A love to last

The blinding white lights of the runway were a familiar purgatory for Nani Hirunkit. For years, he had lived in the strobe-lit shadows, a ghost moving through the high-fashion circuits of Paris and Milan, hidden behind the elaborate veils and avant-garde silhouettes of his cross-dressing persona. In Chiang Mai, he was just a father—a tired, loving parent to Smyle, Neona, and the newest addition to their fractured family, little Skyr. But tonight, in the heart of Bangkok, the mask was back on.

Nani took a steadying breath backstage, the silk of the emerald gown clinging to his frame. He was thinner than he had been years ago, the stress of running and the toll of a third pregnancy leaving him with a fragile, ethereal grace that the designers craved. He hadn't wanted to come back to the city that broke him, but the coffers were running low, and three children required a future he couldn't provide on mountain air and secrecy alone.

"Two minutes, Nani," the floor manager whispered, checking the drape of the lace over Nani’s shoulders.

Nani nodded, his heart hammering a frantic rhythm against his ribs. He had spent three years looking over his shoulder, waiting for the shadow of Sky Wongravee to darken his doorstep. Sky, the man who was both a celebrated F1 champion and a whispered-about Don in the underworld. Sky, who had recklessly paraded their twins before the media years ago, forcing Nani to vanish into the northern mists to protect them from the vultures and the enemies of the Natetorrn name.

He stepped onto the runway.

The music was a low, thrumming bass that vibrated in his bones. Nani moved with the practiced elegance of a predator, his eyes fixed on a point at the back of the hall. He had learned long ago never to look at the faces in the front row. The front row was for the elite, the powerful, and the dangerous.

But as he reached the midpoint of the catwalk, a scent hit him. It was a scent that defied the heavy perfumes and hairsprays of the fashion show—a sharp, cold scent of ozone, expensive leather, and the faint, metallic tang of an F1 track. It was the scent of an Enigma. It was the scent of the man he had loved and fled.

Nani’s stride faltered for a fraction of a second. His gaze dropped, betraying his discipline.

There, in the center of the VIP section, sat Sky Wongravee Natetorrn.

Sky looked older, his features sharper and more imposing than Nani remembered. He wasn't wearing the racing suit or the casual linen of an actor; he was dressed in a charcoal-grey three-piece suit that screamed of his status as a Don. His eyes, dark and predatory, were locked onto Nani with an intensity that felt like a physical weight.

But it wasn't just Sky.

To his left sat Neona, now six years old, looking like a miniature queen in a velvet dress. To his right was Smyle, his hair slicked back just like his father’s, looking bored but dutiful. And nestled in Sky’s lap, held with a tenderness that contradicted the man’s lethal reputation, was a toddler with chubby cheeks and the exact same arched eyebrows as the man holding him.

Skyr.

Nani felt the world tilt. His lungs seized. How? How had Sky found them? How had he gotten his hands on their youngest son, the child he wasn't even supposed to know existed?

The toddler looked up at the stage, his big eyes widening as he recognized the figure in the shimmering dress. "Mama!" the little boy chirped, his voice cutting through the atmospheric music.

The audience shifted, a murmur of confusion and intrigue rippling through the crowd. Nani’s vision blurred. He wanted to scream, to leap off the stage and snatch his children away, but he was frozen under Sky’s unwavering stare. Sky didn't look angry. He looked... triumphant. And desperately lonely.

Somehow, Nani finished the walk. He turned on his heel, the fabric of his gown hissing against the floor, and retreated backstage. The moment he crossed the curtain, he collapsed into a chair, his breath coming in jagged gasps.

"Nani? What's wrong?" his stylist asked, rushing over.

"He's here," Nani whispered, clutching his stomach. "He has them. He has all of them."

Before anyone could respond, the heavy velvet curtains at the stage entrance were pushed aside. The security guards, usually so strict about backstage access, stood aside like statues. Sky walked in, the twins trailing behind him, and Skyr still perched firmly on his hip.

"You've grown even more beautiful in the dark, Nani," Sky said, his voice a low rumble that sent shivers down Nani’s spine.

Nani scrambled to his feet, his eyes wide and panicked. "Give him to me. Sky, give me my son."

Sky stepped closer, the aura of an Enigma filling the cramped space, making the Omegas in the room bow their heads instinctively. But Nani stood his ground, his maternal instincts overriding his fear.

"Our son," Sky corrected softly. He looked down at the toddler in his arms. "He has your stubbornness. He didn't cry once when my men brought him from the hotel. He just asked if we were going to see the 'pretty star'."

"You kidnapped him!" Nani hissed, reaching out.

Sky didn't pull away. Instead, he stepped into Nani’s personal space, gently transferring the sleeping toddler into Nani’s trembling arms. The moment Nani felt the weight of Skyr, he burst into tears, burying his face in the boy’s neck.

