As the days passed, Mirabel still carried the weight of everything that had happened. The world hadn't stopped moving, and neither had her emotions, but it felt like a fog had settled in her mind. She went through the motions of daily life, putting on a brave face for others, but when she was alone, the truth would rush back in, threatening to drown her again. Topanga had ended up deciding not to take the job offer, meaning the Matthews didn't have to move. She was thrilled about that the storm inside her to fully celebrate. The relief was there, of course—it meant that her friends and one of her favorite teachers wouldn't have to move.

But even that comfort couldn't shake the heaviness pressing down on her. It was like she was stuck in a loop—relief, sadness, anger, and then numbness all over again. She wanted to be okay. She wanted to let it go. But every time she tried, it clawed its way back. Lucas noticed. Riley and Maya did too. They whole friend group did and they were worried about her. They tried to distract her, offering movie nights and study sessions at Topanga's, but no matter how much she smiled and played along, she knew they saw through it.

One evening, Lucas walks her home after school, their steps slow and unhurried. "Mi sol, you don't have to talk about it," He said, voice gentle. "But you don't have to pretend, either."

Mirabel sighs, stuffing her hands into her pockets of the denim jacket she had borrowed from Lucas. "I don't even know what to say. I thought I was past this. That it didn't matter anymore."

Lucas stops walking, turning to her. "It's okay that it still matters." He reaches up to gently tilt her face up when she avoided his gaze, his fingers brushing softly against her cheek. "Feelings aren't like that, Mirabel. You can't just turn them off. You can't just try to fake your way through it either. They're a part of you, whether you want them to be or not."

Mirabel stands still, feeling the weight of his words settle in. She's tried for so long to hide what's inside, to pretend everything's fine, but Lucas isn't buying it—and, somewhere deep down, she's relieved. She doesn't want to pretend anymore. Not with him. "I thought I had it under control," She admits softly, trying to hold back the rush of emotions she feels as she leans into his touch. "I thought if I just kept going, kept smiling...It would all fade. But it hasn't. It's still there. And I don't know how to make it go away."

Lucas pulls her in for a gentle hug, the kind that feels like it holds the weight of everything she's been carrying. "You don't have to make it go away," He says, his voice soft but steady. "It doesn't work like that. You don't have to hide it, either. It's okay to feel it, Mirabel. It's okay to not have it all figured out."

She lets herself hold onto him, the steadiness of his presence grounding her as her emotions begin to spill over, unrestrained. "I'm scared," She admits, her voice shaky. "Scared of feeling like this forever. Like it'll never get better."

"It will get better," Lucas reassures her, his voice unwavering. "It might not feel like it now, but it will. You're not alone in this, I promise." She sighed and buried her face in his shoulder, allowing herself a moment to just let go. The weight of the world felt a little lighter with him there, holding her, offering a comfort she hadn't realized she needed so desperately.

"I want to believe that," She whispers, her voice muffled against him. "I want to believe that it'll get better."

"It will," Lucas repeats, his tone firm but gentle. "You don't have to have all the answers right now. You just have to trust that things will change, even if it's slow. And in the meantime, you've got me. You've got all of us."

Mirabel pulls back slightly to look at him, her eyes still a little red but filled with gratitude. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

Lucas smiles softly, wiping away a tear from her cheek. "You don't have to worry about that. We've got each other. Always." She nodded, feeling a flicker of warmth in her chest. Maybe the storm inside her hadn't cleared entirely, but with Lucas by her side, she didn't feel so lost in it anymore. She wasn't sure what the future held, but for the first time in a while, she felt like she could face it. Slowly. One step at a time.

"Thanks, Lucas," She said, her voice steadier now. "For everything."

"Anytime, mi sol," He replies, offering her a smile that felt like a promise. "I love you, Mirabel."

Her heart skipped a beat at the words, the depth of them settling in as she looked up at him. The moment felt surreal, like time had slowed, and everything around them had faded into the background. "I love you too." She murmured, her voice a little shaky but full of sincerity.   

Mirabel closed her eyes, letting herself sink into the safety of his embrace when he pulled her into another tight hug. Maybe the storm wasn't over, and maybe there would still be hard days ahead. But with Lucas, with her friends by her side, she felt like she could weather it all. And that thought brought her a sense of peace she hadn't felt in a long time.

