I let myself be drawn into the embrace—all four of us tangled together in a corner of that glittering ballroom.
Xander whispered something in Nina's ear that made her giggle. Then he whispered something else to Lisa, and she laughed too. That rare, full laugh she usually saved for special occasions.
"What did you tell them?" I asked.
"Secret daddy-daughter business," he said solemnly. "Very classified."
"He said the mean lady's face looked like a squished tomato when she got in trouble," Nina announced.
"Nina! That was supposed to be a secret!"
"Oops." She grinned, utterly unrepentant.
I watched them together—Xander patient and tender, utterly devoted to these two small humans he'd only known for weeks.
The way he listened to their chatter. The way he took their questions seriously. The way he looked at them like they were the most precious things in the world.
The last of my fears dissolved.
This was real. This was permanent. This was family.
"Who wants cake?" Xander asked, standing up with exaggerated effort. "I saw a chocolate fountain over there that's calling my name."
"Me! Me!" Both twins bounced with excitement.
"Alright, troops. Mission: acquire maximum chocolate." He took their hands and glanced back at me. "Coming?"
"In a minute. There's something I need to do first."
He nodded, understanding in his eyes, and led the girls toward the dessert table.
I spotted Archie near the bar, nursing what looked like whiskey, watching the room with that familiar half-smile. He was alone—no entourage, no business associates, just a man with a drink and his thoughts.
I approached him slowly, uncertain what to say. How do you thank someone for saving you after you broke their heart?
He turned before I reached him, that easy smile in place, though softer now. Sadder.
"Hey," he said.
"Hey."
Silence stretched between us, filled with everything we couldn't quite say.
"You didn't have to do that," I finally managed and Archie shrugged, swirling his drink.
"Maybe I wanted to prove I'm not a completely useless asshole." He paused, meeting my eyes with unexpected intensity. "What Bianca did was wrong. Using children as weapons, stalking a family, creating that spectacle… It didn't matter what happened between us. That was just wrong."
"Still. You could have stayed out of it. No one would have blamed you."
"I would have blamed me." He took a sip of his whiskey. "You deserve to be happy, Daphne. Even if it's not with me."
"Archie..."
"Don't." He held up a hand, still smiling. "I'm a big boy. I'll survive. I've survived worse than losing a beautiful woman to my business rival." He laughed softly. "Okay, maybe not worse. But equivalent."
I didn't know what to say. The guilt sat heavy in my chest—for leading him on, for sleeping with him, for choosing someone else.
He glanced across the room to where Xander stood with the twins at the chocolate fountain. Nina was directing operations while Lisa carefully selected strawberries to dip. Xander had somehow already gotten chocolate on his shirt.
Something wistful crossed Archie's features.
"He's a lucky man," he said quietly. "Make sure he knows it."
I reached out and squeezed his hand. "You're a good person, Archie. What you did tonight—not many people would have stepped up like that. The right woman is out there. Someone who'll see how wonderful you are."
He laughed softly, some of the sadness lifting from his expression. "God, I hope she's less complicated than you."
"I hope so too. For your sake."
We stood there for a moment longer, something settling between us. Not quite friends yet, there was too much history for that, but no longer anything painful.
Just respect. Just closure. Just two people who'd shared something real, acknowledging that it was over without bitterness.
Archie's expression shifted then—something more serious flickering beneath the easy charm. He leaned slightly closer, lowering his voice.
"One more thing," his eyes found mine, and the playfulness was gone entirely. "Watch yourself with Victor. When Ashfords feel slighted, they don’t fight fair. And often–through making others do the dirty job for them. Like Morrson did."
A chill crept down my spine. I thought of Victor's cold eyes as he'd spoken to Xander before leaving. And the reminder of Gerald Morrison’s hands on me made me flinch. The quiet threat wrapped in silk.
"Just be careful, Daphne."
The warmth of the evening dimmed slightly. I wanted to dismiss his words, to believe that Bianca's defeat meant the end of it all, but something in Archie's expression told me he wasn't being dramatic. He knew these people. He'd grown up in their world.
"Thank you," I said quietly, "for the warning."
"Go," Archie said, nodding toward my family. "Before those two eat the entire dessert table and vibrate through the ceiling."
I smiled. "Goodbye, Archie."
"Goodbye, Daphne."
I walked away, and I didn't look back.
Xander met me halfway, Nina on his hip, Lisa holding his hand. There was chocolate on his shirt, chocolate on Nina's chin, and chocolate somehow smeared across Lisa's forehead.
"We may have had a small incident," Xander admitted.
"The fountain exploded!" Nina announced gleefully. "It was awesome!"
"It didn't explode," Lisa corrected. "Nina stuck her whole hand in and it splashed everywhere."
"Same thing!"
I looked at the three of them, my girls sugar-high and giggling, Xander rumpled and chocolate-stained and happier than I'd ever seen him, and I laughed.
For the first time in what felt like forever, I laughed until my sides ached and tears streamed down my face. Happy tears this time. Only happy tears.
"Come on," Xander said, his eyes crinkling with warmth. "Let's go home."