"I didn't kidnap him, Nani. I brought him to his father," Sky said. He reached out, his thumb catching a stray tear on Nani’s cheek. "I spent three years burned by the hole you left behind. Do you have any idea what it’s like to realize you have a third child through a private investigator's grainy photograph?"

"I had to go," Nani sobbed. "You put Smyle and Neona on display. You made them targets. I couldn't let you do that to them. I couldn't let the Mafia world swallow them whole."

"Papa said he was sorry," Smyle piped up, tugging on Nani’s gown. "He’s been looking for us every day, Mama. He has a whole room in the house just with your pictures."

Neona stepped forward, her expression more serious than a child’s should be. "He promised no more cameras, Mama. He fired the people who took our pictures. He said he’d burn the world down if it meant we were safe."

Nani looked at Sky, searching for the lie. He saw the dark circles under Sky’s eyes, the way his hands shook slightly as he reached out to touch Nani’s hair. This wasn't the arrogant actor or the cold-blooded Don. This was a man who had been hollowed out by his own mistakes.

"I’m not a good man, Nani," Sky whispered, his forehead leaning against Nani’s. "But I am your man. And I am their father. I’ve spent three years securing my position so that no one—not the media, not my rivals—can ever touch you again. The Natetorrn name isn't a target anymore. It’s a fortress."

"You scared me so much," Nani breathed, the adrenaline fading into a deep, soul-crushing exhaustion. "I thought I’d lost them. When I saw you in the front row..."

"I wanted you to see that I have them," Sky said, his voice cracking. "And that I’m never letting go again. Not of them. And especially not of you."

Sky wrapped his arms around Nani and the toddler, pulling them into a tight embrace. Smyle and Neona crowded in, clinging to Nani’s legs. For the first time in years, the coldness that had settled in Nani’s chest began to thaw.

"Is it over?" Nani asked into Sky’s chest. "The running?"

"It’s over," Sky promised, kissing the top of Nani’s head. "We’re going home. To our home. Not a safe house, not a hideout. A home."

The glitz and glamour of the fashion world continued just a few feet away, the flashes of cameras and the roar of applause echoing through the curtain. But inside the small, cluttered dressing room, the only thing that mattered was the quiet breathing of three children and the heartbeat of an Enigma finally finding his anchor.

"I hate you for finding me like this," Nani murmured, though he was leaning into Sky’s touch.

"I know," Sky smiled, a genuine, tired smile. "But you look spectacular in emerald. It matches the color of the hills in Chiang Mai where I’m going to build you a sanctuary."

Nani let out a wet laugh, closing his eyes. He was tired of being a ghost. He was tired of the shadows. As Sky led them out of the venue, shielding them from the world with his own body, Nani realized that the front row wasn't a place of judgment anymore. It was the place where his family had finally come back together.

The journey back to the Natetorrn estate was quiet. The twins fell asleep in the back of the SUV, their heads lolling against each other, while Skyr remained curled in Nani’s lap. Sky drove himself, refusing to let a bodyguard take the wheel. He kept one hand on the gear shift and the other firmly interlaced with Nani’s.

As the gates of the massive estate swung open, Nani felt a tremor of anxiety. "Sky... the life you lead. Is it really safe for them?"

Sky pulled the car to a stop and turned to face him. The moonlight caught the sharp angles of his face. "Nani, I am the Don because it’s the only way to ensure no one else can dictate our lives. I’ve cleaned the house. The enemies who knew about the twins are gone. The world believes you are my husband who prefers a private life. No more racing, no more acting if you don't want to. Just us."

"I missed you," Nani admitted, his voice barely a whisper.

"I never stopped looking," Sky replied. "I would have searched for a hundred years."

They stepped out into the cool night air of the estate. The twins were carried inside by trusted staff, and Sky took Skyr from Nani’s arms, leading him toward the master suite.

The room was exactly as Nani remembered, but filled with fresh lilies—his favorite. On the vanity sat a small, velvet box. Nani opened it to find a ring, a simple band of platinum with a rare green diamond.

"For the Donna," Sky said, standing behind him. "For the mother of my children. For the only person who ever made me feel human."

Nani turned around, wrapping his arms around Sky’s neck. The angst of the past years, the fear of the chase, and the loneliness of the mountains seemed to melt away in the heat of Sky’s gaze.

"Don't ever let us go again," Nani commanded.

"Never," Sky promised, leaning down to seal the vow with a kiss that tasted of forgiveness and a brand new beginning.

The twins were safe, the baby was home, and the Enigma had finally found his heart again. The lights of the runway were far behind them; here, in the quiet safety of the Natetorrn walls, they were finally whole.