****

As the days passed, Mirabel still carried the weight of everything that had happened. The world hadn't stopped moving, and neither had her emotions, but it felt like a fog had settled in her mind. She went through the motions of daily life, putting on a brave face for others, but when she was alone, the truth would rush back in, threatening to drown her again. Lucas, as always, was her steady anchor. He didn't pressure her to talk about things she wasn't ready to discuss, but he made it clear that whenever she was ready, he would be there. He didn't just listen to her words; he understood her silences, the way her shoulders would tighten when she thought no one was watching, the way her eyes would gloss over when the thoughts became too much.

Mirabel found herself leaning on him more and more, even without realizing it. He helped with little things, like taking her mind off the turmoil by distracting her with simple activities—movie nights where they didn't talk about anything deep, long walks that let her breathe in the world around her, and quiet moments where they just held each other. Those moments, while simple, reminded her that life still held beauty, even in the midst of all the chaos. 

But it wasn't just Lucas. Mirabel also found comfort in the small things that had always brought her peace. She spent more time at the beach, letting the salty air and the rhythmic sound of the waves calm her nerves. Sometimes, she would sit on the sand, lost in her thoughts, and just watch the tide ebb and flow. There was something comforting about its constancy, about how the world kept turning even when everything felt out of control. 

One day, after a particularly rough night where she couldn't sleep due to the turmoil in her mind, Mirabel sat down with a journal. She hadn't written in it in weeks, but something about the quiet of the morning made her want to try again. As she wrote, the words poured out in a flood, everything she had been bottling up for days. She wrote about the lies, the hurt, the shock of it all. She wrote about how lost she felt, and how she wished things could be different.

She wrote about her frustration and guilt, but also about the glimmer of hope that Lucas had given her. When she finished, she felt lighter, like a small weight had been lifted. It wasn't a solution, but it was a step toward healing. Writing gave her the space to express what she had been too afraid to say aloud. It took time for her to start accepting the truth of her mother's betrayal. Mirabel knew that the pain wouldn't vanish overnight, but with each day, she felt herself healing a little bit more.

****

Mirabel stood in the doorway of the kitchen, her fingers nervously twisting the hem of her shirt as she glanced over at her mom, who was quietly washing dishes. The silence in the room was thick, heavy with unspoken words. She had spent the past few days turning over everything her mom had told her, trying to make sense of it all, but no matter how many times she replayed the conversation in her head, she couldn't seem to process it. Her mom had told her that she was pregnant. And that she and her dad had gotten a divorce—had been divorced for weeks and hadn't told her. What made it worse was the fact that her mom had been seeing someone else, someone she knew before meeting dad and had reunited with him nine months ago. 

"Mom," Mirabel finally speaks, her voice quiet, betraying the turmoil inside her. "We need to talk."

Her mom looks up from her hands, a flicker of guilt crossing her face before she forced a small smile. "I know, sweetie. I've been waiting for you to come to me."

Mirabel takes a deep breath. The silence between them stretched out for a moment as she tried to gather her thoughts. "You told me about dad...And that you've been seeing someone else, a-and that you're pregnant..." She starts, walking further into the room. "I've given it all a lot of thought...I tried to push it aside, tried to just keep going like everything was normal, but it's not. It's not normal, mom. You've been keeping so much from me."

Her mom's face softens, the tension in her shoulders releasing slightly as she sets the dish she was holding down. She turns fully toward Mirabel, her eyes filled with a mix of guilt and sorrow. "I'm sorry, Mirabel," her mom says quietly, her voice full of regret. "I know this has been a lot to take in, and I should've told you sooner. I didn't want to hurt you, but I realize now that keeping it from you only made it worse."

Mirabel feels a sharp pain in her chest, the weight of everything crashing down on her all over again. She can't hold back the tears that begin to fall. "You didn't think I'd want to know? About  the divorce...About all of this? Mom, you're pregnant! I'm gonna have a little sibling and you didn't even tell me until recently?" Mirabel's voice cracks, the emotions too much to contain any longer. "I don't even know who this person is... You've been seeing them for weeks, who knows maybe months, and I didn't even know they existed. How long were you planning on keeping this from me?"

Her mom reaches out to her, this time Mirabel lets her hand fall into her mom's, the warmth of it grounding her despite the storm inside her. She doesn't pull away, but the hurt and confusion are still there, heavy in her chest. Her mom squeezes her hand gently, as if silently asking for forgiveness, and Mirabel feels a flicker of something—maybe understanding, maybe still too much pain. "I didn't want to hurt you, sweetie," Her mom says softly, her voice breaking. "I didn't know how to tell you. Your dad and I... it just happened so fast, and I thought if I kept it to myself a little longer, things would work out." 

Mirabel swallows hard, feeling the storm inside her slowly begin to calm. "I spent so much time feeling so many emotions, like being lost and angry," She said, her voice gaining strength. "But I realize now that holding onto all that or just trying to fake being okay doesn't help. I want to move forward. I want to know what's going on, and I want to be there for you, mom. For all of it. The divorce...The baby...Everything."

Beatrix looked surprise that her daughter is saying this, her eyes widening as if she hadn't expected Mirabel to be ready to take this step. And she hadn't expected that, she feared that Mirabel might shut her out, might refuse to face the truth of everything that had happened. The idea of Mirabel turning away from her was something Beatrix had been terrified of. But as she stood there, watching her daughter's face soften and her posture relax, she realized how wrong she had been to doubt her. Mirabel was not turning away. She was stepping forward, ready to embrace the complexity of their reality, even if it was messy and uncertain.

Beatrix's heart clenches with a mixture of relief and guilt. "I didn't think you'd be ready for all of this," She murmurs, her voice thick with emotion. "And I would've completely understood if you needed more time to process. I thought you might be angry with me forever, or worse, that you might not want anything to do with me after all this. But...You're here, and you're willing to listen. I don't deserve that, Mirabel. I don't deserve your forgiveness, but I'm so thankful that you're willing to try."

Mirabel stands there, holding her mom's hands, trying to steady her own emotions as well. The pain was still there, but she felt something stronger starting to take its place: a sense of hope. Hope that, even if things were broken now, they could be rebuilt—together.  "I'm still angry," Mirabel admits quietly, her voice trembling slightly. "And I'm still hurt. But I don't want to keep carrying this weight around. I don't want to let it make me bitter or distant. I need to work through it, but I don't want to shut you out. I want to understand...Everything. What happened, what's going to happen, and how we can be there for each other moving forward."

Beatrix nods slowly, her heart swelling with both pride and guilt. She had feared this conversation would break their bond, but instead, Mirabel's words felt like a lifeline, an offer to repair what had been torn. "I promise I'm going to do better," She said softly, her voice still raw with emotion. "I won't hide things from you anymore. We're in this together, okay? No more secrets. I'm truly sorry for everything. I should have been honest with you from the start. I know I've hurt you, and I regret it deeply. But I want to be better for you, for us. Please, don't carry this weight alone. We're in this together, every step of the way." 

Mirabel squeezed her mom's hands, a small but meaningful gesture of connection, of understanding. The words hung in the air, thick with everything they had just shared. It wasn't going to be easy, and there would be moments of pain and confusion, but for the first time in a long while, Mirabel felt a flicker of something she hadn't felt in days—hope. Hope that they could heal, that they could rebuild, no matter how messy things seemed in the moment. 

"So...." Her gaze fell to her mom's stomach. "I'm really gonna have a little sibling?" She wasn't exactly sure how she felt about it. She couldn't quite place the mix of emotions swirling inside her—excitement, confusion, a bit of fear—but there was something there, something that made her feel a little less alone in the world. It was hard to imagine how everything would change, how her life would shift with a new baby, but maybe it wouldn't be all bad.

Her mom smiles softly, her hand gently resting on her stomach. "Yes, you are." She pauses before adding, "I have an appointment coming up to find out the gender of the baby, if you want to come with me," Her mom offers, her voice gentle, as if she were giving Mirabel the choice to be part of the experience or to take her time. "I think it could be nice...A way to start this new chapter together."

Mirabel hesitated for a moment, the idea of being involved more than just a spectator tugging at her. She had never been to an appointment like that before, and the thought of seeing her little sibling for the first time, hearing more details, felt like stepping into a new world. But she wasn't sure what she would feel, or if she was ready to embrace this change fully. Though right now she just knew she wanted to help her mom through this. 

"I...I think I'd like to go." Mirabel said slowly, her voice quieter than usual, but there was a spark of something in her eyes—curiosity, hope, maybe even a bit of excitement.

Her mom looks relieved and she smiles, a soft, knowing smile. "I'd love to have you there."

Mirabel nodded, feeling a little more certain about her decision. It wouldn't be easy, but this was part of their journey now. They were moving forward together, and despite all the uncertainty, there was a small part of Mirabel that began to feel lighter. She didn't have all the answers yet, and she wasn't sure where this new chapter would lead, but for the first time in a long while, she felt like she had a say in how it would unfold. There was still a lot of healing to do, a lot of questions left unanswered, but being there for her mom, showing up, and taking steps together—it felt like a start. 

"So, um, has the baby been kicking yet?" Mirabel asked, her voice tentative but curious. It was a simple question, but it felt like a step toward connecting with this new little life that would soon be part of their world. 

 Beatrix's face softens even more, her hand instinctively moving to her stomach as she smiles. "Yes, actually. It's still pretty subtle, but every now and then, I feel little movements. It's amazing, you know? Like a little reminder that this tiny person is growing inside of me." 

Mirabel's gaze drops to her mom's stomach and she was curious, she wanted to ask if she could maybe feel it, but she was hesitant. "Can I...Feel it?" Mirabel asked, her voice soft, unsure if it was too forward or if her mom would be open to it.

Beatrix looks at her with a warm, understanding smile and nodded gently. "Of course, sweetheart. It might take a moment, but you might feel something soon." She shifted slightly, making herself more comfortable, and placed Mirabel's hand gently on her belly.

Mirabel's eyes widen when immediately she felt a soft flutter against her hand, like a tiny pulse of life. It was so subtle, yet unmistakable. Her heart skipped, and her breath caught in her throat as she held her hand in place. For a moment, all the confusion and fear she'd been feeling seemed to fade into the background, replaced by the warmth of that tiny movement, as if the baby was greeting her, as if somehow the baby already knew. Mirabel's hand remained on her mom's stomach, and she could feel the faint flutter again, this time a little more distinct. 

It was as if the baby was reaching out, a small sign of connection, and in that moment, everything else fell away. Her uncertainty, her fears, even her confusion about the changes ahead—they all softened in the face of something so pure, so innocent. For the first time, Mirabel felt a real sense of belonging in this growing family. It wasn't just her mom and her anymore; there was someone else, someone small and fragile, but also full of potential. Mirabel could feel the weight of that, the responsibility, but also the joy of it. She was going to be an older sister—someone who could guide, protect, and love.

"Wow," Mirabel whispers, her voice filled with awe. "It's like...Like they're saying hello." Her eyes were wide, as if the small fluttering movements had opened a door to something bigger—something she hadn't fully understood until now.

Beatrix smiles gently, her eyes soft with emotion as she watched Mirabel's reaction. "You're right," She said, her voice quiet with a mix of wonder and tenderness. "It's like a little greeting. A little sign that they know you're there."

Mirabel let out a shaky breath, the weight of her emotions starting to settle in. There was something so profound in that moment—the simple connection between her and the baby, this tiny life that was already becoming a part of her world. It wasn't just about the future sibling, or the uncertainty she had been feeling about this whole new chapter—it was about the reality of what was growing inside her mom, what they were all preparing for. For the first time in awhile, Mirabel felt a spark of excitement rather than just fear. This was real, this was happening, and she was going to be a part of it.

"I'm really going to be an older sister." She breathed out, almost to herself, as if the weight of the words hadn't fully sunk in until now.

Beatrix's smile deepens, and she reached over, brushing a strand of hair away from Mirabel's face. "Yes, you are," She replies, her voice filled with pride. "And I know you're going to be wonderful at it." Mirabel's eyes lit up as she looked up at her mom with a newfound sense of warmth and hope. 

"You really think so?" She asked, her voice small but filled with a soft, genuine curiosity.

Beatrix nods, her smile unwavering, filled with confidence and love. "I do. You've always had a big heart, Mirabel. You're going to be an amazing older sister, guiding and caring for them. I can already see how much love you have to give."

Mirabel's heart swelled with the weight of her mom's words, her nerves softening as she felt her mom's steady confidence in her. The idea of becoming an older sister felt less like an overwhelming change and more like an opportunity to grow into something important, something special. As much as she had felt uncertain before, now a quiet excitement was bubbling up inside her. For the first time, she could see herself in this new role—a role she hadn't known how to approach before. 

She would have someone to share her world with, someone to protect and love. It didn't have to be perfect, but it was a chance for connection, for new beginnings. Beatrix reached over, pulling Mirabel into a soft hug, holding her close. She didn't hesitate to hug her mom back, burying her face in her neck. It wasn't just about the baby anymore; it was about them, too, and the bond they were strengthening, step by step. And for the first time in a long while, Mirabel felt that everything would be okay—that despite the uncertainties and changes, they were moving forward as a family. 

They were even gaining a new member, and there was a quiet sense of peace settling in her heart. The world, which had seemed so overwhelming and full of unknowns, now felt just a little bit more manageable. It wasn't that the challenges would disappear, but now Mirabel knew she wasn't alone in facing them. She had her mom, and soon, she would have a little sibling to share it all with.